The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been built around physical, bruising defenses. The Antonio Brown-Le’Veon Bell days were the opposite of that, as the Steelers joined the Air Raid evolution across the NFL. The defense suffered for years, as the offense had to put up big points just to compete for victories. With the Air Raid continuing to take over football, we rarely see dominant defenses in today’s game.
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During the days of the Steelers' elite offensive trio, touted the Killer B's, the defense became one of the worst in football.
The Steelers roster construction is back to their typical formula: a physical, elite defense. No other unit exemplified that more than the 2008 Steelers though, widely regarded as one of the best defenses ever. Former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau appeared on Bryant McFadden’s All Things Covered podcast, and he talked about that unit as being the best that he had coached.
“They were all great defenses. In terms of picking who was best, statistically speaking man, ain’t nobody going to touch that 2008 defense. I was always going to let you know where you were statistically. I thought it was a good yard stick to compare you strictly to other defenses. I wanted something to focus on my guys. I started looking at that ‘08 defense, I said man I’ve never looked at any kind of numbers like this. We were #1 in everything."
In those days of LeBeau, the defense was elite every year. As McFadden pointed out, the 2005 and 2010 units were also spectacular, which also happened to be the two other years that they made the Super Bowl. In 2008 though, the group was #1 in essentially every category that you could think of. Led by superstars Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, the group had essentially zero weaknesses.
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Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was the catalyst of those elite defenses, as evidenced by his Hall of Fame induction in 2021.
Even when they began to show their first moment of weakness, in the Super Bowl, they responded accordingly. After allowing the Arizona Cardinals to take the lead, Ben Roethlisberger rallied the offense down the field and took the lead back with an incredible strike to Santonio Holmes. With one stop needed to win, the defense stepped up to help win the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy.
What was your favorite memory from those elite Steelers defenses?
Tackling is always something that the Steelers defenses pride themselves on. Missed tackles is one specific statistic that LeBeau would regularly show his guys to see where they stacked up against everyone else. For the 2008 unit, he thinks it's that part of their game as to why they were so good.
"I thought to myself, well some day, I’m going to write a book about that bunch of guys. I tell you why I think it was [the best defense], you could all tackle, and you all wanted to tackle. When that ball was snapped, you [guys] went after that ball. You did not miss tackles. There was never a discipline problem, never a conditioning problem. You were just a special bunch of guys."
LeBeau hasn't come out with a book yet, but he did essentially hint that it could still be coming. When McFadden asked what the title will be, well, "A Legendary Defense." Now that title has some meaning to it, as before that final drive against the Cardinals, Head Coach Mike Tomlin told them that if they got that stop, they would be considered a legendary defense.
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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin hopes to get the team back to their old ways in 2023, as they've had a lack of playoff success in recent years.
LeBeau spent 11 years as defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, becoming one of the best at his position in NFL history. He resigned from the team in 2015, as times were changing in Pittsburgh. LeBeau was dealing with a far less talented unit, and the NFL was changing around him. Then, LeBeau spent three seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
He didn't have the same kind of success there, as they definitely didn't have the type of talent that Pittsburgh had. After the 2017 season, the legendary defensive coach called it quits and retired. Regardless, he will forever be remembered as a legend in the city of Pittsburgh. We may never see that kind of sustained success again, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
What is your favorite memory from the 2000s elite defensive squads? Where does LeBeau rank amongst the best, most influential DCs ever? Will we ever see another dominant defensive unit like the '08 Steelers? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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