The Steelers had significant issues on both sides of the ball last season, but the new coordinators aren’t rehashing history. On defense, Patrick Graham is facing questions about last year’s communication issues. Brian Angelichio is being asked how he can improve the inept deep passing game. Neither of them wanted to discuss last season, or at least to besmirch their predecessors.
“I’m not gonna do that”, Graham said when asked to explain the Steelers’ communication issues on defense last year. “They won a lot of games here. I just know what we’re worried about for 2026 right now. The league starts over every year. I know that’s coach speak, whatever it is. But I’m sure they’re going through this in Seattle right now. They’re like, ‘Hey, it’s over.’”
His point being, no matter what kind of season you had the year before, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the following season. Just look at the Chiefs. A lot can change from year to year, even without personnel or coaches changing. This year, of course, the Steelers have changed a great deal both on offense and defense. That comes with the territory when your head coach resigns.
“On defense especially, but I think throughout any building, it starts with communication, and you’ve all got to be on the same page”, Graham said, acknowledging that communication is always a priority regardless of whether the Steelers had previous issues. “You’re always trying to push it to see if you can get it further along”.
The Steelers had a plethora of issues on offense. One of the biggest problems was the lack of dynamism in the passing game, which centered around an inability to make plays at all levels of the field. The deep passing game in particular struggled most weeks, and they need that to change.
“I think every year’s different”, Brian Angelichio said when asked about the Steelers’ deep passing issues on offense. “I really don’t want to comment on last year. This is this year, and we’re gonna work through the OTAs and training camp to see what the offense is gonna look like. But I think we’re ultimately all trying to hunt explosives”.
It’s entirely reasonable, of course, for coaches to decline to discuss issues in which they played no part. Both Graham and Angelichio are brand new to the Steelers, as are nearly all of the coaches with whom they’re working. On offense, the only coach the Steelers retained is QB coach Tom Arth, and on defense, ILB coach Scott McCurley. Both had a prior working relationship with Mike McCarthy.
Whether they want to say anything or not, these are two respective issues on offense and defense that the Steelers have to fix. The coaches may be new, but most of the players are not. Patrick Queen and Aaron Rodgers are still the quarterbacks of their respective units. The offensive and defensive lines remain mostly intact.