The Teryl Austin/Defense Complaint Thread (2025)

Austin is not on the details and that is the biggest problem this defense has. Need a young DC with smarts that will put in the time and effort.

Linebacker Patrick Queen described defensive meetings where many talked
By Jeff Hathhorn
PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There has been an improvement in the Steelers defense over the last couple of weeks, a good part of that was because of some tough conversations the players and coaches had with each other.

Linebacker Patrick Queen said it happened before the Bills game, that some players were getting upset that some of the veterans were doing their own thing in the defense. Queen said that gives the younger players the idea they don’t have to do their jobs either.

“We all have to be accountable,” Queen said. “We all have to be on the same page, holding that integrity of the team. It’s something that we got to do if we got to win.”

There were conversations between Queen and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin that included Mike Tomlin. There had a be a better point of understanding between everyone and Queen admitted ‘I used to get a little hot, because I want everything to be right’. They discussed play calling and positioning and now are more on the same page.

It wasn’t just them, Queen said it just got to a point where all who wanted voiced their opinions. The Bills game was the real breaking point even though the first thoughts were shared before it.

“It got to the point that you could feel the tension in the room and everybody who needed to say something, said something,” Queen said. “Everybody got off what they needed to get off and everybody was basically right. Everyone was basically saying the same thing that we got to be accountable and do your job.”

He said the meeting brought some confidence to the room because what they realized was that they all had the same issues with the defense, just no one was saying it. Queen said it wasn’t a ‘come to Jesus moment’ or a situation where everyone was chewing each other out. It was more like guys where saying what they saw and it gave some common ground.

Through the last couple of games, even through some injuries, they’ve stayed together and mostly corrected the issues players had with each other. With as inconsistent as this team has been, why has this airing of the grievances seemed to have at least a couple of week lasting impact?

“Because we care,” Queen said. “Every single person on this team cares. Everybody wants to win. You know, it's the whole Pittsburgh playoff thing that we really care less about. Us as players, having been in Pittsburgh that long, we just care about playing football and winning. At the end of the day, we're football players. We love football. Obviously, we want to win.”

They’ve done what for two weeks in a row for the first time in a couple of months and it was getting some things out in the open, at least on the defensive side, that really helped it.