4 coaches the Steelers should fire on Black Monday

Steelers need to fire Teryl Austin

Of the names on this list so far, I do think Teryl Austin is the most deserving to stay. While his tenure has had a lot of disappointment, there has also been a good deal of positives. My issue is that while the end results are acceptable, the process to get there isn’t.

The Steelers defense was very middle of the pack in most regards this year in terms of yards allowed. This has been the case for most of the previous seasons, especially when it comes to run defense. Every offseason one of the goals of the defense is to play the run better, but they never do.

The defense shines in two categories though: points allowed and takeaways. In a high-scoring NFL, the Steelers do just enough to bend and not break while also getting turnovers. This is a good thing, and quite frankly, it is the only reason this team was competitive this season.

The issue then becomes the makeup of this defense. The Steelers have superstars at every level, one of the deepest edge rooms, and got surprising production from their defensive rookies and new additions in the linebacker room. The way this unit has been invested in, they should be excelling everywhere. Austin isn’t getting the most out of this unit.

Soon enough, the spending will have to shift over to the offense as some of those stars expect paydays. That will mean a trim on the defense, and I am not confident that this unit will remain in the middle of the pack without the elite talent. We need a coordinator who will get more out of the defense, and that hasn’t been Austin.