PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A 2-6 team does not acquire a player unless there is a real need. Hence the Steelers rolling the dice on cornerback William Jackson.
"Oh, it's obvious," said Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin evaluating his team's corner play. "We've got to play better, and you could say maybe it's just the corners, but we have to play better overall. I think really the big thing that's been missing is we've been in position to make a lot of plays and we haven't made them. So, the bottom line is when we get in those positions, those are the plays that we have to make."
"I'd be really concerned if there was a lot of just bone coverages and guys weren't around people, but we're around people, and we've just got to figure out how to finish them."
"We just have to make the plays that come our way," said Steelers corner James Pierre. "Have our eyes on the right things. Seeing the right stuff and knowing what is coming. Knowing your assignment and doing your job."
"I've got to make my plays," said Steelers Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. "I've been in position to make plays on the deep ball. I got to make those plays. That's nothing I have to change in practice or the way I go about my week. When the ball is in the air, I have to make a play. That's what I'm paid to do."
Kudos to Fitzpatrick in a room where players are talking about accountability, he's owning it and he should. He's the second highest paid safety in the league and while earned that and more in the Cincinnati game (14 tackles, Pick 6, blocked extra point). He hasn't reached double-digit tackles again with two interceptions and five passes defended.
According to Pro Football Focus, there are only two AFC teams worse at covering receivers, the Raiders, barely, and the Dolphins. Combine that with the Steelers being the worst team in the AFC in pass rush. That's a deadly combination for a team that needed to rely on its defense for a shot at the playoffs. They've given up more points than anyone in the AFC, except the Browns who have surrendered two more.
"We like to pressure," Austin said. "So that's going to put you in a lot of one-on-one situations outside, which is the hardest thing in the world. They know where they're going, you don't, and you've got to guard them all over the field. That's really the unique thing about it. If you're going to play corner here, you've got to be able to cover outside."
What has been an issue for the coaches is at times it worked. There isn't one particular play or player who has been always bad to where you make that change and it all turns around.
"Consistency, we have not been consistently good, nor have we been consistently bad," said Steelers secondary coach Grady Brown. "We definitely don't want to be consistently bad, I'm not doing a good job if we are consistently bad. We've made plays and looked like a good secondary. Then there are other times when we look like we couldn't make plays."
"Right now, we've put it on film we can live up to the standard in Pittsburgh. It's now about that consistent ball play."
"We have to make plays in all of those games and the outcome would be different," Edmunds said. "We got to hold ourselves accountable. The effort is there. We are meeting and doing all our things. The coaches are putting us in good position. We just need to make our plays."
It has the coaches questioning whether they should practice different things. Brown said maybe they need to do more ball drills, or different ones.
"We have made plays, but obviously we have not made them in recent history," Brown said. "How can you change a drill to make it more real?"
What Brown believes will help is the addition of corner William Jackson Tuesday in a trade with Washington. They don't know when he would be available to play or really how he will fit in the system, but if nothing else it adds to the competition at practice. The belief they need to push each other during the week to make it better on game days.
They're trying everything, different combinations, players off the practice squad and now a second trade in as many years to find an answer. Rush and coverage, getting TJ Watt back (expectation is he will return against New Orleans) will help. Even with that, guys need to look in the mirror and play better.
"We got to hold ourselves accountable," Edmunds said using the 'a' word again. "The effort is there. We are meeting and doing all our things. The coaches are putting us in good position. We just need to make our plays."
