For two straight weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has gotten dismantled. They’ve faced two middling offenses, but against the Steelers, those units have looked much better. There were high expectations for the Steelers’ defense going into this season, but now, it’s unclear if they’ll even be average on that aide of the ball. Being historic should no longer be their focus. They’ve got a lot of quality players, so it’s unclear why exactly they’ve struggled so much. Rod Woodson is of the opinion that more of the blame lies on DC Teryl Austin rather than the players.
“Teryl Austin has to figure out what they have,” Woodson said Thursday on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. “They went all-in. You bring in Big Play [Darius] Slay, you bring in [Jalen] Ramsey, you bring in those players, but how do they fit together? Right now, they’re not playing great football. You’ve gotta hope Teryl Austin figures out what they like to do.
“The rules that they have has got to be simplified for the players on the back end. I think they’ve got the tools there. They’ve just got to make sure they have the right rules in their coverage, and then everybody’s talking through those rules, pre-snap, post-snap. They have the skill set, but sometimes, they don’t put their players in the best positions to make the plays that they have to make week in and week out.”
There is some evidence to suggest that the Steelers’ issues are more scheme related. They’ve gotten beat for a touchdown on the same play in both games, an issue that can be traced to scheme and communication.
The Steelers’ secondary is talented, but it is also banged up. DeShon Elliott and Joey Porter Jr. both left their Week 1 game with an injury. However, they still have several experienced veterans on the back end of their defense. Ramsey, Slay, Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and Brandin Echols have all been in the league for several years.
However, they’re all new to the Steelers. That could be a reason for miscommunication in the secondary and fixing that issue falls on Austin. It’s his job to make sure all of his players are ready when called upon.
The Steelers visit the New England Patriots Sunday. Their offense is starting to find its footing, but they’ve got flaws. Against second-year quarterback Drake Maye and company, the Steelers have an opportunity to right their ship.
We’ll see if they take advantage of that opportunity. The league’s most expensive defense shouldn’t get gashed in the first three games of the season, though. If the Steelers turn in another poor defensive performance this week, then it might be cause for more concern. The Steelers have a lot of time to fix their issues. However, they have to show on the field that they can be as good as they look on paper.
