Ugly as losses in Pittsburgh have gotten, and they’ve become increasingly frequent, rarely will I ever question the team’s effort. Whether it’s a player or unit, making any assertion over a lack of hustle and heart is dangerous to do. Personally, it’s among the most weighty and scathing charges you can make at someone. It’s personal, it goes beyond the X’s and O’s and there’s so many factors that can throw you off base. I almost never do it.
I’m not going to say the Steelers had poor effort throughout the entirety of Sunday’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans – I know others will – but there were two plays at the end of the first half that were clear signs of a team just not giving all it had.