After leading a disappointing Pittsburgh Steelers defense in 2017, defensive coordinator Keith Butler is using the offseason to find new solutions.
From a pure statistical standpoint, the Pittsburgh Steelers tout one of the better defenses in the league. The Steelers, however, fail to pass the beloved “eye-test” when putting film on despite having Pro-Bowl talent scattered across the defense.
It’s no secret Pittsburgh struggled limiting points in big games later in the season. This was all evident after the unfortunate departure of Ryan Shazier, as Shazier was able to cover many of the holes that were later exposed in his absence.
These holes range from poor open-field tackling to a miserable run-defense, and seemingly everything imaginable in-between. The very man who conducts the defense on the sidelines, Keith Butler, is well aware of the problems that plagued his unit in the playoffs.
His top-five defense on paper allowed the Jacksonville Jaguars to drop a hefty 45 points on the gridiron, a game that still resonates with Butler.
“You remember that like it was yesterday. It bothers me. I know it bothers the players. We know what happened in the game. We didn’t stop the run and we let them score too much." -- Keith Butler on #Steelers 45-42 playoff loss to Jacksonville pic.twitter.com/NLumEqBGdU
— Chase Williams (@chasepwilliams) June 14, 2018
What does Butler plan on doing to ensure such a disaster doesn’t repeat itself in 2018? A combination of small yet hopefully effective tweaks to his training camp regime and swapping his defensive chess pieces across the board.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed Butler plans on using much more time in training camp on tackling, one of the biggest struggles on defense last year. This was also emphasized in the NFL Draft, as the Steelers selected defensive back Terrell Edmunds, who missed a mere five tackles in 585 snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Will this be a waste of valuable time in training camp, or will the additional time prove to benefit the Steelers in the long run?
Another change coming to the defense in 2018 are where the likes of Bud Dupree and TJ Watt will be lining up. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN announced via Twitter Dupree will be moving from left outside linebacker to the right side, as Watt will be moving to the left side.
What’s this mean for Pittsburgh schematically? Dupree will take on the role of a traditional pass-rusher by attacking from the blind side, as Watt will look to attack opposite of Dupree and will be relied to more to step up in run-support. Butler cited Dupree’s ability to chase down might be better suited on the other side of the field, and Watt’s discipline on the edge will help in all facets on defense.
While Butler will attempt to utilize the above tools to improve his defense for the upcoming season, he (along with the rest of us) is still trying to figure out the situation at the free-safety spot.
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With guys like Sean Davis, Morgan Burnett, Terrell Edmunds, and possibly Cam Sutton vying for the free safety starting position, Butler has a handful of options he could choose from, although the above list of guys don’t necessarily fit the prototypical fit for the position aside from Davis due to his athleticism and range.
Only time will be able to tell if any of the above payoff in Butler’s fourth season as defensive coordinator for the Steelers.