Cam Heyward is tuning out all the noise. Even when it comes from his former teammates. In a week where Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, and other former players have called for Mike Tomlin to be fired and the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the reset button, Heyward is treating it like the media fodder it is.
“I don’t worry about anybody that’s not in the locker room,” Heyward said Thursday via 93.7 The Fan. “It’s not a diss at them. I think we just gotta worry about the guys that are here and focus on the job at hand.”
Roethlisberger made waves by not only suggesting the team should part with Mike Tomlin, but that Tomlin should take the vacant Penn State head-coaching position. Comments made off the cuff and not that seriously but words the media ran with like wildfire. Harrison has been more aggressive in his commentary, saying Tomlin has never been a “great coach” and blasting the team for its poor play.
The only way to quiet the noise is to win. Heyward knows that’s where his attention must reside.
“There’s a lot of football to be played,” he said. “Not running from that, our job. We gotta answer for it.”
Pittsburgh has a prime chance to answer this weekend. Facing the Baltimore Ravens in a critical AFC North matchup, a Steelers win would vault them into the division lead. A loss, however, would give the Ravens clear control, and only add to the chorus of voices calling for the franchise to make a change. Whichever teams fails to win the AFC North is almost certainly going to be sitting at home during the postseason. A Wild Card path is incredibly tough to carve out.
To win in Baltimore, the Steelers will need better focus. Not on the outside world but on the game. During last Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, frustration consumed the team, Heyward included. It led to multiple personal fouls that only made an ugly second half even worse. Emotions always run high in Steelers-Ravens and must be controlled as the first step of many to break the team’s losing streak.