Steelers' DeShon Elliott's Comments About Needing To Work "A Little Harder" During Practice For Colts Matchup Are Questionable At Best

The Pittsburgh Steelers played a game riddled with errors against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. There were penalties, botched snaps, fumbles, and a lack of urgency. The Steelers have been accused of playing down to teams in the past, and many were concerned that the Colts had all the makings of a trap game. They fell right into it, losing 27-24. 

After the game was over, the players were understandably frustrated. Several defenders spoke out about the terrible officiating, and others chided themselves for letting the game slip away. Quarterback Justin Fields, who shouldered the burden for his mistakes that contributed, also said that he felt the team wasn't laser-focused the way it had been the first three weeks. 

Safety DeShon Elliott told the media a different story. He said he believed the team hadn't worked hard enough at practice. According to Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it wasn't that they were riding high on their 3-0 record, feeling invincible, but that they hadn't had a good week with "attention to detail."

Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show joined 93.7 The Fan's Morning Show to discuss what he saw against the Colts. He was asked about Elliott's comment and whether he had seen anything during this last week of practice that would lead him to agree with that assessment. Kaboly said he hadn't seen anything like that, but added that practice is very short, especially for first-team players. 

"I don't know how you can glean anything off of practice with just those two hours they're out there," said Kaboly. "Some of these guys get limited reps. If you're looking at a dozen, you're lucky. So I don't know how you can determine you have a lack of focus, maybe a lack in the meeting rooms, maybe somewhere else. But I don't think on the field. Obviously, he must have thought something if he's saying it. DeShon Elliott's a guy who's not going to hold back with his thoughts or his emotions. If he felt that way, there's probably something real, but just me, as a bystander, it's impossible to tell."

Kaboly added that he's a bit old school and joked that if they needed to focus more, maybe they should turn the music down, like Ben Roethlisberger used to. Music at practice has been a sore subject around the facility for several years. 

There are some positives. The Steelers did mount a fourth quarter comeback that should have at least tied the game, if not for a costly botched snap. They are still at the top of the AFC North at 3-1 however, as they return home to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. 

Steelers' Offensive Line Battered 

The Steelers have spent the past two seasons rebuilding their offensive line. Unfortunately, that has all started to crumble as the group faces injury after injury. Isaac Seumalo has been out recovering from a pectoral injury. All three primary tackles have been banged up, but Troy Fautanu is out for the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. This forced the Steelers to start Spencer Anderson. 

Then James Daniels went down with an injury shortly into the Week 4 game. Jeremy Fowler confirmed it was an Achilles tear, which will take him out for the season. Rookie Mason McCormick stepped up and played in Daniels' spot. That leaves Pittsburgh without its best run blocker and two most veteran players.

Hopefully, Seumalo will return for the Cowboys game. If that happens, McCormick will play right guard, and Anderson can be the swing tackle. The Steelers entered the season believing they had a solid mix of players that would give them the desired consistency. Now, they will be leaning almost entirely on their youngest players.   

What do you think caused the Steelers to play so poorly against the Colts? Click to comment below.

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