You can’t teach an old dog new tricks — at least not easily. And for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ veteran defense, adaptation this offseason won’t come through a sweeping overhaul of terminology. The new coaching staff has made it clear the language is staying largely the same.
Mike McCarthy said it in his opening press conference, and now DC Patrick Graham said the same in his interview with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews.
“It’s so much easier for myself and the coaching staff because we’re lesser in numbers. We can learn the language as opposed to having all 45 of these guys learn the new language as we go,” Graham said. “Wherever we can keep it consistent, because again, it’s been successful here. What coach [Mike] Tomlin built, what the coaches before him built. All those guys that have been here, it’s been successful. So whatever we can use the same, we’ll go ahead and use the same. It’s easier for us coaches to learn something new.”
They will need to rely on defensive veterans like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, DeShon Elliott and Patrick Queen to translate some of Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin’s terminology. ILBs coach Scott McCurley will also be an asset having been with the Steelers last year and with McCarthy in the past.
Before you panic and assume nothing is going to change, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Graham’s flavor of the 3-4 defense is much different from what the Steelers put on display over the last few years. The scheme, play calling and techniques they teach will all have new wrinkles. Keeping the language the same is a smart move for a team that aims to contend now.
They may have opted to start from scratch if it was a young defense, but keeping as many things the same as possible amid a sea of other team changes makes perfect sense.
This will have the biggest impact with the inside linebacker group. Whether it’s Patrick Queen or Payton Wilson wearing the green dot next season, they won’t have to go through the process of translating everything in their head. The defensive quarterback needs to think and communicate quickly. This will help make that happen.
The way McCarthy assembled his defensive coaching staff will also aid in this process. Several of the coaches worked together in the past, some for a long time. McCurley, Graham, Joe Whitt Jr. and Jason Simmons can quickly get each other up to speed, compared to teaching 45 players new terminology.
Keeping the language the same isn’t about clinging to the past — it’s about speeding up the future.