The Pittsburgh Steelers will be one of four teams that will be featured on the in-season version of Hard Knocks this fall. This year marks the first divisional installment of the series, where Hard Knocks will follow all four teams in the AFC North division. Not everyone is thrilled to be included in the program, including Steelers veteran Cam Heyward.
Heyward shared his thoughts on the matter on the Not Just Football Podcast. He was asked about how he felt when he learned Pittsburgh would be featured on Hard Knocks. Heyward did not pull any punches.
“I hated it,” Heyward recalled. “I don't want to be on this.”
Heyward believes that clips can be taken out of context to make interactions in the lock room look different than they actually are. The locker room is sacred to Heyward, so he is not happy about cameras being around during the season.
“The locker room is the locker room, and I just don’t want that getting messed up,” Heyward said, via PennLive.com. “There’s so many inside jokes, so many people. There’s so many people, like, you would assume everybody’s a jerk if you heard everything. But it comes from a loving place, and it comes from a caring place. We all want to be better, and we joke a lot. We poke and prod at each other, but it doesn’t always come off that way. And so, that’s the only thing I really worry about.”
Heyward's comments illustrate just one example of how players' behavior in the locker room can be taken out of context. While a clip may be able to show an entire postgame reaction, for example, it cannot show the viewer what the locker room is normally like and what the natural rapport between players has been in Pittsburgh.
While we can see where Heyward is coming from, we're still excited to watch the in-season Hard Knocks later this fall.
Steelers' veteran Cam Heyward issues strong statement on sacks vs. pressures debate
Cam Heyward also has some well-earned opinions on the ongoing “sacks vs. pressures” debate among NFL analysts and fans.
The debate heated up again a few weeks ago on social media. Trey Wingo shared a clip of Raiders' edge rusher Maxx Crosby giving advice to young pass rushers at the 2024 Sack Summit. Wingo added that Crosby's comments illustrate why pressures are a “more productive stat than sacks.” He continued to say that “if you can get 'em on the ground.. great.. but make [them] uncomfortable and move them is just as if not more efficient.”
Heyward was quick to post a response.
“Pressures are good but the more productive stat is a sack that can lead to turnover,” Heyward said. “Pressures can be misleading and when play results in sacks that’s the goal.”
Heyward is correct to keep Wingo in check here. Wingo was incorrect when claimed that pressures are equal or greater to sacks in terms of efficiency.
Nobody is arguing that pressures are not good. Every sack started with a pressure after all. The problem with Wingo's argument is trying to place a higher value on pressures than sacks. Putting the QB on the ground, especially if you force a turnover like Heyward mentioned, is always the goal. However, if you can't get a sack, getting a pressure is the next best thing. Pressures can lead to turnovers all by themselves.
We're sure Cam Heyward is ready to start sacking opposing QBs ASAP!
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