Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick Has Advice For Mike Tomlin's Questionable Play-Calls

The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped another game where the defense allowed long drives throughout the whole game. The only reason it was close was because the Dallas Cowboys repeatedly ended those drives with turnovers and miscues of their own. Pittsburgh gave up 445 total yards as they had no answer to the Cowboys' offensive attack. There's plenty of blame to go around for that unacceptable performance, especially after giving up 27 points the week before. If Mike Tomlin and his staff can't fix these issues, it will be a very long season. 

Minkah Fitzpatrick has his own idea of how to get back on track defensively, as Ray Fittipaldo reports. To him, the play calls need to be much less complex.

“We have to play simple defense. We have a lot of talent in the secondary, a lot of guys who can play man and play zone. We just have to make a play call, simplify it and it will allow us to play fast. We have to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and everyone is on the same page. It’s a new secondary, a lot of new faces, younger faces. We might not have that chemistry we’ve had in the past, but it’s something we have to work on.”

It's a major issue when a veteran like Fitzpatrick is complaining about how complex the play calls are. Many coaches have a tendency to overthink everything, and Tomlin can be susceptible to that as well. The best option is sometimes the easiest and most obvious one. If Pittsburgh wants to play fast with all their new faces, they need to make sure everyone is on the same page and go back to basic Steeler football. 

Steelers' Shocking Turnover Defensively

It's unusual to see a supposed elite defense change players out as often as the Steelers have, but that's the case, no matter the reason. Fitzpatrick himself has had a different partner at safety in each of the last three seasons. He had great chemistry with Terrell Edmunds, but 2022 was their last season together. Even though Edmunds was recently signed again, he is still more of a special teamer as he tries to get back up to speed in the defense.

In 2023, Keanu Neal was the starting strong safety alongside Fitzpatrick, but a major injury in November ended his season. Damontae Kazee stepped in as the starter after that. He had played well as a depth option in 2022, so he at least knew the playbook a bit better. However, the Steelers signed DeShon Elliott to be the strong safety in the 2024 offseason. While he has had an overall good season, the duo still needs to find a way to develop chemistry. 

The turnover goes beyond the safety position. In 2023, the Steelers signed a whole new linebacking core, with Mark Robinson being the only one that was on the team in the previous year. While that core played well overall, brutal injuries to Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander forced Pittsburgh's hand as they added two more linebackers in the offseason. They signed Patrick Queen to be the defensive quarterback now, and they later drafted Payton Wilson to be a rotational piece that will likely become a starter in a year or two.

There are other examples of players coming and going quickly, but at the end of the day, they still have to play as a unit, as opposed to a bunch of individual playmakers. Tomlin has to have an understanding of how his defense is developing and adjust accordingly. It doesn't help to get fancy with odd looks leading to soft zone when the players aren't sure of their assignment or what their teammates need to do. They need to go back to the basics quickly.

What do you think about Fitzpatrick's idea on how to get the defense on track? Let us know in the comments.

#SteelerNation