Author Archives: Steve Alan

About Steve Alan

Steve, known by most as TTF, is owner of TheSteelersFans and administrator of the best Steelers message board on the net. Big fan of strong coffee and hardcore Steelers fan from womb to tomb.

Steelers Preseason

Butler On Being 3-4 Or 4-3

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Keith Butler was named Steelers defensive coordinator today. A move which has been anticipated for many years. One question that has been on the minds of many Steelers fans lately is- Will Keith Butler’s scheme differ from Dick LeBeau’s scheme, and if so, how much?

Bob Labriola of Steelers.com spoke with Butler today, and asked a few questions to get a better understanding of what the new coordinator’s defensive philosophy is.

“It’s not much different than most people’s philosophy would be. We definitely have to stop the run, we have to make offenses one-dimensional if we can, and we have to put pressure on the quarterback. If we can do those things, then we can help the offense. We have to get the ball back for the offense – that’s our main goal,” said Butler.

I like it. I like it.

When asked if he’s a 3-4 guy, Butler says, “I would consider myself a whatever-it-takes-to-win guy.”

“If it’s a 3-4, that’s fine, if that fits your players. I think you have to be able to fit your defense around the players you have. With what offenses are doing nowadays in the National Football League, they’re playing a lot of three wide receivers and a tight end and a running back, for the most part. In those situations, we’re going to be in kind of a 4-3 anyway, but we’re still going to be able to run the 3-4 also. It gives you a little bit more versatility, I think.”

Sounds good. Sounds good.

Butler goes on to say that the 3-4 is important due to what offenses are doing today.

“I think there’s still a place for it is because you also have to be versatile as a defense as offenses are trying to be versatile. So we don’t want to blow it up and say we won’t run the 3-4 anymore. We will run the 3-4, but we will run some 4-3 also, in our sub-package.”

Makes sense. Though, isn’t that essentially what the Steelers have been doing defensively?

The Steelers will not hold a press conference to announce their new DC. I’m sure however that we’ll hear much more from Butler in the coming days and weeks, and will soon grow as tired as him from hearing 4-3 questions.

 

keith butler

Steelers Officially Name Keith Butler New Defensive Coordinator

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In what will come to be known as the most shocking, most surprising bombshell announcement in the history of the Steelers organization, the Steelers have announced that Keith Butler will be the new defensive coordinator. Sorry for the satire, I couldn’t help myself.

I reported earlier that the team planned to make the announcement as soon as today, but didn’t expect it to be before lunch.

Butler has been long ordained as the heir to Dick LeBeau’s throne. The team has either blocked interview requests with the longtime linebacker’s coach, or he has turned down interviews for other defensive coordinator positions over the past several years.

Don’t expect Butler to turn things completely upside down, but don’t be surprised if the defense looks different from what you’re used to. While some are calling Butler “LeBeau Jr.”, that’s most likely not the case at all.

With Butler being promoted to DC, there is now a vacancy at linebacker’s coach. The only two likely candidates that spring to mind are Defensive Assistants Jerry Olsavsky and Joey Porter, with Olsavsky being the more likely of the two. It shouldn’t be long before we find out.

 

Steelers sign

Keith Butler Likely To Be Announced New Defensive Coordinator Soon

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The Steelers are expected to announce the new defensive coordinator soon, possibly as soon as today according to reports. When Dick LeBeau was forced out stepped down this weekend, the Steelers organization surely wasn’t as surprised as some reports would have us believe.

It has essentially been a forgone conclusion (for some time) that longtime linebackers coach Keith Butler will take Dick LeBeau’s headset on the Steelers sideline. While a lot of people had fun speculating what big name the Steelers might bring in, it was reported yesterday that the team has no plans to bring in outside candidates.

According to WTAE, Butler met with Coach Tomlin yesterday, and a 3 year deal is being finalized. The announcement might come as soon as today. So, what do we know about Butler?

Butler was a linebacker for the Seahawks from 1978-1987. He took a coaching position at Memphis in 1990. He served various roles there including coaching linebackers, defensive ends, and special teams. Butler is credited with designing a surprise 3-4 alignment that helped Memphis upset the Volunteers, led by Peyton Manning at the time.

Butler left U of M to take the defensive coordinator position at Arkansas State in 1998. After one year there, he moved up to the NFL and took a linebackers coaching position with the Cleveland Browns. While there, he worked with some familiar names- Bruce Arians (OC), Romeo Crennel (DC), Todd Bowles (secondary), and Chuck Pagano (secondary). The Browns ran a base 4-3 during those years.

In 2003, he was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since his arrival, he’s been the linebacker’s coach, and has led some pretty distinguished linebackers over the past dozen years.

There is a belief that Steelers ownership is forcing LeBeau’s replacement on Tomlin. Butler predates Tomlin in Pittsburgh, and it was reported a few years back that Butler had a gentleman’s agreement with the team ensuring that he would replace Dick LeBeau when he stepped away.

The hole in this narrative is that Tomlin knows Keith Butler very well. Aside from being his manager for the last several years, he knew Butler before the NFL. Mike Tomlin also worked at Memphis and Arkansas St. with Keith Butler. He was a defensive backs coach for the Red Wolves while Butler was the defensive coordinator.

Ultimately, I think Steelers fans should be excited about Butler taking the clipboard. He’s got some huge shoes to fill, but he’s studied under LeBeau for years, and has worked in a variety of defensive systems. His hire should hopefully equate to a smooth transition into the next era of Steelers defense.

