Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler is catching some heat for recent comments he made during a weekly interview with Steelers.com.
Ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 17 matchup against the Bengals, Butler was asked on "Coordinator’s Corner" where he thinks Cincinnati's Tyler Eifert ranks in terms of the NFL's best tight ends.
Butler answered the question, but had a minor mental gaffe as he indicated Eifert would be tough to cover Sunday, though the Bengals tight end hasn't played since Week 4. Eifert suffered a gruesome ankle injury in September and was placed on injured reserve. C.J. Uzomah has taken over Eifert's spot.
"I think he's very good," Butler said. "I think he's up there. He can get deep on you. He does a good job of catching the ball down field, all that stuff so he's going to be a problem for us to cover."
Eifert caught wind of Butler's comments and tweeted, in part, "Hey I am ahead of schedule! Glad the @steelers are still thinking about me tho."
Hey I am ahead of schedule! Glad the @steelers are still thinking about me tho 🤷♂️ https://t.co/6rokqU6MkW
— Tyler Eifert (@tylereifert) December 28, 2018
The interview on "Coordinator's Corner" has since-been deleted, but the steelersdepot.com obtained audio of it.
The Steelers (8-6) are in second place in the AFC North behind the Ravens. Pittsburgh needs to win its game against the Bengals (6-9) and hope the Browns beat Baltimore in order for the Steelers to clinch the division and make the playoffs. The Steelers-Bengals kickoff is slated for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.