On Sunday, the Steelers' defense hopes to show that their commitment to fixing last season's biggest deficiency is starting to take shape.
In 2021, Pittsburgh finished last in the NFL in run defense, allowing a hefty five yards per carry.
In the fallout, the Steelers tried to beef up their front seven, bringing in linebacker Myles Jack, drafting defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal and, following Stephon Tuitt's surprising retirement, signing veteran defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi.
The team also made some coaching moves. Brian Flores was brought in to help with the linebackers, and will also aid the defense as a whole, which is led by a new coordinator, Teryl Austin.
"When people are able to run the ball on you, it demoralizes you as a defense," Austin said Thursday, as Pittsburgh readies for Sunday's season opener in Cincinnati. "They're able to impose their will on you. There's a lot of things that go on when people run the ball on you. To me, it's important that we stand up to that."
That was on full display last November, when the Bengals ran for 198 yards — 165 by running back Joe Mixon — in a 41-10 laugher in Cincinnati.
"They just kicked our ass," Austin said. "There's really nothing about it. You can slice it up, dice it up however you want it. We just got our butts kicked. That's football.
"The nice thing about football is that you have another opportunity this year, with a different team. We're going in there and last year's game means nothing. It's what we do this year."
The additions to the coaching ranks may help. But Tuitt's loss last year was palpable, and the player additions need to pay off. Austin likes the early returns through the three preseason games.
"We've been a little bit more stout," he said of the run defense. "There haven't been a bunch of long, long gains. We've given up some that we don't like to. But I think that we're a little bit more solid. We're playing blocks better, we're crack replacing better. So all of those things have to show up this week."
Austin revealed Thursday that he has definitely settled on one unknown this offseason. After bouncing between the press box and the sideline during the preseason, he has decided that he will call the defense from the sideline.
"I just have to know to get out of people's way," he joked. "It's been since 2013, the last time I was on the field. It's nice, I tried it both ways this preseason. I like the feel of being down there, being able to talk to the guys, getting a good feel for the game."
That will stay in line with what Austin's predecessor, Keith Butler, did over previous seasons.
Butler oversaw a defense that, last November, openly said that the loss in Ohio was embarrassing.
Now it's Austin's turn, and his first challenge is a steep one, with the defending AFC Champions, a group spearheaded by a very promising, young quarterback in Joe Burrow and a trio of wide receivers that can, at any moment, be game breakers.
But Austin doesn't plan on sitting back and letting the game come to his defense. He wants to get aggressive, and establish his star-studded defense as one of the NFL's most dominant.
"We've got to take the fight to them and not let them dictate what we do," he said. "That's important anytime we take the field as a defense, to not be the ones like 'hey what are they doing?' No. We're going to come after you, and see how that works for you."
