As a part of his tour to promote his new book, the Senator John Heinz History Center hosted Dick LeBeau and a panel of former players to speak about the Legendary 2008 defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They also answered questions from the audience for an inside look at the dynamic between LeBeau and his players. One thing was very clear – players had absolute trust in LeBeau and deep level of respect for their defensive coordinator.
One audience member asked the panel to talk about in-game adjustments and the communication between LeBeau and his unit. Former Steelers DL Chris Hoke had plenty to say on the topic.
“There was so much trust and respect for Coach LeBeau and the great thing about that period of time, we had played for coach for a long time. When you came, coach, in ’04, I mean we were all together — the nucleus of that team — for many, many years,” Hoke said in a video posted on the John Heinz History Center YouTube channel. “So there was a trust that was developed. And so when Coach LeBeau would speak, it would get quiet on the sideline and it would be so loud, we’d be in the stadiums, and we’d be so zoned in on Coach LeBeau’s adjustments, what he would say.
“We trusted him.”
That respect has carried forward for two decades now. Just look at how many of his former players have turned out for his book release events. Hoke, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel and Ike Taylor were among those in attendance. Many of them referred to him as “Coach Dad” to paint a picture of the type of respect they had for him.
It’s hard not to trust your coach when they were a Hall of Fame player in their own right, and one that intercepted an astounding 62 passes in his career. But that respect was further earned by the fact that LeBeau had an uncanny knack for being correct. It wasn’t luck, but a deep understanding of the game and an encyclopedic knowledge of how offenses operate to attack his defensive schemes.
“One of the things that impressed me about Coach LeBeau was, you see these coordinators out there on the field. They’re carrying a card. I don’t think we ever saw you carry a card. And I always thought, ‘How does he know all these plays?'” Hoke said. “…Coach LeBeau would go, well, if they run that formation, that means they’re gonna run this and they’re gonna run this off this formation, and they’re gonna run these sets of plays.
“…His mind was on a total — a genius football mind. He knew if teams were trying to set us up. He knew if they were trying to run some things. And so his mind was so far ahead of everybody else’s.”
It isn’t enough to have elite talent at every level of the defense, which those Steelers teams certainly did. What made the group special was LeBeau as the brains of the operation and setting his team up for success. And their explicit trust in him as the brains of the operation created a special dynamic that fueled one of the greatest defenses of all time.
“I think that was the brains of our success when we were playing, was Coach LeBeau’s ability to see into the future 10 steps ahead of everybody else. And it was a blessing for us,” Hoke said.
He wasn’t the type of coach to get angry or motivate with fear. He is living proof that there is more than one way to achieve respect with players. LeBeau just wanted to pass on his vast knowledge of the game from his playing days, and it’s fair to say he achieved that goal with flying colors.
To get a copy of this book for 30-percent off, use code Steel30 to support LeBeau and Scott Brown, one of the authors of the book and the editor of Steelers Depot.
