Practice makes perfect practice. But practice is never the real thing, and sometimes practice doesn’t translate. At least from the perspective of Pittsburgh Steelers ILB Mykal Walker, that is what the defense is going through right now. In part due to poor communication, they are simply unable to do the sort of things they are doing during the week when it matters on the weekends.
“It’s fundamentals”, he told reporters yesterday, courtesy of Teresa Varley for the team’s website. “We go out to practice every day and do the fundamentals. Some of these plays that they are hitting us on we do it correctly 10 out of 10 times in practice and it doesn’t translate in the game”.
That’s not exactly what you want to hear, although perhaps the alternative is no more comforting. If they can’t even get things right a sufficient number of times during practice, then what hope do they have of getting it right in the game?
I’m sure many of you after reading that have rushed to the comment section to point out that they get to face the Steelers’ offense during practice and—well, you’re right, both technically and otherwise. The Steelers don’t have the most formidable offense, so this is more a matter of iron sharpening pumice.
But does that excuse the defense? Of course not. You still have to execute with fundamentals no matter the quality of offense you’re playing against, and you still must exercise good communication. Those are any defense’s two biggest opponents, and those are the chief battles they are losing.
“It’s us not executing. It starts with us”, Walker said. “We have to look at ourselves in the mirror before you start looking around. That’s where it starts”. He added, “You have to look in the mirror and make sure you do your job right. Do the little things right and it will take care of itself”.
Quite frankly, there has been too much talking to the man in the mirror this season. It feels like twice a month we are hearing from players about how they have to look within to find the answer, but either they’re not looking or the answer isn’t to be found.
Before games and after games, they have learned to say and do the right things, but that doesn’t exactly mean anything if it doesn’t concur with the results on the field. As in any 12-step program, identifying the problem is only the first step.
Being able to stop a tight end over the middle in practice 10 times out of 10 is only valuable when it produces the same results in games. Perfect practice is merely a necessary, not a sufficient, condition if you’re not replicating that same success under live fire.
In all likelihood, it is already too late to do anything about it in 2023 that will change the defense’s fortunes, but the players can begin to work toward a better 2024. It’s time to start assessing who is going to be a part of the solution moving forward and shifting away from those who are a part of the problem.
