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.

 

Coaching scheme.

 

My first thought was to cross reference this with time of possession. We know that we’ve had weaker offenses of late that translates to more stress on the defense.

However, having looked it up I couldn’t see a relationship there. So that’s that idea out the window.

I agree with the OP about the vanilla looks - something seemed to happen last season where they went from reasonably imaginative blitzes to just rushing Watt and Highsmith off the edges. It was bizarrely repetitive.

 

I am better looking at charts than a table of numbers. And averages can be deceiving.

Perhaps this will show you that even LeBeau's defense wasn't all that great as the game evolved. A reminder that he was DC through 2014:

 

there is a couple major issues with the Defense as it is right now personnel wise. We really don’t have a good slot CB as a result it has really hindered our ability not only with communications on the back end but covering the hot read often when we blitz. As a result we just don’t blitz. The second issue is we have one legit DT. Ogunjobi was a bad signing especially resigning him a couple of years ago. We need a bigger run plugging DT to free up the ILB’s not only against the run but so they can better focus on pass coverage. For some reason we refuse to address both of these positions defensively year after year.

 

The defensive personnel were long in the tooth in 2014. Not really a fair assessment. Even taking out 2014 to 2018 to give Tomlin time to retool the defense again, we still were a notch below the Lebeau defenses. To me the biggest difference is we have to spend more on players for Tomlin's Defenses to be competitive with Lebeau's defenses.

 

Really? The only starter on defense over the age of 30 was Troy in 2014.

 

We had Jarvis Jones and Jason Worlids as are Edges. We had Mitchell at Safety and an aging Polamalu. We had a rookie Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt. Timmins was also ageing. The Defense was clearly in rebuild mode. Don’t forget rookies didn’t radiantly do well in Lebeau’s defenses as they were complex and it took them a while to learn it. So this defense was depleted for sure. This was at the height of the Killer B’s. To bad Shazier and Tuitt didn’t work out because they were trending to be really good. We also had a no name starting at the other Cb spot. I forget who it was.

 

Let's keep in mind those early 2000s teams were not rebuilding the offense from the QB down. Put that defense on the field last season and I believe they would be better, but not some top 5 juggernaut defense. Lebeau was an innovator and great at using different blitzes in the perfect situation. HoF level. He also had some really great players. Not many DCs are gonna match up to Lebeau.

 

I'll give you jones as poor talent, but Timmons was only 28 yrs old.

But what you are really saying is 'it's the players, not the scheme or coaching'.....

 

It's the Coaching and the scheme and the players.. Our Coaches are still behind the times and still put to much stock into the front 7 .. The zone blitz scheme is all but Dead as smart QB'S see the weak spots quickly and get the ball out to quick...We cant play loose on the outside as QB'S will just play pitch and catch our CBS are not good enough as a unit to man up..

We need to be able to play more man and more zero and cover 1 and less cover 2 and 3 ..We need a FS who is a ball hawk to play single high he must be super fast ..

So I hope we start investing in man CB'S and the correct types of Safeties..

 

It’s the obsession with just making it to 500 (cue the fools chiming in on this). But if you make the objective to just get to 500, then any decent coach will try to minimize risk and go vanilla - only risk taking happens if there’s a chance of not making 500.

last season, both the D and O looked exotic for the first half of season, but as soon as they got to 8 wins, they both went vanilla.

two seasons ago, they let Mason go wild and get to 500, then get to playoffs and go wuss mode again.

even during most games, they only let loose if they’re way behind or last bit of the game and losing.

 

What I’m saying is that 2014 defense was not as stacked as our 2024 defense was personnel wise. 2024 defense had better edges, better ILB’s and better safeties. D tackle I would give edge to 2014. Cb was basically a push.

 

we need big fat players in middle of line 1-nt-2 dl -3 dl- fat we need fast outside or edge linebackers to sack QB-- I mean really fast.we need smart inside lb to cover or run assist--- fast and strong--we need strong fast ss to help run support..we need fast fs to cover---need man to man cbs to cover-also be nice if they could catch.now if we have all that then i would say its coaching but is it really.

 

Sometimes talk from other players around the league is hyperbole, but when it happens often from varying sources you have to take notice. talking about the some of the things you mentioned, there are no real surprises, it is stale, unimaginative. It is overall a good D and the stats resemble that, but when facing more inventive O minds and talent we break down.

There also seems to be a yearly communication lapse, some could be looked at as new staff, young mistakes, but it happens often enough to make one wonder what the hell are they NOT doing to correct the issues.

 

"not as stacked" meaning lesser players.. I think you are arguing with yourself. Better players equal better defense; 2014 vs 2024.

Steelers are playing a bastardized version of the Tampa 2 defense for a number of years now. It's why the ILB has been getting raked vs the pass.

Yep, the 'communication issues' are maddening considering the Steelers are 'always playing the same defense year after year' and it's a simpleton defense to boot.

 

The reason why Sutton, Jackson and DB coach are gone because they were the ones mostly responsible for the communication issues.

 

Excellent post. I thought Minkah was that guy.

If he us losing a step I would play him in the slot and use him like the way the Lions use Branch.

I still think zone blitz is very effective in the league if you disguise it right. The Chiefs do it a lot.

 

it was definitely a more run oriented league back then and we did have a decent offense as well. I believe that defense from the early 2000’s would have definitely been a top five defense last year.

 

We have all of that with the exception of one perimeter CB and slot CB. Also we’re missing bigger DT’s. We probably have the fastest ILB’s in the league. I’m not even gonna respond on the Edge part.

 

Yes had tge 2014 defense been as stacked as last years defense it would have been a top five defense under Lebeau. That’s my point.

 

We can agree to disagree. Tell me about last season's secondary being stacked with Sutton, Jackson, and Bishop. And Fitz constantly out of position to make plays. LeBeau would have struggled with that crew.

 

Coaching and Schemes. Too vanilla, too predicable, rely too much on their outside rushers for Q!B pressure. Safeties playing in the next stratosphere.

 

Some eye-opening quotes from a HOF HC:

This was taken during the players lawsuit against the NFL during the Plan B free agency era.

The point here being, you can deal with coaching up lesser players, but you have to have the size and skill of coaching staff to do it.

 

Yes was it on Minkah? I doubt it. He wasn’t having those issues before. Gay was a better slot than Sutton and Bishop. Ike was old and we had a one year scrub next to him. Porter and Jackson were better at cb. Our safeties last year as a whole were better than an aging Polamalu and Mike Mitchell.