The Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL’s biggest topic this offseason, and one cornerback has had enough of people talking about his head coach.
Amidst the headlines, Tweets and comments from former players, current Pittsburgh Steelers players are speaking up about the heat their organization is getting. It started with teammates defending Ben Roethlisberger after Josh Harris called out his leadership, and has turned towards Mike Tomlin.
Recently, people have started talking about Tomlin’s loss of control within the locker room – a situation that started when James Harrison left nearly two years ago. But cornerback, Joe Haden, has had enough with the comments.
In an interview with NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, Haden defended Tomlin’s leadership, saying he treats every player with respect, both good and bad.
"“He has complete control of the team.He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for. You can only ask for honesty. He keeps it real with you. He lets you know exactly where you stand. He lets you know exactly how he feels about you, if you’re productive, if you’re not. He treats everyone fairly, but I’m gonna say not everybody gets treated the same.”"
Haden, the 29-year-old who signed with the Steelers last year, has become a key part of this defense. With the addition of Steven Nelson, this secondary should be better than Haden has joined the team. Adding a couple of quality draft picks and using Mark Barron in the middle at linebacker, Pittsburgh should revamp their defense after struggling in years past.
It’s the most important year the Steelers have seen in years. Mike Tomlin needs to prove Haden’s words are true and that Pittsburgh can bounce back from losing Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown.
Many experts are saying the Steelers improved after losing their two All Pro players, but they haven’t stepped on a field to prove it. Both offensively and defensively need to see changes after missing the playoffs in 2018.
Even with the loss of AB and Bell, expectations are high in Pittsburgh. If Haden’s words are true, this team should see a complete turnaround from an embarrassing season and worse offseason of drama. No distractions and a team more united than it’s better in a while should lead to a more successful 2019.