The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to the Midwest to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. This is the second year in a row that these two teams will face off in Indianapolis. In 2023, the Steelers, then led by Mitch Trubisky, got routed by the Colts, 30-13. According to Steelers captain and defensive tackle, Cameron Heyward, this upcoming rematch is a bit of a revenge game.
On his podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, the 14-year veteran said it is definitely on the mind of the players who were there last year, as well as in the thoughts of Head Coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers plan to redeem themselves against the Colts with their new quarterback, Justin Fields. Heyward said several of the players, himself included, have already been studying last year's film, and he knows that Tomlin will use that film to his advantage.
"Mike T. [Tomlin] is going to be very petty with us," shared Heyward. "Make sure we see this the entire week and keep drilling into our heads. It's a new game, a new team, but if you made a mistake last year, you're going to see it this week. I'm already preparing. I've already watched it a couple of times, it's seated in my brain, and so once Mike T. gets to it, I'm going to be fired up."
Heyward's co-host Hayden Walsh said there are specific plays from the last game that he knows Tomlin will show over and over. He added that they would analyze mistakes made, but won't lose sight of the fact that the Colts have a new quarterback in rookie Anthony Richardson, who presents his own set of challenges.
Walsh said he knows Heyward is petty and that he uses that to motivate himself to perform well. He asked if Tomlin is petty in the same way, and Heyward said he is way more petty than he is. He has honed that and turned it into a masterful skill.
"He's going to be talking a whole bunch of stuff," Heyward added. "We are a petty bunch and that allows us to be very petty on Sundays. He knows how to push everybody's buttons. In the same room, there's about 50 to 60 guys, and he knows how to push the buttons of everybody, and you know he does it from a click of a button. It's one of those times you got to be locked in because everybody's gonna be p***ed off after the meeting. He rehearses, he knows what he's gonna say, and it's just gotten better with time."
Heyward said it's really tough when you're a young player. He said you just sit in the film room with your hood up over your head and pray he doesn't point you out. Tomlin does something he calls "Sippin' wine or squashing grapes," according to Heyward. Sippin' wine is the good plays, the applause for things done well, while squashing grapes is clearly the opposite.
Steelers' Cameron Heyward Was Squashing Grapes
Walsh asked Heyward about a time when Tomlin called him out in front of everyone. He said that a lot of them aren't suitable for a family show; what Tomlin said isn't clean enough to say. However, early in Heyward's career, like most players, he spent time working on special teams. He was often used on kick return and once caught the ball.
Heyward said he got so excited that he'd caught the ball that he just starting running. The following week while watching film, Heyward said Tomlin called him out. He was furious that he hadn't just gotten down after making the catch. Heyward said he tried to defend himself by saying he'd managed to pick up another 11 yards, but Tomlin wasn't impressed. He told Heyward that he wasn't a running back.
