For what the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has in talent, they lack in continuity and cohesion. Outside of a few of the core pieces like Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and T.J. Watt, there are a lot of young players and new faces on defense over the last year or two.
Right now, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, when it needs to be the opposite. Minkah Fitzpatrick seems to have a solution in mind.
“I think we just gotta play simple defense,” Fitzpatrick said in a video posted by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on YouTube. “We got a lot of talent in the secondary. A lot of guys that could play man, play zone. We just gotta make a play call, simplify it, and play fast – allow us to play fast.”
Last year, Mike Tomling talked about making December play calls with September personnel. This was after a rash of injuries at safety and inside linebacker. It forced the Steelers to adjust their scheme and play calls to allow the players to play without thinking as much.
Could it be possible that the Steelers are making December play calls in early October? Based on what Fitzpatrick said, it sure seems like it.
If you listen to what some of the other defensive backs said after the game there were communication issues and mismatches on defense.
The unit is only as good as the weakest link, and unfortunately they are in a position where an undrafted free agent is starting. There were multiple occasions throughout the game where Beanie Bishop Jr. looked lost, and it seems like teams are starting to take notice with most concepts designed to stress him in the slot.
Part of the struggle, as Fitzpatrick eluded to, could be the complexity of the rules and schematics of the defense. Maybe they can evolve into being able to play more complex schemes, but they have the individual talent to play more man and let their guys shine in one-on-one situations.
They added a lot of speed to the defense this offseason with Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Donte Jackson, and others. That speed hasn’t really stood out on tape as much as it could be.
