According to Steelers players, the team simplified the defense last week. But coaches not only balk at that description but also won’t commit to what worked. HC Mike Tomlin downplayed the role of their adjustments on Tuesday. On Thursday, DC Teryl Austin qualified the characterization of the simplification and wouldn’t say that it will continue.
“When you say simplification, I think we maybe cut some calls because we had some new guys and it was a simple fact of necessity,” Austin said of a defense breaking in Kyle Dugger after two days of practice via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media department. “I think the biggest thing to happen is our guys played fast, tackled well. We did a good job getting in the right spots. I think it’s easy to say it’s simplification. I just think we ran probably more of our base calls than normal, and that’s where we were.” Asked if they would run more base calls this week, he just said, “We’ll see.”
And yet, many players on the Steelers’ defense seemed to credit the simplification for their success. Even Austin, in another context, said something to the effect that if you want to screw up a player, give a coach time.
On Wednesday, Steelers rookie Derrick Harmon credited the simplified defense for their success. Alex Highsmith also did the same, as did Patrick Queen. “It was really just simple,” he said of their defensive menu via the Steelers’ website. “That was the key for us to be able to go out there, play physical, and play fast, and just play free.”
The literal “quarterback” of the Steelers’ defense calls the simple menu “the key” to playing more physically, faster and more free. But the coaching staff doesn’t want to listen, it seems. For two months, they struggled with communication issues, and it seemed like they were trying to do too much. Even analysts couldn’t figure out what they were trying to do; it was a mess.
There really is something to the KISS approach, and no, I don’t mean marketing everything from condoms to coffins. “Keep It Simple, Stupid” has been an acronym in wide use for more than half a century for a reason. Complexity is only beneficial when it adds something and you have the expertise to carry it out. If you lack either, then you’re wasting your time.
I don’t know that the Steelers magically found the answer on defense by simplifying things in one week. They did look much better against the top-scoring offense in the NFL, though. And they did it with a brand new safety and another player making his first start at a new position.
The Steelers thrived in the 2000s under Dick LeBeau’s complex defense, but that was because they had a veteran team. They grew up in that system and built upon it year after year. It’s like a mathematics curriculum, working your way up to a new subject each year. The majority of the Steelers’ defense has been here for fewer than three years, including many first-year guys. Go figure.
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