The Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach created a lot of buzz this offseason. However, he wasn’t the only new coach that they hired. They overhauled almost their entire staff, including both coordinator spots. While so much change could be tough to adjust to, Steelers safety Sebastian Castro has nothing but good things to say about new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
“He’s a player’s coach,” Castro said recently on El Podcast Inmaculado. “You can talk to him. He’s a friend. He feels like one of the players. But when it comes to football, you can tell he switches and it’s very intense. He’s just an intense football coach, defensive coach. And that’s how you want them. He wants to win. I like him, and I’m pretty sure a lot of guys can vouch for him, too.”
Mike Tomlin was often praised for being a player’s coach. He had a unique ability to connect with members of his roster. While Tomlin stepped down this offseason, it sounds like Graham brings a similar talent for building relationships with players.
All eyes will be on McCarthy this season to see whether he can uphold the Steelers’ tradition of winning, but Graham has just as tall a task in front of him. The Steelers’ defense is full of talent, but it struggled mightily last year, finishing ranked 26th in the league in total yards allowed.
That unit needs to improve in a big way if the Steelers want to be one of the best teams in the AFC. They’ve invested too much into their defense for it to have another underwhelming season.
That’s where Graham comes in. He’s been a defensive coordinator with three other NFL teams, and he’s had success with less talented defenses. Therefore, there’s hope that he can do more with all of the defensive assets that the Steelers have.
Based on Castro’s comments, it sounds like Graham is making a good impression so far. That lines up with what many other Steelers players have said. However, the real test will come when the bullets start flying. We’ll see if Graham’s defense can hold up throughout the regular season.
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