The Pittsburgh Steelers’ greatest strength is undeniably their defense. While that side of the ball is one of the franchise’s defining qualities, it’s been particularly important in recent years. That unit has picked up a lot of slack with the Steelers’ offense sputtering. However, to end last season, the defense struggled mightily. Analyst Derrik Klassen of The Athletic recently gave his theory on why Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t been as dominant as it could be.
“It feels a little bit like they’re three updates behind, in terms of how a lot of that stuff gets run,” Klassen said Friday on The Athletic Football Show. “That’s probably natural. Tomlin has been overseeing the defense for a very long time. Usually, the guys that he has on staff are guys that have been there for a very long time.
“That is also the minor complication that I think makes the whole Steelers conversation in general difficult. Tomlin has done so many things well, but ultimately, at the end of the day, I think the biggest criticism you could have, and this is why I think it would be hard for the front office to say, is creativity is probably Mike Tomlin’s biggest hindrance at this point.”
That’s a fair take, and also not the first time someone has brought it up. Former players have talked about how Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t changed much during Tomlin’s tenure. Consistency is one of the organizations greatest strengths, but it can also seriously hurt the team.
Part of that is on Tomlin. His coaching background is on the defensive side of the ball, and his fingerprints are all over the Steelers’ defense. Its stagnation can be blamed on him. The Steelers have one of the most talented defenses in the NFL, and while it’s been very good, it feels like there’s another level it can reach.
However, the Steelers’ defense has changed a little more in recent years. Some of that is likely due to changes in their defensive coaching staff. After Dick LeBeau left, Keith Butler took over as the Steelers’ defensive coordinator. A lot of his concepts carried over from LeBeau’s tenure.
The Steelers parted ways with Butler after the 2021 season, and Teryl Austin took over as their defensive coordinator. While that didn’t result in a ton of change, it did see Pittsburgh make tweaks to its defense. Fans are probably less likely to see linebackers covering slot receivers in Austin’s defense.
However, Austin isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, either. He’s been a defensive coordinator or defensive coach in the NFL since 2014. He and Tomlin aren’t overhauling the way the Steelers have done things on defense.
While that’s likely not going to change anytime soon, there’s some hope that the Steelers’ defense will improve. Beanie Bishop Jr. recently stated that Pittsburgh is adding some new wrinkles to its defense. After the Steelers’ collapse to end 2024, that’s probably a good idea.
Don’t expect Tomlin and company to be quick to change. As a franchise, the Steelers stick with their way. However, in recent years, they’ve shown more of a willingness to do things differently. With their past few seasons feeling the same and not being good enough, perhaps they’ll be more open to change going forward.
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