PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday, he would let Diontae Johnson address his teammates about not reacting to the fumble in the first half in Cincinnati. What Johnson said and their reaction.
"I addressed the situation with my teammates," Johnson said Wednesday. "They know about how I feel and how I should go about the situation. Next time it occurs, I will own up to it."
Johnson said his teammates didn't really say anything. He just admitted his mistake and told them it won't happen again.
"He told us that's not him," said Steelers center Mason Cole. "It was a mistake by him and he won't let it happen again. I know Diontae and I know he won't let it happen again."
It was the next play after Johnson didn't complete the catch in what would have been a 15-yard touchdown. Veteran official Gene Steratore commented that he believed it would have been a touchdown if the Steelers challenged it.
It appeared he wasn't in the right head space and still thinking about the last play. Even Tomlin said the emotions of the previous affected him. Johnson said he didn't realize the play was still going and if he could do the play over, he would have jumped on the ball.
"Late in the play, ball pops out, you don't know if it's live or not," Cole said. "You never know what is going through a guy's head. What he sees? If it looks like he sees it you don't know if he's really seeing it or not. I trust Diontae won't let that happen again."
"It's not something that I try to do on purpose," Johnson said. "Nobody is out there trying to mess up. I'm human just like everyone else out there. I know what I have to do. I'm not perfect. I'm just trying to make plays. Sometimes things may not go your way. I'm doing the best I can to keep playing."
Johnson said that play won't define him as a football player. He said he doesn't play football like that. He admits it looks bad on film and vows from here on out he's going to be smart and play until the whistle blows.
"I feel like I did the right thing by standing up in front of the team and owning up to my mistake," Johnson said. "I'm not perfect. All I can do is more forward and just keep playing football. That's all I'm worried about."
