Diontae Johnson admits that there is likely some irritation building in the Steelers’ locker room. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“I’m sure there’s frustration in a few guys or what,” Johnson said Monday, a day after the Steelers’ 38-3 loss in Buffalo. “I’m not going to say everybody, but I would hope so. I don't like losing. I'm sure everybody here obviously don't like losing as well.”
The Steelers, right now, are hoping that frustration can be channeled, and that the team can snap a four-game losing skid.
From Johnson’s standpoint, there’s optimism that it can happen.
“We’re trying to figure things out around here and get things going in the right direction,” he said. “That was a tough loss yesterday, but it's in the past now. All we can do is just learn from it, look at the film and correct the mistakes that we made. Build a game plan around that and get ready for this week.”
The frustrations not only come from on the field, for Johnson, but off it as well.
The social media calls for change and the criticisms are seemingly as present as they have been in some time for the organization, and the ability for anyone to highlight even the smallest of miscues in a public forum is at an all-time high.
“You see it,” Johnson said of those who criticize players. “They’re not out here, so they can say what they want to say. Ya’ll are watching us, at the end of the day. We’re going to do what we do and play football, at the end of the day. If ya’ll are so good, come out here and help us, if ya’ll got so much to say.
“Ya’ll can say what ya’ll want, but ya’ll don’t know what it’s like to go to work with us every day, put your blood, sweat and tears in none of this stuff we do. So ya’ll can say what ya’ll want.
“But the real fans that really know what we do, I appreciate them. That’s what we’re going to do, is focus on what we can control and worry about us. I’m not worried about none of that stuff that they be talking about, because it’s all just this (makes talking motion with hand). You feel me? At the end of the day, we’re gong to be fine.”
Johnson’s annoyance is understandable. Criticizing fans, however, is likely not going to help.
That said, he feels like he and his teammates have the potential to silence the doubters, and even win them over.
“It’s a long season,” he said. “We still got time to catch up. I'm not really worried about what everybody else got going on outside of this facility. I'm worried about the guys that are in here that believe in us.”
Johnson felt that, even though the end result was three points, the offense showed promise with rookie Kenny Pickett Sunday. And that his performance can be one to build off going forward.
“I feel like Kenny played his behind off,” Johnson said. “I was talking to him the whole game, making sure he was locked in. Even if he threw a pick, I'm still talking to him, trying to keep his head in the game because he's going to make those mistakes. It’s our job to help him bounce back from those.”
The Steelers’ locker room Monday was a blend of anger and displeasure, but still with a hint of hope.
The team got handled in a similar fashion last season in Cincinnati, and despite it not being a wildly successful season, still did enough to make the postseason.
Johnson also was a part of the 2019 team that stayed afloat even without Ben Roethlisberger. And those experiences tell him that it’s far from time to write off the Steelers.
“It's how you respond and I feel like we're going to respond in a positive way,” he said. “I’m just trying to win. All I’m worried about is winning.”