There are plenty of questions surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense when it comes to the scheme, and there is a lot of criticism about the lack of execution from the highly paid unit.
But rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer thinks the defense is so close to doing what it wants to do from a scheme and execution standpoint to try and uphold the standard of the organization.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Sawyer stated he believes the Steelers are so close to finding the consistency they’ve been yearning for defensively.
“Yeah, I think we’re close to executing at a level that is our standard, and I just think the little things we’re still cleaning up and looking to put together a complete performance,” Sawyer said, according to video via Steelers.com. “Because we’ve seen what we’re capable of. I think just sustaining that for a whole game for four quarters is gonna be key, especially when you’re going against [a Bills] offense like this.
“And I think that we’re moving in the right direction in a lot of areas.”
What those areas are defensively where Sawyer believes the Steelers are trending in the right direction remains to be seen, especially after allowing 31 points to the Chicago Bears in Week 12, struggling to generate much pass rush at all, and having no answers in coverage for Chicago’s weapons.
Those struggles led to frustration from linebacker Patrick Queen after the game and then cornerback Brandin Echols on Monday, stating that coaches — and players — need to be better in certain situations. Not exactly something comforting to hear about the defense, especially when taking into consideration the miscommunication issues last season and how they derailed the second half of the season.
Of course, the Steelers’ defense did score a touchdown against the Bears, thanks to a strip-sack from T.J. Watt in the end zone that led to him surpassing older brother J.J. in career sacks, leading to a Nick Herbig fumble recovery for the score.
But it wasn’t enough on the day, and it led to some criticism from head coach Mike Tomlin, who stated the defense didn’t respond to adversity well, especially after a pair of offensive turnovers.
It seems unfair to ask the defense to be perfect every week, but those players are highly paid for a reason. And they haven’t even been close to good enough for much of the season, too. But maybe they are trending in the right direction behind the scenes like Sawyer says.
Hopefully that leads to better execution and better performances where it matters most: on the field.
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