The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been one of the worst in the NFL this season, a far cry from the dominant unit they’ve been in the past. But Mike Tomlin isn’t putting the blame on defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, as Tomlin said he’s been “pleased” with Austin’s work with the Steelers.
“I’ve known Teryl a long time. He is very capable. He is very thorough. I’ve largely been pleased with his work. But certainly he and I are not pleased with where we are right now from a defensive unit perspective, so we’re just gonna keep working,” Tomlin said in his Tuesday press conference via the team’s YouTube channel.
While the Steelers made plenty of changes to their defense this offseason, their struggles date back to their five-game losing streak to end last season. A strong defense has always been the hallmark of Steelers football, and in recent years, defensive success has made up for offensive struggles. The offense has been a strength for the Steelers this year with Aaron Rodgers leading the charge, but the defense has been the unit that’s cost the Steelers games.
Given how the Steelers’ defense played toward the end of last year, there was some speculation that the Steelers could move on from Austin over the offseason, but the staff changes were minimal, and Austin remained in his post as defensive coordinator. Tomlin also said in his Tuesday press conference that there hasn’t been any thought to him taking over play-calling duties from Austin, but the defense has to improve, and right now, the onus is on Austin to get his unit to play better.
It’s no secret that Tomlin has a huge hand in the defense as well, and he’s working in tandem with Austin to run things. An admission of failure on Austin’s part by Tomlin would also be an admission that he hasn’t been doing a good enough job with the defense. It’s no surprise that Tomlin gave his defensive coordinator a positive endorsement, and some of Pittsburgh’s issues (tackling, to name one of the biggest) aren’t necessarily a reflection of the coaching, but more so a lack of execution.
But the same issues with tackling and miscommunication have routinely shown up, dating back to last season, and at some point, Austin needs to do a better job instilling the importance of the fundamentals. There’s also been schematic issues and issues when it comes to personnel deployment, and that falls squarely on Austin (and Tomlin).
But it doesn’t sound as though any changes are coming in the near future. There’s no doubt the defense has to start playing better, and fast, if the Steelers want to contend this season, and if that doesn’t happen, Austin could find his role up in the air this offseason.
