'Solutions are born out of conflict' – Steelers HC Mike Tomlin doesn't mind players calling each other out
Following an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas, tempers in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room started to boil over. Defenders started calling each other out for simple errors and far too many miscommunication issues. However, after addressing the team on Monday, Coach Tomlin said that the 'bickering' is actually for the best: […]
Following an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas, tempers in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room started to boil over.
Defenders started calling each other out for simple errors and far too many miscommunication issues.
However, after addressing the team on Monday, Coach Tomlin said that the 'bickering' is actually for the best:
"I didn't do much about it, and they bicker because they care, and we weren't playing well," said Coach Tomlin when asked if he addressed players calling each other after Christmas. "And oftentimes the solutions are born out of out of conflict and confrontation, particularly when you're in the business that we're in. And so we're not going to let an issue like that be a big issue. It's really about guys expressing truth and working to seek solutions. And sometimes emotions are involved in that. And so most of the time, when you get out of those circumstances, you're able to move on as a collective and I feel like we certainly have done that."
Cam Heyward, DeShon Elliott, and Patrick Queen were all verbose after the loss. It's one thing to lose to title contenders but it's another to lose three straight, all by double digits and largely because of self-inflicted wounds.
"Can’t explain it, it’s happening," LB Patrick Queen told Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee show after the Chiefs game. "We keep talking about it. Nobody is doing a thing about it. If nobody does anything about what they are supposed to be doing then we don't have any room for it. I don't know if we have to keep saying it. We have said it the last two or three weeks. It is at a point where you realize it and go out there and play fast and play physical and do your job."
It's far too late in the season for these kinds of hiccups. As Elliott said, these are elementary, Week 1 and Week 2 mistakes occurring within two weeks of the playoffs.
So maybe it was good everyone got stuff off their chest. The Steelers have a chance to right the ship against Cincinnati on Saturday, and they will have one of their best defenders back to do so.
If not now, then when, as the Steelers aim to avoid another one and done in the postseason.
