The Pittsburgh Steelers weren't interested in playing a quiet preseason defense against the Green Bay Packers. They brought pressure early, giving their defenders a chance to practice the aggressive style that Mike McCarthy wants in place for Week 1.
McCarthy wasn't shy about showing some of the pressure looks installed by new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham because the players needed the reps. Graham's defense has to learn when to disguise, when to attack, and how quickly each call has to reach the quarterback.
McCarthy picked up that approach from Dom Capers, the former Steelers defensive coordinator he hired to run Green Bay's defense in 2009. Capers convinced him that pressure packages need preseason work because the required timing can't be recreated with basic four-man rushes.
McCarthy described the ingredients Capers taught him more than 15 years ago. "There's a tempo and a speed," McCarthy said in his first postgame presser as the Steelers' new head coach. "There's an attitude. There's a finish in being a pressure team." Waiting until the regular season to call those pressures, he added, would limit their chances of working.
Mike McCarthy considers preseason blitzes essential for the Pittsburgh Steelers
A Steelers blitz asks the front, linebackers, and secondary to move off the same clock, disguise the rush, and close space before the quarterback finds his man. A late rusher or blown coverage assignment can provide exactly the opening he needs.
Pittsburgh's early pressure calls also give coaches useful information. They give Graham a better read on his personnel and help him identify which rushers win alone, which defensive backs hold up without extra help, and which combinations are worth carrying into the regular season.
McCarthy said the defense is using pressure to stress the protection and isolate individual blockers. A clean shot on the quarterback would be nice, but "that's not the reality of it. We're trying to create one-on-one opportunities."
The additional rusher -- and Pittsburgh has options -- is meant to create confusion and leave its best pass rushers with individual matchups. Those opportunities disappear quickly once the quarterback recognizes where the pressure is coming from, which was often the case under Mike Tomlin's teams.
The preseason gives Pittsburgh a chance to clean up its timing before mistakes affect the standings. A late rusher or confused defensive back costs that much more come Week 1.
The Packers game gave McCarthy a chance to test Pittsburgh's blitzes outside the practice field. Geno Smith and rookie Cade Klubnik of the Jets should expect to face the same kind of test from the Steelers in preseason game two on Friday.
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