Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo portrayed the Steelers’ locker room as solemn on Sunday, but Kenneth Gainwell didn’t see that a day later. While the loss in Chicago made for a bitter pill to swallow, the locker room is resolute and moving forward. Despite the frustration, the belief in their talent and ability to win remains intact.
Asked yesterday if he still sensed “good vibes” in the locker room, Gainwell said, “Most definitely”, via the Steelers’ website. “I think it’s a one-day-at-a-time type of thing. You can’t be looking forward to the future of anything. You never know how the week will go. You never know how a team will game plan. You never know how we come out and do things. It’s a play-by-play type of thing and we just have to go in next week and try to be 1-0”.
The Steelers have failed to achieve 1-0 in four of their past six games, dropping from 4-1 to 6-5. They are teetering on the brink of .500, with the visiting Buffalo Bills on deck. They have lost four out of their last five games against the Bills, though for of them have been played in Buffalo.
Steelers players have struggled to control their frustration at times this season. The manner in which they have lost games, particularly on defense, has only exacerbated the issue. That seems to hit at the root of the matter, as they seem to genuinely believe that they are good enough to win the games that they are losing.
After Sunday’s loss to the Bears, Steelers ILB Patrick Queen hinted at frustration with the scheme. That is consistent with previous reports suggesting that players were happy with recent changes simplifying the scheme that they hoped the coaches would preserve. It doesn’t seem as though all of those changes have been preserved from week to week, however.
The Steelers’ offense has struggled as well, and in every aspect. The offensive line has not been consistent, and it has likely had an impact on their ability to go down the field. They have relied heavily on quick, shallow throws that depend on YAC, and when those don’t hit, the offense doesn’t move.
More and more, there seems to be criticism of the Steelers’ coaching staff and the positions they put players in. Former Steelers OLB James Harrison certainly had some choice words on that topic after the loss to the Bears. But he’s far from alone, and I would imagine there are players in that locker room who feel similarly. Despite the good vibes.
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