PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s widely thought Pitt grad, Sharon native and current Steelers senior defensive assistant and secondary coach Teryl Austin will be the next Steelers defensive coordinator.
Austin has been a defensive coordinator with the Lions and Bengals before along with a defensive assistant with the Ravens, Seattle and Arizona. He also coached in college with jobs at Penn State, Michigan, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Florida.
The resume is extensive, but what do his current players think about him. Here are comments from the last few days by Steelers players in the secondary about Austin and the job he’s done and his impact on them.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
“TA is a great coach. I’m going to talk too good about him because I want him to stay in Pittsburgh. I know everyone else is trying to get at him.
He’s a great coach. I love his attention to detail. The way he approaches the game. The way that he let’s the players have a voice. A lot of coaches really don’t let players have a voice. I’m appreciative of that.
He loves the game, he’s passionate about the game. He’s played it in the past and he has a natural love for the game. It’s definitely reflected in the way he coaches. He’s a guy with a whole lot of experience as well. There’s not a lot he hasn’t seen.”
Tre Norwood
“I can’t even tell you the amount of stuff that Coach TA has taught me this year. I learned so much from him. Him teaching me the scheme right off the bat. Just him and his understanding and knowing of the game of football.
He’s a great teacher and I think that’s an integral part of being a great coach. He does a great job of that whether it’s technique or scheme; that’s something that stands out a lot. I learned from my first time in the building, each and every day, in the meeting room or on the field. I was always there for Coach TA because he’s such a smart coach who knows the game of football with a high level of understanding.”
Ahkello Witherspoon
“He understands the game from all levels. That’s good for a DB when you have a coach that can inform you about the run game and understand where the linebackers are going to be. So that your job can be easier. That complete approach I think is important at the cornerback position if you can absorb that knowledge, which I can.
It’s been good to see him lead the room. He fosters a great environment for all of us to be ourselves. We just come to work excited.”
Cam Sutton
“A passionate leader. A guy that is a player’s coach. It’s always easier when you are able to relate and talk to people on a level that goes beyond just defining a role or an assignment. Not everyone learns the same, takes criticism the same, is taught the same way, all of these different factors that go into a person. He’s able to detail that out with every individual. Whether it’s with DBs or any other guy around the team, offense or defense.
A real personable person who really enjoys what he does. A guy who really comes energized from start to finish, feeling his best or feeling his worst. A guy who is always pushing all his chips to the middle of the table.
Appreciate having people like that, especially in your inner circle, in your position group. That just motivates you. It uplifts you.”
Steelers haven’t made anything official, other than Keith Butler retiring. An opportunity to see what people closest to him thought of the work he did.