When you are 2-6 everyone is looking for an answer, looking for someone to pin the blame on. People want scapegoats; they want someone to take the fall.
But you won't find that attitude inside the Steelers locker room. It's quite the opposite. Instead of pointing at each other, players are looking right in the mirror and holding themselves accountable.
"If you are going to point the blame, it has to start with yourself," said defensive end Ziggy Hood. "It's going to start with you. If everybody can do that individually, everybody can get better from there. When you have individuals getting better, it's going to make the team better. When you make the team better you can get a victory out of it on Sunday.
"We all have to take ownership of what we did. Nobody played perfect, we can all see that. We have to admit our mistakes, no finger pointing, and no blaming. Things happen, why it happened we just have to come back this week and get better. The only way to flush a loss out is with a win, especially going into this week."
After Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots there was a lot of soul searching, players trying to figure out not only what happened, but how they can be a part of the solution.
"I think individually and collectively you have to look in the mirror," said defensive end Cam Heyward. "It better be humbling for a lot of guys, including myself. I don't think there should be any pointing fingers because there is no one that played well in that game. If they did, I would like to talk to them because then you should have done more. As a team we have to relish the moments and we didn't do that."
The Steelers are hoping to turn things around this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Heinz Field. And if they are to do it, it's going to have to be a total team effort.
"In the win-loss column it only has one team," said guard Ramon Foster. "There isn't an offense, defense or special teams section. We are all one team. We respect the value of it and have to stay close to each other and we are doing that.
"I think it starts with each person first and then you work together as a team. Just things we have to correct. We have to make sure we are on our cues from the beginnings of the game to the end of the game."
