Former Steelers CB Joe Haden Blasts Jalen Ramsey And Asante Samuel Jr Over Costly Mistake Vs Saints

The Pittsburgh Steelers left Paris with a victory and one defensive snap that could make a former cornerback reach for the remote. New Orleans was running out of downs, and Pittsburgh was running out of excuses. One detail bothered a former Steelers star so much that he thought the result was obvious before the football was snapped.

Former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden believes two Pittsburgh defensive backs made the New Orleans Saints' only touchdown easier than necessary. His criticism focused on Jalen Ramsey and Asante Samuel Jr., whom he said were standing too far inside the end zone on the decisive fourth-down play Sunday.

New Orleans faced fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the second quarter, trailing 10-3. Quarterback Tyler Shough threw a short pass left to Devaughn Vele for the touchdown, tying a game Pittsburgh won 16-10. Haden wasn't criticizing an extraordinary throw. He believed the alignment had already surrendered the most important piece of real estate. During Monday's Deebo & Joe film review, Haden explained why the depth of a defender's feet changes everything at the goal line.

“If you're lined up in the end zone, you already are scored on… You have to make them take you into the end zone because if you're in the end zone and they catch the ball, you're already scored on. So you have to have your heels, worst case scenario, your heels got to be on the end zone. That's as far… You got to get physical because this is within five yards and they have to drag you into the end zone,” Haden said.

This is goal-line geometry, not an argument about man versus zone coverage. With the ball on the 1, a receiver catching a pass while standing in the end zone has already scored. A defensive back lined up deeper has left himself no space to allow a harmless reception and then make a tackle. By then, tackling is pointless. Inside the five-yard contact window, Haden wants defensive backs disrupting releases rather than escorting receivers toward the back line. A properly timed collision can wreck a one-yard route; holding a receiver still draws a flag.

Later, Haden named the two defenders whose positioning caught his eye, making the criticism considerably more personal.

“Once you're standing in the end zone, I see my man Asante Samuel and Jalen Ramsey standing two feet deep in the end zone. I'm like this, oh, we're scored on. You instantly have to be heels on the goal line,” Haden said.

Ramsey was the defender closest to Vele's short route on the scoring play. That doesn't establish Samuel's assignment or reveal Pittsburgh's entire coverage call. Haden was criticizing the pre-snap depth he saw from both players. Their exact assignments remain a separate question, and the distinction matters when evaluating a defense from a broadcast replay. Ramsey's experience makes the image especially striking; few defenders have built longer careers on understanding leverage and positioning.

Pittsburgh had already done so much work. On first-and-goal, Jamel Dean forced a Shough fumble that rolled out of bounds. Ramsey and Cole Holcomb stopped the quarterback on second down. On third down, Patrick Queen helped stuff a run, and Holcomb knocked the ball loose, only for replay to rule the runner down. The Saints needed four downs.

Cameron Heyward was frustrated that Pittsburgh couldn't finish the stand, and the sequence now looks even more painful through Haden's eyes. The front repeatedly protected the goal line against runs. Then the passing play arrived, and the veteran cornerback believed the back end had surrendered the line before Shough had to beat anyone.

Crowding a receiver has risks: a quick release, a pick concept or a sudden change of direction. Some calls deliberately trade underneath space for help elsewhere. But those considerations don't make every cushion equally sensible on fourth-and-goal from the 1. The offense has almost no field left to traverse, and conceding an immediate catch inside the paint is a dangerous bargain.

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will know whether the alignment reflected his call, a check or the players' own positioning. The public doesn't have that information. Haden's criticism doesn't settle every assignment: Pittsburgh's defensive backs should be able to contest a one-yard route before the receiver secures a touchdown.

Sunday's defensive numbers make the breakdown worth revisiting. Shough completed 30 of 38 passes, and the Saints converted both of their fourth downs. Pittsburgh held New Orleans to 10 points and just 18 rushing yards, thanks to a stout front and timely stops. Still, efficient short passes kept the Saints in contention, and the lone touchdown came on a snap when the defense needed only one last stop.

Steelers Cannot Afford To Donate The Goal Line

Haden is right about the standard, even if the precise coverage responsibilities deserve a full film-room review. Ramsey is an established veteran, and Samuel has played enough professional football to understand how little margin exists one yard from the goal line. Whether the issue came from the call or the execution, Pittsburgh should not be satisfied with making the decisive completion look that comfortable.

A 16-10 win can make defensive concerns seem exaggerated. That's a convenient way to avoid fixing mistakes. The Steelers won because they answered later, including a goal-line interception by Payton Wilson in the third quarter. Yet they allowed a touchdown after three strong goal-line stops.

Haden is asking for something less glamorous than an interception: make the receiver fight for the last yard. Pittsburgh did the difficult work for three downs. On the fourth, its former cornerback believes the defense made the easy part far too easy.

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