Joe Schobert’s post-game comments shed light on the Steelers’ practice habits

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a disappointing tie with the Detroit Lions in Week 10, and after the game both players and fans were searching for what went wrong in the strange game.

Of course, injuries were certainly high on almost everyone’s list. When you lost T.J. Watt (hip/knee), Trai Turner (ankle), Kevin Dotson (ankle) and Joe Haden (foot) to injury during the game it can result in tough sledding for the Steelers. But when you throw in Ben Roethlisberger (COVID-19) and Chase Claypool (toe) also not in the lineup, things went from bad to worse.

Even then, the Steelers were just one play away from escaping with a win, and not having to settle for a tie. Anyone who watched the game knows the tackling was atrocious, but is there anything the team can do to rectify this specific situation, and soon?

Following the game inside linebacker Joe Schobert spoke with the Steelers media team and talked about what went wrong. He talked about a lot of things, but the quotes which stood out the most were when he mentioned taking practice serious more than once.

“Yeah, it’s something we have to go and execute.” Schobert said when talking about the team’s lack of tackling. “It’s hard to execute in the middle of the season at practice, so it’s something we have to work on and get ourselves in those positions, take practice serious to improve upon it.”

If you are like me, when you heard Schobert, someone who has been on several teams already in his career, say the team needs to take practice seriously it was a red flag. But he didn’t stop there. When asked about the penalties on the defense, he had this to say.

“It was a sloppy game all around today.” Schobert said. “ The conditions, plays, penalties on the field. We bring refs into practice to try to cut down on that, when it comes to tackling we need to execute it and take it seriously for it to show up on Sunday.”

And there it was. Schobert suggesting the team might not be taking practice serious, again. Saying it once was a red flag, but a second time certainly made me wonder if a message was being sent.

Either way, if you want to hear Schobert himself, check the video below for the Steelers’ official Twitter account:

Even though the Steelers didn’t lose to the Lions in Week 10, there is some definite soul-searching which needs to take place if this team wants to make a stretch run for the postseason. And, if Schobert is correct, maybe it starts on the practice field.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 on Sunday Night Football.