The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised many people around the NFL by making the playoffs in 2024. Pittsburgh kept its streak of winning seasons under head coach Mike Tomlin alive, though they could not win a playoff game. One former Steelers player believes that the team’s culture could be holding it back from success.
Super Bowl champion Willie Colon gave a scathing review of the culture in Pittsburgh during a recent interview on The Ryen Russillo Podcast.
“I was at the Super Bowl, and I ran into a lot of my old teammates… we were talking about the culture of the Steelers,” Colon said. “At one point, it meant something. And now, it feels like it’s something that you just say, and it doesn’t have as much weight as it once did. Some of the stories I was hearing coming out of the locker room was interesting.”
Colon clearly feels that the team has lost its way since the Roethlisberger era, during which the team won two Super Bowls.
“I got the feeling that the old way and what I was brought into doesn’t exist anymore,” Colon concluded. “That was disheartening.”
Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger also critical of team after playoff failures
Colon is not the only former Steelers player to criticize the team in the past few months.
Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger did not hold back when talking about his old team after their playoff loss against the Ravens in January.
“You have to evolve as a team. You can’t just assume that everybody wants to come play for the Steelers anymore like they used to. People used to want to come play for Pittsburgh because you had a chance every single year to win a Super Bowl,” Roethlisberger said via Steelers Nation.
Even Roethlisberger’s message seemed tinged with a hint change in the DNA of the Steelers. Even though Pittsburgh has kept its impressive streak of winning seasons alive under Tomlin, they are not a threat in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh’s questionable quarterback position since Roethlisberger’s retirement is certainly a contributing factor.
Perhaps the Steelers can turn things around once they find their next franchise quarterback.
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