Steelers' Tomlin cries, Toussaint 'inconsolable' after costly fumble
While running back Fitzgerald Toussaint was willing to accept the blame for Sunday's playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, his Steelers teammates weren't pointing any fingers. Head coach Mike Tomlin even shed a tear along with him.
After his costly fumble, Toussaint could do nothing but watch helplessly from the sideline as the Broncos marched 65 yards down the field for the game-winning touchdown. Toussaint gave credit to cornerback Bradley Roby for punching the ball out, but said there is no excuse for coughing the ball up in that situation.
"Obviously, just going over and over in my head how I could have protected the ball a little bit more. They made a great play, so you have to give them credit. In that situation, though, I put it on myself..
"He made a play. They made a great play, so hats off to them. I have to protect the ball. There is no excuse for that."
Toussaint was reportedly inconsolable in the locker room after the game, sitting at his locker in full uniform for over 30 minutes, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Teammates tried to encourage him, noting the Steelers wouldn't have been playing in Denver if not for the young running back's 118-yard performance in Cincinnati a week ago.
"We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. This is not all on him by any means. It’s on all of us."
-- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
"As a defense, they still had to drive the whole field. We could’ve gotten the block. There wasn’t one play that would have signified this loss. We are all accountable. We didn’t play perfect. We just didn’t finish. This loss teaches us this. There’s not one play—I want to repeat that—there’s not one play that signifies this loss."
-- Defensive end Cameron Heyward
In an unusual display of emotion, Tomlin himself was brought to tears while addressing the team after the game, something Martavis Bryant said he's never seen before, per the Post-Gazette.
"There was a lot of emotion. I never saw him cry like that. I cried, too. It’s just a hurt feeling. It’s just really hard right now. Because of the adversity we faced. It’s a hurtful feeling."
Toussaint had just 24 career rushes before he was pressed into starting duty for the postseason after DeAngelo Williams' foot injury. He'll likely spend the rest of the offseason lamenting what could've been, but at the very least he's proven to be a viable option as the team's No. 3 running back next season behind Le'Veon Bell and Williams.