Don’t blame Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley for the issues his unit had in 2024. A new face to the organization, McCurley was hired in February to replace Aaron Curry. Now, McCurley’s job is to fix those problems that popped up a year ago. Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice, McCurley outlined how the group can turn things around.
“Starting point is just pre-snap communication,” McCurley told reporters via team-issued audio. “Doing our job within the run game. But a lot of it starts there, making sure we’re on the same page pre-snap. Communicating, knowing our role in the QB run game and what we’re doing. What we’re trying to get accomplished.”
All of those were issues during the team’s losing streak, dropping their final five contests including a bitter Wild Card defeat against the Baltimore Ravens. Communication was a defensive problem across the board with breakdowns at all levels. Poor run fits, linebackers in the wrong gap, a secondary that couldn’t pass routes off, and players pressing and trying to do too much.
Linebacker Patrick Queen is central to the team’s communication. The high-prized free agent addition in 2024, Queen’s first year with the Steelers was a mixed bag. He held the every-down role Pittsburgh has been missing since Ryan Shazier, but struggled as a tackler and at least some of the communication problems can be traced back to him. Even Queen recently admitted he must be better, optimistic his game will improve after spending a full season with the team.
Once the ball is snapped, McCurley outlined the plan is simple.
“From there, it’s just the fundamentals,” he said. “It’s getting off blocks. Playing aggressive and tackling guys.”
Pittsburgh has a deep bench of inside linebackers. Queen returns in his second season with the Steelers while Payton Wilson has drawn plenty of buzz this spring, a second-year player looking to make a leap. Malik Harrison was signed over from Baltimore as a run-down linebacker and core special teamer. Cole Holcomb is healthy after his severe 2023 knee injury, Mark Robinson is now a veteran potentially more trusted by the coaching staff, and rookie Carson Bruener tops off the room with an intriguing college resume. There’s even Devin Harper, who McCurley coached in Dallas.
A Pittsburgh native, McCurley knows the history of the Steelers’ strong linebacker play. It’s a cause he must further in order to return the defense to the level of play that’s expected in the city.
