Steelers' 2008 Defense Would Embarrass Teams Before Games: "Don't Think Y'all Going To Score 10"

The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000s rostered some of the most impressive defenses the NFL has ever seen. They dominated the decade, winning two Super Bowls while consistently having one of the top-ranked defenses. This was all led by Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau, and his legendary players which included Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. Opposing teams were scared to square off against Pittsburgh due to their hard-hitting and physicality.

The Steelers had one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history in LeBeau, and plenty of talent for him to coach. Polamalu was one of the best defenders in the league, and has already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. LeBeau recently sat down with one of his former players, Ike Taylor, on the Bleav In Steelers podcast. The two spoke about their legendary defenses, and the mindset Taylor and his teammates had going into games.

"I remember walking on the field and me [Taylor], Ryan Clark, and Troy [Polamalu] were saying to each other just off of warmups like, 'I don't think this team going to score 14 points today', and this was d*mn near every week how well prepared we was going into the game."

LeBeau always had his defensive unit feeling like they would dominate, due to his ways of getting them prepared week in and week out. The defense not only had the confidence to think the opposing team wouldn't score any points, but they would also tell the opposing team that before games. Taylor spoke about what they would tell the opposing offense before and during the contest.

"We used to have these conversations on the often, like I don't know if they going to score 10 today, and we used to tell them that. We used to tell em, 'I don't think y'all going to score 10, I don't think y'all going to score 13, y'all might get to 17, but its looking real ugly for y'all on the other side'."

This is the definition of poking the bear, or white board material. Teams usually try not to give their opponent any extra motivation going into a game, but Pittsburgh's defense was so dominant that it didn't matter. They would tell the opponent they were going to hold them to next to nothing, and often times do exactly that.

In 2008, the Steelers had the number one defense in the entire league in both points and yards allowed. They held their opponent to 10 or less points eight separate times during the regular season, which is impressive considering that was half of the season. They allowed their opponent to score more than 20 points just five times, which meant they were always giving the offense a chance to win the game. 

The domination continued in the postseason, where the Steelers forced eight combined turnovers in their three playoff games. This was a big factor in bring Pittsburgh it's sixth Lombardi Trophy. The defense forced four turnovers in the AFC Championship Game, including a pick-six which sealed the victory. Two weeks later in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers scored on another pick-six.

Steelers Should Be Looking Dominate On Defense Again In 2024

Pittsburgh is set up to have a very good defense again in 2024. The usual names like TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Alex Highsmith are all returning and looking to dominate. General Manager Omar Khan also did a good job acquiring new talent. Second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is looking to prove he is a true lock down cornerback, while new addition Donte Jackson will attempt to lock down the other side of the field.

Patrick Queen is the best linebacker the Steelers have had since Ryan Shazier, and DeShon Elliott is a hard-hitting safety that will allow Fitzpatrick to go back to his All-Pro self. The Steelers have taken the necessary steps in constructing their defense, now it is all about executing.

What do you think about Taylor sharing this story from the 2008 defense? Let us know in the comments below!

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