You might have heard that Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott labeled his 2023 team — the Miami Dolphins — “soft as [expletive],” during a November 13 appearance on the “Punch Line Podcast” with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
“I haven’t been able to play against Baltimore the way I wanted to because last year I played for a team that was soft as [expletive],” Elliott told Humphrey and his co-host. He then quickly changed that statement to “pretty soft” and added that “some” of his former Dolphins teammates were tough, but the entire team as a whole was not “mentally tough” like the Steelers.
As you can imagine, Elliott’s former teammates didn’t appreciate these words very much and fellow safety Jevon Holland actually responded to them on November 13.
“Honestly man, if you want to call somebody out, go ahead and do that and drop names, but other than that, it’s whatever makes your boat float, whatever allows you to have a good night of sleep,” Holland said while speaking with reporters.
“But if you’re not naming nobody, you’re not calling nobody out, then all the rest of the comments are just empty,” he continued. “He’s just talking at that point.”
Holland also congratulated Elliott on his success in Pittsburgh, adding that he hopes he has a great rest of his season with the Steelers.
Steelers’ DeShon Elliott Says Dolphins Will Never Win Because They Play in Miami
Elliott didn’t stop there while talking negatively of his time with the Dolphins on the “Punch Line Podcast.” Later, he discussed what it’s like playing in Miami compared to Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Detroit.
“I would say it’s way easier to [go to work] in the other cities but in Miami, it’s a distraction,” Elliott noted. “I would say that [the 2023 Dolphins] already didn’t hang out much as a team because there is so much to do in Miami. So, guys are dispersed so much.”
“Everybody thought they were somebody [in Miami],” the Steelers safety went on. “Because of the mindset — oh, I’m in Miami, I can be somebody different.”
Elliott did state later that he felt like last year’s Dolphins were “a really good team” until the “injury bug” hit.
“When we played Tennessee and lost to Tennessee, you could tell the heart and soul for that team disappeared,” he explained. “Guys started going out more, guys started going to the strip clubs throughout the week, guys started showing up to meetings late. You could just tell that the Miami culture is the reason why Miami will never be good.”
Elliott then guaranteed the viewer audience that the Dolphins “will never be a good football team” because they are based in Miami. “I don’t care what anyone says,” he added. “It’s true.”
DeShon Elliott Would Like to Finish out NFL Career With Steelers
Compared to Miami, Elliott appears to love playing in Pittsburgh with the Steelers.
“The fans are wild. Honestly… I hope that I’m here until I retire,” Elliott told Humphrey during the show. “I would love to play here [for the rest of my career].”
When Humphrey responded: “Oh wow.” Elliott quipped that the Ravens “had [their] chance.”
Elliott only signed a two-year deal with the Steelers this spring, which would keep him with the organization until 2026 and his age-29 campaign. That means in order for him to retire as a member of the Black and Gold, Elliott would likely have to ink an extension.
The safety has fit into Tomlin’s system well in Pittsburgh, so it’s very possible that this could happen when the time comes. As always, it all depends on how much money Elliott wants and if the Steelers feel they can adequately replace him with someone cheaper.
