How Outkast, Queen Latifah will help Steelers D communicate

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said Tuesday with Pittsburgh reporters it’s important to get to know his players for complete trust and for them to get to know him. He’s incorporating old-school hip-hop to get his point across.

Graham said he’s mostly an introvert, but is working to be more open. To accomplish that he has a Thursday project with the defense that revolves around the music he listed to growing up. A player will have to do a report about one of his favorite 1990s-2000s hip hop musicians (De La Soul, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Native Tongues, Queen Latifah, Black Sheep, Money Love, to name a few).

“I’m letting them know who I am so in turn they will be comfortable talking to me,” Graham explained at the UPMC Rooney Complex. “From there it’s just the side conversations, whether it’s football, a situation with their family.”

Graham is encouraging all of the players to talk, whether with him, in meetings, at lunch. He would rather just sit in his office and eat, but he’s making the effort to be out there and vulnerable, and wants players to do the same.

“Communication has to be at the forefront of what you are thinking about because it’s different than the offense,” Graham said. “We are trying to defend that space behind us and we got to be on the same page. You got to trust that I’m doing my job. You got to trust that he’s doing his job. You got to trust that you are getting the information.”

“The communication part, that’s what helps with being able to play fast with efficiency and the ability to get to adjustments.”

You heard different Steelers defensive players discuss the lack of communication over the last couple of years-sometimes it’s that they don’t talk or there was confusion at times.

“To be a great defense, you got to be able to communicate,” said linebacker Alex Highsmith Monday. “And so you see times when we weren't a good defense last year because we weren't communicating like we should. And so, I think for us, it's all about communication in the detail, every single step and being consistent with that.”

“There's times like I said, games where we communicate well, we play the details well. But ultimately, it's about coming in every single game. It starts in practice, it starts from now at OTAs. Guys are coming in and learning the new playbook, getting that communication, that detail done is so important.”

Graham said he’s not focused on what happened in the past, he’s looking forward. A previous coach may have said the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror.

“On defense especially, but throughout any building, it starts with communication,” Graham said. “You got to all be on the same page.”

Graham said this generation has more access to knowledge, they are smarter than his generation and those of his generation need to get over that. The 47-year-old believes he’s got to show his players that he cares. He said you show them that by getting to know them and be tolerant of first-time mistakes.

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“I can’t wait to get to know them more when adversity hits because that’s when we are going to find out who is who and what is what,” Graham said.

He said from when he was hired they have to earn the right to be a part of the Steel Curtain history. He knows what the organization and the fans expect from their defenses and he said these early communication steps set that foundation.

Or as Outkast rapped.

“Stickn’ together like flour and water to make that slow dough. We worked for everything we have and gon’ stick up for each other, like we brothers from another mother, kind of like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover”