Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark called out Pittsburgh's performance during their 38-3 loss to the Bills Sunday afternoon. More specifically, Clark called out the team's fight while Buffalo outclassed them in every sense of the word.
"Mike Tomlin is my favorite football coach," Clark tweeted. "With that being said, no matter what the roster looks like your team has to be prepared, be in proper positions to succeed, and dang fight! The Steelers did not fight today, and that goes back to the head coach. He gotta get ’em right."
Less than 24 hours after the bloodbath in Buffalo had finally ceased, Steelers players faced the media with questions about the performance. Coming off a game where he hauled in only five catches out of 13 targets, Diontae Johnson stood front and center to answer some of those questions, and Clark's challenge was brought up.
“I’m not worried about RC. He played here. He knows how the Steelers play. If he wants to come play, he can come help us win if he’s got so much to say,” Johnson said. "Other than that, I'm just going to keep playing football and worry about me and my team."
Diontae Johnson on former #Steelers safety @Realrclark25’s comments from this morning:
— Corey Crisan (@cdcrisan) October 10, 2022
“I’m not worried about RC, man. He played here. He knows how the Steelers play. If he wants to come play, he can come help us win if he’s got so much to say.” pic.twitter.com/MDzNKnL4dj
Johnson has only been charged with two drops this season, but there is an endless debate over what truly constitutes a drop. However, there are hard numbers from Johnson that point to a significant and alarming drop in production, including career lows in catch percentage, yards per target, and yards-after-catch per reception.
That play has not only drawn criticism from those in the media, but also a heavy helping from the fan base. Johnson was asked about that as well, and his response exceeded his displeasure with Clark's criticism.
"They're not out here, so they can say what they want to say," Johnson said. "Y'all are watching us at the end of the day. We're going to do what we do. We play football at the end of the day. If y'all are so good, come out here and help us if y'all got so much to say. That's all I can say about it. Y'all can say what you want, but y'all don't know what it's like to go to work with us everyday and put your blood, sweat, and tears in none of the stuff we do.
"So y'all can say what you want. The real fans that know what we do, I appreciate them. That's all we're going to do is focus on what we can control, and worry about us. I'm not worried about any of that stuff they're talking about."
Clark now spends his days as an NFL analyst on ESPN, so making absolute statements about anything in the league comes with the job. But, not that long ago, he was the safety of a defense that won one Super Bowl and made an appearance in another. He was a member of the 2008 defense that is considered to be one of the best units in franchise history, right there with the legendary Steel Curtain defenses from the 1970s.
Clark not only understands the "standard is the standard" mantra better than most, he's been in a similar situation to this 2022 team. The 2013 Steelers started their season 0-4, and that team was able to rebound after an early bye to finish the season 8-4 to salvage the horrendous start to the season. That team, however, had a plethora of established players who knew how to navigate the NFL season and find ways to win games, regardless of circumstance.
This year's team doesn't have that. Johnson himself has used the word "rebuild" when talking about the offense. The reins of the offense have been handed over to Kenny Pickett, and as Dejan Kovacevic pointed out, his presence exposed just how far away this team is from being a true contender.
Expectations are always high in Pittsburgh. It's been that way for a long, long time. When the performance is far below the standard, criticism will be dished out from every direction. For a team that has so much to figure out on the football field, clapping back at the noise that the team is supposed to be tuning out is only going to pour gas on the fire.