Ex-Steelers Defensive Back Claims Team Didn’t Study Enough
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Eric Rowe revealed in a recent interview with Ron Lippock of Steelers Takeaways that the Steelers didn’t have an all-in culture compared to when he played in New England under Bill Belichick.
“It was more about what the guys did outside of practice. In New England they all studied outside of practice – they took it home,” Rowe told Steelers Takeaways. “I didn’t get that same feeling from other teams like Pittsburgh. There were some that did in Pittsburgh but the majority of the players didn’t do it like they did in New England. They didn’t take it in like they did in New England.”
Rowe won two Super Bowls with the Patriots during their second dynasty run in the 2010s, so his statement isn’t too surprising. Belichick’s team were always known to be very regiment. But it’s still noteworthy nonetheless.
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt called out the Steelers’ practice habits after the team’s 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15 of the 2023 season.
Watt first made the comments in a production meeting with Rich Eisen of NFL Network, who called the game between the Steelers and Colts.
Eisen repeated those comments on his show on Tuesday, saying that Watt told him that some players are not responding to Mike Tomlin’s coaching and don’t respond in the proper way on the practice field.
“Is he coaching them up? Absolutely. He [Tomlin] is basically going into these meetings and being a dynamic leader and trying to inspire to the point where T.J. Watt said it was ‘wild.’ He used that phrase, it’s wild to him that some of the players upon hearing that [message] don’t respond in a way on a field or on a practice field,” Eisen said of the interaction.
“He used that word, he [said it was] wild that some of them don’t want to practice is what he said. Or want to practice in a way that everyone is supposed to practice. He [Watt] said that this past week, everyone did do that. And then you saw the result. Now you can sit there and say that Tomlin has gotta change his way. T.J. Watt also said that the younger generation takes criticism personally. He didn’t call it a problem, I just inferred it was. And then you see guys on the field like George Pickens turning down contact on a running play.”
The Steelers also bottomed out at the end of the 2024 season, losing five straight. Tomlin was also captured on Hard Knocks telling the team that “he doesn’t have the words” to describe the Steelers losing five straight to end the season after starting 10-3. The way the Steelers practice and respond to Tomlin could have some credence.