The Steelers have named a new Defensive Coordinator, but does it really matter when all is said and done?
Now that the Steelers have officially named Teryl Austin the new Defensive Coordinator, I could not help but wonder if it will really matter or make a difference what all is said and done. What I mean by that is this: Since Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007, we have had three DCs during that time frame.
That is not surprising considering the Steelers are known to be an organization that prides itself on stability both in the coaching ranks and in the front office. What is somewhat surprising to me is the revelation by Keith Butler, former DC, that Tomlin was responsible for calling the defensive plays.
If you believe what was reported on Yahoo, it follows that you would also believe that Tomlin is the de-facto Defensive Coordinator. Frankly, I don’t think this is necessarily a major revelation. Head coaches, on both sides of the ball, have been calling plays for years. The revealing part of this for me is the fact that it took Butler retiring for this to come to light.
The Steelers have a new Defensive Coordinator, but will he be a nominal coordinator?
Personally, I have no issue with Tomlin calling the defensive plays, but some Steelers fans may feel differently. That’s to be expected and it is welcomed. We all have a different take on what’s important to us. Honestly, the only thing that’s important to me is that we win.
Objectively speaking, although we made the playoffs last season, we were bounced in the first round. We have not made a Super Bowl appearance since the 2010 season and have not won the Lombardi Trophy since 2008. I wonder who was calling the plays on defense back then.
I guess we will never know the answer to that question, but the point is this: Will our new DC ascend to the role of a play-calling defensive coordinator, or will he assume the role of his predecessor?
Again, it makes no difference to me provided we win with whoever is calling the plays. If we find ourselves in a situation where we are losing, perish the thought, I truly hope that Tomlin will have the inner fortitude to relinquish play-calling duties and give Austin the shot that he may not have given Butler.
I think it goes without saying that the Steelers have already experienced a significant amount of upheaval this off-season with retirements. On one side of the coin, upheaval can lead to turmoil. On the flip side, upheaval can spawn creativity and opportunity.
For Steelers fans, whatever has transpired thus far this off-season will present challenges in the 2022 season. Are we up for those challenges? I guess time will tell. Time will also tell if our new defensive coordinator is a ‘real’ coordinator or one in name only, but, again, will it really matter if we win another Lombardi Trophy?
I say it will not make a difference to me whatsoever.