Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson doesn’t believe one forgettable sequence defines him as a player.
Still, he knows he needs to do better after he stood idly by during teammate Jaylen Warren’s first-quarter fumble last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, a moment that quickly went viral on social media and — far more importantly — drew the attention of coach Mike Tomlin.
The Steelers were driving deep in Bengals territory when Johnson let a potential touchdown pass get knocked out of his hands at the back of the end zone, a call that Tomlin opted not to challenge.
On the next snap, Johnson essentially stood still while Warren ran in Johnson’s direction, failing to block anyone at all. Warren fumbled while being tackled and Johnson turned his back as Cincinnati cornerback DJ Turner scooped up the ball and ran toward midfield before being tackled.
Tomlin suggested Johnson needs to do a better job of keeping his emotions in check, and Johnson offered an apology to his teammates on Wednesday morning.
“I didn’t know the play was still going,” Johnson said. “Like I said, if I could make the play again I would tackle the ball.”
While the play ultimately didn’t have a major impact in what became a 16-10 Pittsburgh victory, it was the latest example of one of Pittsburgh’s offensive skill players having trouble staying engaged.
Second-year wide receiver George Pickens needed to be consoled after Johnson scored the go-ahead touchdown pass in a win over Tennessee on Nov. 2. Mercurial running back Najee Harris has struggles at times to put into words his frustration with the direction of the offense following losses.
Pittsburgh did manage to top 400 yards for the first time since 2020 against the Bengals, an outburst that came days after offensive coordinator Matt Canada was fired and replaced by Eddie Faulkner.
Johnson said he wasn’t paying attention to the stat sheet, though for all the progress the Steelers made in moving the ball effectively, they still…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/steelers-diontae-johnson-on-lack-of-hustle-wont-happen-again
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Publish date : 2023-11-29 19:10:29
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