The Pittsburgh Steelers tied the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 1 and their defense got lit up by second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
So, it’s safe to say the Steelers are struggling right now. But if the on-field issues weren’t enough, there appears to be off-the-field troubles as well.
By now you’re probably aware of Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell refusing to sign his franchise tender and missing every game and practice to this point. And on Monday, Antonio Brown responded to a critical tweet by saying “trade me let’s find out,” although his agent said the star wide receiver doesn’t wanted to be moved.
Still, it doesn’t look like the Steelers coaching staff is doing a good job of preventing distractions, and one assistant coach provided some insight to Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman.
“It’s a circus there,” an NFC South assistant coach told Freeman, “and Mike (Tomlin) has no control over it. He’s one of the best coaches of my generation, but the players have too much control there.”
Tomlin has proven to be a very good coach — he’s reached two Super Bowls and won one with the Steelers — but his team has dealt with way too many distractions during his tenure, especially for a squad that usually is among the AFC’s best.
Making matters worse for the Steelers is their upcoming schedule. They have a Week 3 matchup on the road with the surprisingly 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have beaten the New Orleans Saints and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in back-to-back weeks. Pittsburgh plays the rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, followed by tough games at home against the Atlanta Falcons and on the road versus the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers don’t have much room for error after a poor start to the season, and Tomlin must get control of the situation or a once-promising campaign could go up in flames.
