Steelers Defense - Is it Coaching, Scheme or Players?

I have looked at the Steelers defense statically with Lebeau at the helm and without Lebeau. Below is a ranking per year of the defense by Pts and Total Yards given up.

Lebeau Coached from 2004 -2024

Year Defensive Ranking (Points Allowed) Defensive Ranking (Yards Allowed)
2024 8 12
2023 6 21
2022 10 13
2021 20 24
2020 3 3
2019 5 5
2018 16 6
2017 7 8
2016 10 12
2015 11 21
2014 18 18
2013 14 13
2012 6 1
2011 1 1
2010 1 2
2009 12 5
2008 1 1
2007 2 1
2006 11 9
2005 3 4
2004 1 1

From 2004 to 2014 under Lebeau the Defense averaged a ranking of 6th in PA and 5th in YA Post Lebeau we were ranked 10th in PA and 12th in YA.

SO under Tomlin this defense is still on average a good defense I do believe we are overall a notch below the Lebeau defenses. My issue is we manage the game as a whole as if this defense is top 5 defense consistently year in and year out and we can’t manage games like that.

You can say the game has changed and it caters to the offense more now which it does but that just lends to the argument of why are we continuing to invest so heavily in the defense then? Under the Lebeau defenses I believe while we had alot of great players in some instances I do think it was the scheme that made some of those guys so successful. Where as now I believe we have guys who are successful in spite of the scheme.

We never had an edge under Lebeau that was as good as Watt. We never had a DT under Lebeau that was as good as Heyward in his prime. We did have Polumalu in his prime under Lebeau and that certainly made a difference.

I miss those days of disguised blitzes and disguised coverages and just blitzes. Our Defense now seems to be more vanilla.