Steelers Safety DeShon Elliott Absolutely Goes Off On NFL After Recent Fine: "Count Your F**** Days"
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a great game overall in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings. Aside from the final handful of minutes, Pittsburgh thoroughly outcoached and outplayed its opponent in all facets of the game. The first ever regular season game in Dublin, Ireland was a huge success. Croke Park was electric as ownership
Despite this great moment in NFL history, the league has proven to still be sticklers about certain parts of the rules. On his Instagram account, safety DeShon Elliott
"Count your f**** days," Elliott said. "Y'all worried about the wrong things. Let's fix things that actually mean something. @NFL @NFLPA."
The fine came from Elliott having an "unapproved black towel" on the field during the game in Dublin, as opposed to a standard white one. The fine is just for $5,797, which is an oddly specific number, like most fines the NFL hands out. Either way, he is clearly upset about the enforcement of that type of rule, and he made sure viewers knew about it.
The rule does make sense in theory. With a black towel, it's much easier to hide foreign substances, as opposed to a league-mandated plain white towel. Elliott has never been known to be a cheater in any way, but it's better for the league to be safe than sorry in that regard. The star safety still wants to see some change, which is why he tagged the NFL, as well as the NFL Players Association in his story.
Elliott has always been one to tell things as he sees them, which has sometimes gotten him in trouble. Him telling the NFL to "count your days" could result in another fine being tacked on as well, as that could easily be taken as a threat. The bye week is meant to be a time to get healthy, recover mentally, and get right for the rest of the season. The starting safety seems to not be taking the time off as well as he could.
Steelers Have Had Worse Equipment Fines Over The Years
The Steelers are no strangers to the NFL fining them for equipment violations, and with a lot less reasoning than with Elliott and his towel. For example, defensive tackle
Running back DeAngelo Williams has also been fined for an eye black message. His read "Find the Cure" to honor his late mother, who passed due to breast cancer. That same week
Elliott is next in line to receive a fine for an equipment issue that most people never even noticed until he posted about it on Instagram. Now, there will be a microscope on him specifically to see what color his towel is as it hangs out of his pants for the rest of the season. He may be counting his own days until another fine pops up in his locker.
Steelers Get Good News on Jaylen Warren Injury
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers had their best running game of the season in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, but it came with their backup running back taking over. After Jaylen Warren missed the game as a last-minute inactive, Kenneth Gainwell stepped in. That isn't expected to be the case in Week 6, though.
Warren was a surprise inactive against the Vikings after dealing with a knee injury throughout the week. He was limited in practice on some days but was expected to play after being listed as questionable heading into the weekend.
Warren's knee didn't feel right before kickoff, leading the Steelers to make him a scratch for their Dublin game. Instead, Gainwell took over and rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
"Jaylen was a pregame decision. That’s why we listed him as questionable," head coach Mike Tomlin explained after the game. "He worked out prior to the game. We just didn’t feel good enough. We didn’t want to put him in a uniform and then he wouldn’t be able to finish and then you’re working a guy short. So, we worked him out, and that’s where we settled. Jaylen is a tough guy. He wanted to do it. I just thought it was prudent not to."
Jaylen Warren Expected to Return
According to PennLive's Nick Farabaugh, though, Warren will be back. The starting running back is expected to return in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns when the Steelers take the field again after the Bye Week.
"Sources told PennLive Friday night that the team had a low concern level for Warrens injury, and expected him to play, but it would be more about how his knee would react to Saturday’s workload," Farabaugh wrote.
Warren's Play
Warren signed a three-year extension just before the season started, keeping him as their feature running back this season. So far, he's struggled, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry with 132 yards through three games. He has, however, led the team in receiving yards twice this year.
That's not all him, though. The offensive failed to impress in three of the four games this season, with their Vikings win being the best game they've had as a group. If that continues, Warren should have more success as the primary running back for Pittsburgh moving forward.
The Steelers want to establish the ground game and allow it to help the passing attack thrive. They look at both Warren and Gainwell as usable options and having Warren back after the Bye Week should give them an opportunity to put on an even better performance than they did in Week 4.
