The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has been one of the best units in football this season, and a large part of that has been the contributions of guys the team brought in this offseason. S DeShon Elliott, LB Patrick Queen and CB Donte Jackson, among others, have all been key pieces of Pittsburgh’s defense this season, and Jackson said all the new additions had to alter their mentality to play on a vaunted Steelers defense.
“These guys always had a great defense, always had a great defensive scheme,” Jackson said via Aaron Becker of Yardbarker on Twitter. “Knowing that, you have to alter your mentality to come in and play. It’s like swimming with sharks. I think that us new guys, we just kinda have that mentality.”
He added that no one has the idea that they have to be a superstar and guys knowing their role has been key to the defensive success.
“You adjust your mentality to come in, and do your job and your role, and that’s what we’ve been doing great,” Jackson said. “Nobody here needs to be a superstar player, everybody just play together, and I think that’s been the winning recipe for us. Whether you’re new or not, just to come in and just play with that excitement and make plays.”
Coming into a defense that features the likes of T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith can be scary, especially knowing you have to uphold the standard of defensive excellence that has long been the Steelers’ hallmark. Swimming with sharks can also be scary, because, well, they can eat you. I can’t play defense in the NFL and wouldn’t voluntarily go within a mile of a shark so I can’t exactly relate to the experience, but it’s a good analogy by Jackson for what it’s like to join Pittsburgh’s defense.
It’s a group that has been the heartbeat of the team in recent seasons, and dating back to the Steel Curtain and Blitzburgh, it’s an area of football that’s come to define the Steelers. Tough, hard-nosed Steelers football is expected no matter where a guy comes from.
While Elliott and Queen had the benefit of having played against the Steelers as members of the Baltimore Ravens, Jackson came from the Carolina Panthers. It can be daunting to come in and know you’re part of something bigger and have a standard to uphold.
So far this season, Jackson has excelled opposite of Joey Porter Jr. and helped elevate Pittsburgh’s secondary. Elliott has been extremely impressive as a tackler and Queen is Pittsburgh’s green dot and has manned the middle of the defense. All three have contributed to Pittsburgh’s success in some fashion, and all three look to be solid additions early. While Queen has had some growing pains and missed some tackles, he’s been better as the season has progressed, and the hope is that he’ll round into form for the second half.
It’s rare that outside additions can come in and have an immediate impact, but that’s been the case for the Steelers this season. It’s why their defense has taken a step forward, even from past seasons when they were still one of the best defenses in the league.
