PITTSBURGH – The Tuesday afternoon air was crisp, the mood around the Steelers facility focused, and practice had just wrapped as players jogged off the field. Coach DK LaFleur was preparing for the usual round of post-practice questions before turning full attention toward Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Then came the question that instantly shifted the tone in the room.
A reporter raised his hand and said, “Coach, earlier this week Jaguars head coach Keraun went on the Prediction Show and guaranteed he’s going to the Super Bowl, saying nobody’s beating him this year. Do you have any thoughts on that?”
The room fell quiet. LaFleur raised his eyebrows, clearly hearing about this for the first time.
“He said that?” LaFleur asked, letting out a small laugh before adjusting his headset mic. “That’s news to me. I hadn’t heard anything about it until right now.”
After a pause, LaFleur’s expression shifted from curiosity to calm confidence.
“Honestly,” he continued, “I don’t care. I’m not worried about what other coaches are saying on podcasts. I’ve never been a big talker. I like to let our play do the talking for us.”
It was a short response, but one that drew nods from the reporters in the room. It was classic DK LaFleur, poised, unbothered, and entirely focused on the work ahead rather than the noise around him.
When asked if he had any additional thoughts about Keraun’s comments, LaFleur expanded, but only slightly.
“Look, I’ve got a lot of respect for what Keraun’s doing in Jacksonville,” he said. “They’re having a great year, and I respect any coach who builds a team the right way and wins football games. But legacies aren’t made in the regular season. They’re made in the postseason. Talking about the Super Bowl in December doesn’t win you one.”
There was a tone of firm perspective in his voice, not dismissive, but measured. LaFleur wasn’t interested in adding fuel to the fire. If anything, it seemed like he wanted to make a point about mindset.
“I’ve always believed that the best teams and coaches are the ones that don’t need to announce what they’re going to do,” he said. “They just do it. You won’t ever hear me say we’re winning anything before we earn it.”
It was the kind of answer that summed up everything LaFleur has built since arriving in Pittsburgh. No theatrics. No bulletin board quotes. Just an emphasis on discipline, performance, and respect for the process. His players often echo that same sentiment, focus on preparation, not prediction.
Still, the moment didn’t pass without a few smirks from the media. The contrast between Keraun’s fiery guarantee and LaFleur’s stoic dismissal couldn’t have been sharper. One coach is riding the high of a 12-1 record and an MVP-level quarterback, while the other is grinding his team back into playoff contention with a focus on substance over flash.
And while LaFleur didn’t take the bait, there’s no doubt the locker room heard it. Several Steelers players later admitted that they saw the clip of Keraun’s bold proclamation and chuckled. “That’s just Keraun being Keraun,” one veteran said. “But around here, we don’t talk about going to the Super Bowl, we talk about winning our next game.”
That next game, of course, is a big one. Pittsburgh sits at 8-5, tied in the AFC North with the Ravens and Browns, and holding their playoff fate in their own hands. Sunday’s matchup against Miami could be pivotal in keeping momentum alive.
When asked if comments like Keraun’s ever serve as motivation, LaFleur shook his head. “We don’t need that,” he said plainly. “If you need another coach’s words to get you motivated, you’re already in the wrong mindset. Our focus is internal, getting better every week, finishing drives, cleaning up mistakes. That’s what matters.”
It’s worth noting that LaFleur and Keraun’s paths have rarely crossed outside of competition, but there’s mutual respect between them. Both are detail-oriented coaches with high football IQs, and both have reputations for getting the most out of their players. But there’s a clear philosophical divide. Keraun fuels his locker room with bold confidence and public declarations, while LaFleur prefers to let his results and his players do the speaking.
“He’s a good coach,” LaFleur added, “but you don’t win championships by talking about them. You win them by playing four quarters every week like your season depends on it.”
As the press conference wrapped, LaFleur returned to football talk, discussing the Dolphins’ speed on offense, Tua Tagovailoa’s timing, and how the Steelers defense plans to handle Miami’s quick passing game. But the quote lingered. Reporters knew they had their headline. LaFleur’s dismissal of the Jaguars’ declaration wasn’t flashy, but it said everything about his leadership style.
When practice ended, one assistant coach summed it up best in passing. “That’s DK for you. He doesn’t need to talk about the Super Bowl, he’s already been there.”
Indeed, LaFleur’s resume speaks volumes. A proven postseason winner, a Super Bowl champion during his coaching career, and now the architect of a Steelers team that has clawed its way back into relevance under his steady hand. His philosophy has never changed: ignore the noise, embrace the grind, and let the results define the story.
For a man like that, Keraun’s fiery confidence isn’t threatening, it’s just background music. And if the football gods align and these two coaches meet in January, that’s when we’ll see whose words hold weight.
Until then, LaFleur’s message is simple.
“We don’t talk about Super Bowls,” he said as he wrapped up the session. “We focus on earning them.”
– Forged In Steel Times
