Oct 15, 2014 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – It turns out that former head coach Bill Cowher and wide receiver Hines Ward weren’t the only people to question the Steelers’ toughness.

While both Cowher and Ward called the Steelers “soft” and a “finesse” team during television broadcasts last weekend, head coach Mike Tomlin had some strong words for his team as well.

In the aftermath of the a 31-10 loss Sunday at Cleveland, Tomlin told the team at a meeting Monday that it was lacking in both mental and physical toughness.

So much for the “elevator music” term Tomlin used Tuesday to describe the statements by Cowher and Ward.

Being told they weren’t tough enough by their head coach, a former head coach and former teammate might not sit well with the Steelers (3-3), who host Houston (3-3) Monday. But there’s only one way to change those perceptions.

“You get that back by going out and kicking somebody’s butt,” said linebacker James Harrison. “That’s how you get that back. There’s no other way to get that back. You don’t want to be talked about, you don’t want to be called soft, then don’t put soft stuff on tape.”

That didn’t happen against the Browns, who won the physical battles with the Steelers.

For example, while the Steelers failed to score on three runs inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter, Cleveland scored three times on runs inside the Steelers’ 10.

“To be honest, we were out-physicalled in different aspects of the game,” Harrison said. “So in that case, we weren’t physical enough.”

Calling into question the Steelers’ toughness would seem to be a direct shot at the offensive and defensive lines.

“He’s not really pointing fingers,” offensive lineman David DeCastro said of Tomlin’s statement. “I don’t think anybody needs to. Everybody’s got to point the finger at themselves and figure out what they need to do better. Everyone messed up last week. No one is perfect.”

That has certainly been the case for the Steelers inside the red zone, where physical play becomes more of a factor.

The Steelers have had plenty of success running the football, averaging 137.3 yards per game, with Le’Veon Bell averaging 5.2 yards per attempt and LeGarrette Blount gaining 5.8 yards per rush. But inside the red zone, that haws changed dramatically.

Bell has gained 34 yards on 12 red-zone carries, an average of 2.8 yards per carry. Blount has 21 yards on five attempts (4.2 per carry).

Part of the problem is the Steelers aren’t changing their blocking schemes when they get close to the goal line. Instead of using more power sets with a fullback and double-team blocks, they continue to ask their linemen to win one-on-one battles. A slipup here or there can blow up the play.

The same goes for the defense. If one guy is beaten physically, the whole thing can fall apart.

But the mental aspect of the game also plays a factor.

Against the Browns, the Steelers were down 24-3 at halftime and showed little fight in the second half, leading to the questions about their mental toughness.

“If you’re not mentally tough enough by now, I don’t know what they can do to raise that,” said Harrison. “That’s something I thought we all came in here with was mental toughness.”

The Steelers aren’t ready to give up on the season.

“There’s no time to panic,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “(Everybody) is waiting for us to panic. We’re just going to make sure we execute.”

Rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier said he practiced fully on Wednesday and did some work with the first team. Shazier, the Steelers’ top draft pick, has missed three games with a sprained knee. … The Steelers signed defensive end Ethan Hemer, defwensive back Jordan Suller and offensive lineman Adam Gettis to their practice squad, released wide receiver Derek Moye and placed cornerback Shaq Richardson on the Practice Squad/Injured Reserve list.