The Steelers’ 2024 closing pressers were an absolute masterclass in … something

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It seems like Pittsburgh’s fed up.

The Pittsburgh Steelers saw the 2024 season come to an end with yet another loss in the playoffs under HC Mike Tomlin. This time, it was a 28-14 road loss in the Wild Card Round in their third matchup with the Baltimore Ravens this season.

“I appreciate the effort of the guys man,” Tomlin said. He gave plenty of props to Lamar Jackson and the run game in their efforts against Pittsburgh’s defense.

On the offense, Tomlin said, “We just weren’t good enough.”

“Where did things go wrong stopping the run tonight?” one reporter asked.

“I think it’s just volume,” Tomlin replied. “When they play 11-on-11 football, meaning quarterback mobility, things get isolated. You miss a tackle, and it has a chance to be significant. That’s how they play. That’s the uniqueness of their schematics. You couple that with the time we spent on the grass, and it multiplies.” Multiply, it did.

“We haven’t moved the ball well enough or consistently enough, or scored enough points,” Tomlin said. That about sums it up, eh?

QB Russell Wilson took the podium not long after Tomlin’s departure, crediting the team’s aggressiveness in the second half for the points posted on the board, including praise for WR George Pickens, but it obviously, “They made some big plays on us, unfortunately.”

Wilson was asked a follow-up question about what he’s learned about the organization in his short time there. A smile immediately came across his face. “The Pittsburgh Steelers organization, man, it’s been such a blessing to be here. The guys that we have, the organization. It’s truly first class.”

Wilson continued, “It’s a special place with special guys. We’ve got a special head coach in Coach Tomlin. We’ve got a special organization, special people, special players, a special fan base, so it’s truly been a blessing in my life. It’s been one of the best years for me, personally, to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, and I hope I’m here and everything else.”

“I love black and gold and what it means to me,” Wilson topped it off.

2024 All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward came out next. At 35 years old, Heyward has put together a stellar campaign fresh off a contract extension, but unfortunately, it’s yet another season without a Super Bowl win for a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner who is so deserving.

Heyward said, “It’s tough in the game, but can’t whine about it. Like, they’re gonna make plays, but we’ve got to make our own plays, and we did not do that.” It was a soul-crushing presser, acknowledging the defense’s faults in plays allowed as well as Heyward’s love for playing alongside those currently on the roster knowing there’s a laundry list of things to clean up on the back end.

All of those hopefully, but honest comments, probably would never prepare fans for what star WR George Pickens had to say. Despite acknowledging the growth he’s seen in the Steelers offense, he curtly said he’s not optimistic about it moving forward:

In short, the Steelers’ closing press conference was a mixed bag. Leaders on the team said all of the right things, despite coming off a game where none of the right things took place on the field. How do fans (and ownership) reconcile the difference between the team Mike Tomlin preaches versus the team that goes out and plays on the field?

How does a fan process this hodge podge of postgame comments from the very leaders that are supposed to hold this roster together? Who’s back in 2025 versus who deserves to be back in 2025?