Steelers' Nick Herbig Gives Honest Assessment Of His Play

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached the first meaningful checkpoint of their season at 2-2, and Nick Herbig isn't interested in finding positives in his individual performance while the team sits at .500. The talented outside linebacker has established himself as an important piece of Pittsburgh's defense, but individual production isn't how he is judging his first four games. Herbig is measuring himself by whether the Steelers are winning.

That mentality becomes particularly important after Pittsburgh surrendered 27 points in its loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers have already played two AFC North opponents through four games, and Herbig clearly isn't satisfied with what the defense has accomplished in those matchups. Pittsburgh entered the season expecting its defense to be capable of controlling games, which makes the early inconsistency especially frustrating for players inside that unit.

Herbig was asked to evaluate his individual performance through Pittsburgh's first four games, which gave him an opportunity to discuss his statistics or anything he believes he has done well. He went in the complete opposite direction. Speaking via PGH_SportsTV, Herbig gave himself a harsh assessment before explaining why Pittsburgh's record matters considerably more to him than any individual grade.

"To be quite honest with you, not good," Herbig said. "We're 2-2, and that's really the only thing that matters to me, is winning football games. I could care less about the stats and grades and whatnot. So I think a lot of that falls on the defense. We can't be giving up 27 points, especially to division rivals, two of them already. We need to play better ball on the defensive side of things."

Herbig didn't leave much room for interpretation. There was no attempt to separate his own performance from Pittsburgh's struggles or point toward individual numbers as evidence that he has been doing his job. Herbig instead connected his evaluation directly to the Steelers' record and the performance of the defense as a whole.

That's a demanding standard, but it's also one Pittsburgh's defense needs right now. The Steelers aren't built to be satisfied with allowing opponents to consistently turn games into shootouts. 

Pittsburgh has invested heavily in its defense and has veteran leaders throughout the unit, meaning expectations are naturally going to be higher than simply producing occasional splash plays. Herbig understands that.

Individual statistics can sometimes hide the bigger picture for defensive players. A sack, tackle for loss or strong grade can look impressive after a game, but those accomplishments become much less meaningful when the opposing offense consistently finds ways to score.

Herbig doesn't appear interested in using any of those measurements as an excuse.

His comments also carry additional weight because of Pittsburgh's divisional situation. Games against AFC North opponents are naturally more physical and meaningful because those results can become extremely important later in the season. 

Giving up 27 points in those matchups isn't something Herbig believes Pittsburgh's defense should simply accept. Instead, he placed responsibility directly on the unit.

Steelers' Nick Herbig Wants More From Defense

There is plenty of football remaining for Pittsburgh to change the direction of its season. A 2-2 record doesn't eliminate the Steelers from anything, but it does create urgency for a team that doesn't want early problems to become season-long habits.

The most notable part of his assessment might be how quickly he dismissed statistics and grades. Those numbers are often used to evaluate individual defenders, especially when determining whether one player is responsible for a defense's overall struggles. Herbig isn't interested in separating himself from the group that way. If Pittsburgh's defense isn't doing enough to win, Herbig believes he isn't doing enough either.

That accountability should be welcomed inside the Steelers' locker room. Pittsburgh doesn't need players searching for reasons why the team's problems belong to somebody else. It needs its most important defenders looking at what they can individually do to make the entire unit better. Herbig appears to be doing exactly that.

There will be opportunities for Pittsburgh's defense to correct its mistakes as the season continues, and Herbig will remain an important part of that effort. His ability to create disruption gives the Steelers another weapon on a defense that needs more consistency from everyone involved.

Is Nick Herbig being too hard on himself through four games? Follow me on X @anthonyghalkias and let Steeler Nation know.

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