Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The noise around Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has reached a fever pitch.
What remained of the home crowd during his team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills chanted that it wanted him fired. Then, earlier this week, Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison joined in on the discussion, suggesting that maybe it’s time for the Steelers’ longtime leader to hand over his headset.
Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward considers his former teammates to be outsiders, at least in this case.
“I don’t worry about anybody who’s not in the locker room, and that’s not a diss at them,” Heyward said Thursday. “I think we’ve just gotta worry about the guys in here and focus (on) the job at hand. There’s a lot of football to be played. (We’re) not running from that, our job. We’ve gotta answer for it, keep it moving.”
Roethlisberger played for Tomlin for 15 years. The two won Super Bowl XLIII together, but the former quarterback realizes the team’s performance hasn’t lived up to a similar standard lately.
“It’s being talked about around here a lot. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast. “Maybe it’s ‘clean house’ time. Maybe it is. … And I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best, whether that’s in the pros (or not).”
Harrison, the 2008 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, is third on the Steelers’ all-time sacks leaderboard.
“I have never been a person that thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach,” Harrison said on his podcast. “I thought he was a good (coach). … A good coach gets you to play to your potential. And right now, the players we have on that team I have seen play, they’re not playing up to their potential. A great coach gets you to play to your potential.”
This week, the Steelers will try to right their wrongs against the bitter rival Baltimore Ravens. Following last week’s humiliating performance, Tomlin’s team is preparing accordingly.
“Urgency, pride in what you do and understanding that they’re gonna try and duplicate it,” Heyward said. “All of those things come into mind, but we can only answer on Sunday. But we’ve gotta prepare that way.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Cam Heyward Takes Aim at Steelers Legends Criticizing Mike Tomlin: ‘I Don’t Worry’
