The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a major ‘cog in the wheel’ on defense, but how big of a blow is it to their chances in 2020?
With the various reports coming in about Devin Bush, the Steelers second-year ILB, needing season-ending surgery for a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), my initial thought was one of disbelief. It goes without saying that I hate to see any player get injured, but when one of our players gets injured, it hurts.
After I got over the shock of the reports that we would potentially be without Bush for the remainder of the 2020 season, I then started to look at this more objectively. Again, it’s terrible that Bush got injured, so keep that in mind as we progress through this discussion, albeit it will be a short one in comparison to some of our other discussions.
So, let’s objectively review how big of a blow the loss of Bush will be for the Steelers defense.
The Steelers ‘D’ lost a starting ILB but may have more options as replacements
Yes, the defense lost a starting inside linebacker and for a 3-4 base defense, losing a starting ILB is a big deal; however, playing sub-package defense has become more of normality than a rarity. Inherent in sub-package defense is the ability for the ILBs to be effective in coverage.
According to Pro-Football-Reference, in two NFL seasons, Bush has allowed passes to be completed at a rate of 67.6 percent in 2019 and 70 percent in 2020. Neither of those two completions against percentages is particularly good. Of those completions, 5 went for TDs in 2019 and one went for a TD so far in 2020. Whether or not those completions came when we were in base defense or sub-package defense is immaterial.
The fact of the matter is Bush has not been very good in coverage. So what do the Steelers do to replace his lack of effectiveness in coverage? I say Pittsburgh does something perhaps unconventional and try a Safety at the ILB. Here are my thoughts: In general, safeties are inherently better in coverage than linebackers.
The Steelers may want to implement a new ‘base’ defense
Since 1982, the Steelers base defense has been the 3-4. There was a time where we would stay in base almost exclusively. That time has come and gone. Because the NFL is a ‘passing league’, the Steelers have been deploying more sub-package looks on defense than ever before.
Playing sub-package defense lends itself to allowing big plays if the pass coverage is weak. It remains to be seen how Pittsburgh will replace Bush in the base defense, but in the sub-package defenses, he really doesn’t need to be replaced.
Losing Bush may provide the Steelers with an opportunity to rethink the defensive personnel. We can still have a base 3-4, but instead of having two inside linebackers, how about having one linebacker and a safety at the other ILB spot? This would be more of a 3-3-5 look than anything else. However, in passing situations, it’s possible that this lineup could even be an improvement.
Marcus Allen is somewhat of a hybrid player who can play both safety and linebacker. Though he wasn’t necessarily known for his coverage skills coming out of Penn State, keeping him in the box and near the line of scrimmage will allow him to operate where he is best.
The Steelers have options to replace Bush
Look, let me just say again that I hate to see any player get hurt, particularly one of our players, and particularly a player as important as Bush is for the defense. The reality is this: the Steelers have other players available to us who are capable of filling in for Bush.
While some of those players, especially the other ILBs, may not be as athletic as Bush is, what’s stopping us from trying a Safety at ILB? I think the Safety at ILB experiment may be a better option to replace Bush than trying to replace him with another ILB.
Again, we lost a major ‘cog in the wheel’ on defense but all is not lost. In fact, some aspects of the defense will at least remain the same or perhaps improve so it is not the end of the world for the Steelers or for the Steelers defense.
It’s also quite possible that Robert Spillane could impress in his new role if asked to fill Bush’s shoes. Spillane impressed in limited action in the second half against the Browns, and the Steelers apparently have some level of confidence in him as the next man up.
Losing Devin Bush could turn out to be huge for the Steelers this year, but let’s give this some time to play out and see what options we have. With some potential replacement options, I don’t think losing Bush will be the final nail in the coffin for Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl chances this year.