There have been many former players of the Pittsburgh Steelers to get involved in both local and national media after their official retirement from the NFL. One of the biggest media personalities is former hard hitting safety, Ryan Clark. He seems to be on ESPN pretty much every day throughout the season and is constantly critical of teams and organizations. A little over a week ago, he ripped into the Steelers blatantly stating that 'they suck.' After the team's horrible 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Clark was at it again and specifically called out head coach, Mike Tomlin and the players on the team.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 19: Safety Ryan Clark #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on December 19, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
Clark started his rant implying that he would only want one player from this year's team on the Super Bowl winning team back in 2008 based on the effort that was put forth on the field Sunday afternoon.
"The only one on this team that I'd take in 2008 to go down an alley with me, is the young kid that's playing quarterback. He's the only one who wanted something yesterday."
He did make sure to credit a couple guys on the defensive side of the ball, but still believed only one player competed until the final whistle.
"Cam Heyward, to me, is a future Hall of Famer, Minkah Fitzpatrick, one of the best players in the game. I am in no way saying that those men didn't want to win. What I'm saying is from the outside looking in, only one strained the entire day and it was the quarterback."
According to Clark, there is one person who should be held accountable for the miserable display of football versus the Bills and that is his former coach who leads the way for the franchise.
"I can say this, he is my favorite football coach in the world, this starts with Coach Tomlin. You no longer have a Hall of Fame quarterback. You no longer have better players than the other team. You have to have this team ready to play."
Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin roams on the field prior to a 2022 regular season matchup versus the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The former Super Bowl Champion even found a way to compare the Steelers to the Detroit Lions.
"This team, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I want this team to look like the Detroit Lions do most weeks. I don't believe they are good enough to go out and beat good football teams, but every one except for this week against the New England Patriots, we come in and we say about the Detroit Lions 'but, they fought, they made it a game, they didn't give up.'""This team [the Steelers] gave up. This team wasn't playing anymore. It wasn't important enough for them to go out and have pride in the way they approached the game and that's a problem."
Clearly, Pittsburgh is not one of the better teams in the league, but Clark believes they need to find a way to compete better on Sundays.
"When you know you don't have what it takes on paper, you gotta go out and and do something else. That's what winners do."
Surely, Clark would have taken T.J. Watt back in 2008, but he wasn't on the field Sunday. Everyone else, aside from Pickett, fell way short of the former safety's expectations in the loss against Buffalo.
What do you make of Clark's comments on Monday morning? Let us know in the comments below!
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