Dick-lebeau

Dick LeBeau Has Spoken With Bruce Arians About Joining Cardinals

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Bruce Arians has spoken with Dick LeBeau about joining the Arizona Cardinals in some capacity according to Jerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

To what extent or in what capacity LeBeau would join the Cardinals staff is anyone’s guess, though, it’s probably safe to assume the main focus was for filling a potential DC vacancy. Todd Bowles has been in demand for recent head coaching vacancies, and he has second interviews set up with multiple teams. Dick LeBeau could possibly step right in and improve that defense.

Arizona and Tennessee seemed like the most obvious landing spots for the long time Steelers defensive coordinator. It’s unlikely that the Titans will be parting ways with Ray Horton after just one year, but they could be interested in LeBeau in a consulting capacity to help a defense that struggled to transition to a new scheme.

shawn lemon

Steelers To Workout Two Former Calgary Stampeders

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The Pittsburgh Steelers rarely workout players from the Canadian Football League. Oddly enough, the team reportedly has two workouts scheduled with former CFL players in the near future.

According to Scott Mitchell of the Calgary Sun Times, the Steelers will host former Calgary DE Shawn Lemon this week, and former Calgary offensive lineman Brett Jones soon.

Lemon has bounced around the CFL over the past few years. The 6’3, 251 lb DE(OLB) had 13 sacks with the Stampeders during the 2014 season. Lemon played college football for the University of Akron. Here are some of his highlights from last season. He’s number 40.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TStkAvjDTws

Jones is 6’2, 310 lbs. He was drafted by Calgary in the 2013 draft, and won the CFL top lineman award this year. The Stampeders center also won the most outstanding rookie award last year. As you can see in the highlights below, he’s a very quick footed and aggressive blocker. He’s #69.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3gPCjojaDQ

 

David Decastro contract

Steelers Re-Sign OL Chris Hubbard To One Year Deal

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The Steelers have re-signed offensive lineman Chris Hubbard to a one year deal. Hubbard was originally signed by the team as an undrafted free agent in the Spring of 2013. The former UAB guard spent last year on the Steelers practice squad. He was active for 2 games this season, and saw a handful of snaps at left guard during the Carolina game.

The terms of the deal aren’t immediately available, but you can expect it to be for the minimum 1 year salary, with a very small signing bonus.

Dick-lebeau

Dick LeBeau Steps Down As Defensive Coordinator

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Dick LeBeau, defensive genius and father of the Zone Blitz, has resigned today. The 77 year old defensive coordinator broke the news to his local newspaper The Urbana Daily Citizen.

“I’m resigning this position, not retiring,” said LeBeau. According to Gerry Dulac, he was asked to resign after meeting with Coach Tomlin for several days. “It was a lot of fun…it’s just time to make a break.”

LeBeau was arguably a scapegoat for a defense that struggled due to key injuries and growing pains from new talent. It’s long been assumed that linebackers coach Keith Butler take Dick LeBeau’s clipboard. The Steelers have blocked the assistant coach from interviewing outside the organization in the past, and it was rumored that he and Art Rooney II had a gentleman’s agreement for him to be LeBeau’s successor.

In LeBeau’s 12 seasons as the Steelers defensive coordinator, the Steelers won six division titles, four AFC championships and two Super Bowls and made the playoffs eight times.

“I had a great run in Pittsburgh. I’m grateful for all the things that have happened to me and thankful for all the support I had in Pittsburgh.”

-Dick LeBeau.

Ben-Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger Will Miss The Pro Bowl, Won’t Require Surgery

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Ben Roethlisberger will not be playing in the Pro Bowl in Arizona later this month. According to the New Orleans Saints website, Drew Brees will be taking his place.

This is the third time in Ben’s career that he has been voted to the Pro Bowl. Somewhat ironically, Brees is tied with Roethlisberger for the league high of 4,952 passing yards. In a statement from Roethlisberger’s agent (via ESPN), the Steelers quarterback is being kept out as a precaution, but will not require offseason surgery.

“Ben was instructed by team doctors to avoid strenuous activity due to inflammation in his knee, thus he will not play in the Pro Bowl,” Ryan Tollner wrote to ESPN. “His knee will not require surgery and he looks forward to an otherwise healthy offseason to improve with his teammates.”

jerome bettis

Jerome Bettis And Kevin Greene Among 15 Hall Of Fame Finalists

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The finalists for the class of 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced last night. Most notably, Jerome Bettis was among the final 15 for the 5th straight year. In 13 seasons, Bettis amassed 13,662 yards, the 6th most in NFL history, and remains the only one of the eligible top 14 career rushing leaders not inducted into the Hall of Fame.

https://twitter.com/JeromeBettis36/status/553382518431293440

Other former Steelers are also in the top 15. Former Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene, who recorded an amazing 160 sacks over the course of his career, is in the running again this year.

Tony Dungy played Safety for the Steelers in ’78 and ’79, and later returned as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator. It is his second year of eligibility.

The 2015 class will be announced on January 31st. Is this the year the Bus stops in Canton?

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Jason Worilds Fined $10,000 For Unnecessary Roughness

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The NFL is handing out the weekly fines today, and Steelers OLB Jason Worilds is one of the recipients.

According to Rapoport, Worilds was fined $10,000 for unnecessarily striking an opponent in the head. You probably remember the incident. It was in the 2nd quarter, with just a few minutes remaining. Ravens TE Crockett Gillmore took his run blocking assignment a littler farther than Worilds liked, and, in turn, Worilds hit him across the face.

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This is the second time this year that Worilds has received a fine.