The Teryl Austin/Defense Complaint Thread (2025)

Have to remember 50% of that 146 went to taxes and another 3 to 5% goes to the agent before seeing a dime.

Also.. those google net worths aren’t accurate.

 

Too late.

 

Weird how? Cowherd and other media folks are focusing on the cost of the defense. If the defense performed up to task, would we be talking about stop spending money on defense? Are the Steelers having cap trouble?

Problem isn't on money spent it is on performance and more importantly coaching IMO.

 

Wouldn't the Steelers have a terrible amount of dead money by making a move like this?

 

Watt $23M
Heyward $22M
Ramsey $19.5 M
Highsmith $18M
Queen $17.6

Honestly, I think we could get by without any of these guys.


Herbig and Sawyer could easily take over at OLB.
Ramsey, Heyward, and Watt ... old.
Queen was overpaid in FA.

 

Unless they can get the other team to pay his full salary. Even so your trading an old player for draft assets and getting younger v

 

Adopt a pay for play process! Go ahead sign players under contracts however based on certain criteria within that contract year by year and game by game is how you will get paid! No more guaranteed money! You play like ****z you get league minimum! You ball out you get max pay per contract! Just thought!

 

They should let Heyward walk after the season not much production from him.

 

Should’ve let him go to Cleveland last year
That was straight out of jacka55es mouth last season

 

One thing they got to do is at least buy Watt some more time to get to the QB. The guys we are facing are getting the ball out super quick. Watt really doesn’t have much time.

That either falls on the defensive line to get enough of a push straight up the middle to get to make the QB shaky or do something in the secondary to make the QB hold onto the ball for a second or two longer.

I guess that is easier said than done…our secondary is always filled with new faces every year…they probably have to keep the coverages vanilla.

Anyone miss Minkah? Say what you want, but he held everything together. I dont remember it being this bad last year. I wasn’t against moving him, but Ramsey isn’t really adding much.

 

Top guys getting old and past their prime coupled with a coordinator who cant make adjustments to save his life.

Also backfield composed of over the hill vets and our regressing top cover guy (jp jr).

The biggest surprise though is Watt. He may be done.

 

Aside from Watt, who was the last guy we drafted on D and developed into an all star? Its been a while.

 

According to PFF, Cam did great last game! and Watt did good. and Slay was decent. lol

https://steelersdepot.com/2025/10/steelers-vs-packers-pff-grades-and-snap-counts/

 

Worst total defense rank for Steelers in franchise history:

2025 30th
1988 28th
2021 24th
1991 22nd
1981 22nd

 

Screw pff. It is not keeping up on his Wiffs and him having to go suck on the oxygen tank like my grandpa.

 

Queen is way over paid. Can't cover.
Heyward was very good, now he's old and can rush the passer.
Ramsey was good, but that was years ago.
Highsmith is way over paid. We can get by without him.
Watt was great, now he is only good.


I pivot in my mind to our 12 draft picks in 2026.

 

We still have some good QB's to play and they will feast on the secondary.

 

A graphic showing yards allowed by Steelers defense in the second half of games. An obvious deterioration in the last couple of weeks but the cracks were forming even in the MIN game.

Disturbing; teams are stampeding out of the gate in the second half and the defense is surrendering.

YARDS ALLOWED IN 2nd HALF



[note: "drive"= drive# assigned to possessing team]

 

IMO Tomlin thinks the game is in hand when it's not. I think it was Cowher who stressed 60 minute men. Tomlin is like 45 minutes at best

 

This probably needs merged over in the "Can We Stop Overpaying on Defense" thread.....
The answer is yes to both.

Too much money spent on a Pass Rusher and a Run Stuffer to not get production from them.
So the evaluation is:
- Why are they not producing?
* Coaching (play design, innovation, etc...)
* The player is too old

The level of production isn't there and the spend is prohibitive to distribute money to 11 players that can produce.
ie: Lack of cap management.

 

What do the colors even mean? 33yards is light red, but 34 is light green. And isn’t the color-coding backwards? Where’s this from?

 

Cowher's worst draft picks would start on this defense.

 

Scott Shields, Zo Jackson.....

 

Trust me. 1988 was better than 2025.