Coaches talk about Steelers’ defense
Associated Press
Linebacker Jon Bostic (51) goes through a drill as other linebackers watch during the team无毛视频檚 OTA on in Pittsburgh. A free agent signee, Bostic looks take over at inside linebacker while Ryan Shazier recovers from spinal surgery.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Tyler Matakevich goes through drills during Wednesday's minicamp practice in Pittsburgh. Matakevich enters his third season as a leading candidate to replace injured teammate Ryan Shazier. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Keith Butler wanted so badly to curse.
It was written all over the face of the Steelers无毛视频� defensive coordinator when he was asked if the playoff loss to Jacksonville has any bearing on how he无毛视频檚 viewing his unit this spring.
Butler, though, showed restraint.
无毛视频淵eah,无毛视频� he answered. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got to stop the freakin无毛视频� run. That无毛视频檚 as simple as you can get.无毛视频�
The Jaguars ended the Steelers无毛视频� worst statistical season against the run in 63 years with a 45-42 playoff win in which they rushed 35 times for 164 yards.
无毛视频淵ou look at the whole last year, we missed a ton of tackles,无毛视频� Butler said. 无毛视频淣umber one, we无毛视频檝e got to tackle. We无毛视频檙e going to work on tackling in training camp, try to improve it as much we can, and if we are able to tackle better, all that stuff is going to be cut down.无毛视频�
Butler and his lieutenants then spent the rest of a rare interview period of Steelers assistant coaches Thursday discussing how they not only have been working on tackling 无毛视频� even in this pad-less spring 无毛视频� but how they无毛视频檒l work on tackling when the team reports back to training camp on July 25.
But, as offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner told reporters during Tuesday无毛视频檚 interview session with Steelers offensive coaches, it无毛视频檚 all about talent and matchups in the NFL. So, with the defensive coaches guaranteeing a return to the fundamentals, let无毛视频檚 take a deeper dive into the key personnel issue facing each of the following assistants:
KEITH BUTLER
无毛视频淎ll right. What is it now?无毛视频� Butler asked as a group of reporters gathered around him.
Those reporters had watched returning starter Vince Williams team with returning backup Tyler Matakevich to start at the all-important inside linebacker positions all spring. Butler was asked about that position first.
无毛视频淓verybody looks good in shorts,无毛视频� Butler started. 无毛视频淜ind of hard to say 无毛视频榳e want this guy, we want that guy.无毛视频� I want to see somebody hit before I make a decision, and that无毛视频檚 not going to happen until we get to preseason. Maybe it will happen in training camp.无毛视频�
Butler mentioned only one name.
无毛视频淏ostic无毛视频檚 been doing a good job for us,无毛视频� he said of free-agent acquisition Jon Bostic. 无毛视频淭here are some details he无毛视频檚 got to get a handle on a little bit and I think he无毛视频檒l be pretty good for us.无毛视频�
Bostic, 27, is coming off his best season as a pro. The former second-round draft pick was asked about those details.
无毛视频淔ootball无毛视频檚 football,无毛视频� said Bostic. 无毛视频淧icking things up has never been a problem for me. I pick things up really fast. At the end of the day, I ran it at some point in my life. We just have to figure out the terminology. We call it red here and green elsewhere. It无毛视频檚 just picking up terminology. But I feel like I无毛视频檝e got all that stuff down. Now it无毛视频檚 just learning the guys around me.无毛视频�
Bostic went on to discuss the winning atmosphere he无毛视频檚 found in his new locker room and among his new teammates, and would无毛视频檝e gone on discussing TEAM had he not been interrupted with a question about earning a starting job at one of the inside linebacker spots.
无毛视频淥h, I know what I bring to the table. I really do,无毛视频� Bostic said. 无毛视频淎nd, I think at the end of the day, when it turns out, I think I无毛视频檓 going to surprise a lot of people.无毛视频�
JOEY PORTER
The two No. 1 draft picks under Porter无毛视频檚 charge have flipped sides this season, with second-year man T.J. Watt flopping to left outside linebacker and fourth-year man Bud Dupree moving to the quarterback无毛视频檚 blind side.
无毛视频淲ith Bud,无毛视频� Porter explained, 无毛视频渨e just thought it was a good opportunity for him to get a chance to rush from the other side. I feel like he had a lot of good rushes from the left side but the quarterback would see him and he would miss more opportunities. So putting him on the blind side and giving him an opportunity to have a good rush without the quarterback seeing him, and see how that works out. So far, so good.无毛视频�
Porter said of Watt that 无毛视频淭.J. was a left-side rusher from the beginning, so he actually loves the left side, so hopefully that works out for him also.无毛视频�
Behind the starters are Anthony Chickillo and Keion Adams, along with an undrafted rookie 无毛视频� Ola Adeniyi 无毛视频� who was blowing as much up Wednesday as is possible without pads. More on the pass-rusher out of Toledo to come.
TOM BRADLEY
The long-time Penn State defensive assistant discussed at length how he was going to improve the tackling in the secondary, as well as the communication required for all of the man defense they无毛视频檝e been playing.
But, again, the talent is what matters, and Bradley无毛视频檚 been handed a group that无毛视频檚 as deep as any the Steelers have had since their last championship. The cherry on top, the Steelers hope, is their most recent first-round pick, Terrell Edmunds.
无毛视频淲e were sitting and talking,无毛视频� Bradley said of Edmunds, 无毛视频淚 said, 无毛视频楬ow无毛视频檚 it going?无毛视频� And he said it无毛视频檚 starting to slow down a little bit. Because his head spins. We put a lot of stuff in during the camp. It isn无毛视频檛 like college where it无毛视频檚 a couple today, a couple tomorrow. There无毛视频檚 a lot being thrown at them early. Now, the older guys have a basis so it无毛视频檚 not a big deal for them. But he has no basis. Every call无毛视频檚 new. Every defense, the wording of it无毛视频檚 new. In his mind he无毛视频檚 got to correlate it with things he knows. But now it无毛视频檚 starting to fall into place.无毛视频�
Edmunds is doing it with the help of savvy veterans Morgan Burnett and Joe Haden. The 29-year-olds were drafted by other teams in 2010, but have joined the Steelers within the last 10 months and already are team leaders.
无毛视频淛oe and Morgan have been great with keeping everybody on the same page,无毛视频� Bradley said. 无毛视频淭hey say 无毛视频楥oach when you say that, what do you mean?无毛视频� I tell them and they say, 无毛视频極K this is what we got.无毛视频� And everybody works it through. That无毛视频檚 great to have those guys.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 interesting, since they无毛视频檙e true pros, to watch them every day. I don无毛视频檛 think a day goes by Morgan无毛视频檚 not taking notes. He无毛视频檚 a very conscientious guy. They无毛视频檙e both pro无毛视频檚 pros. They无毛视频檙e in there early, they无毛视频檙e working hard. Fundamentally they don无毛视频檛 have all the answers, so they无毛视频檙e trying to get better, too.无毛视频�
One disappointment for Bradley has been a nagging hamstring injury that无毛视频檚 kept fifth-round safety Marcus Allen out of team drills all spring.
无毛视频淲e haven无毛视频檛 had him since the second day of rookie (camp), so he无毛视频檚 missed a lot of work here,无毛视频� Bradley said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 in the meetings, but there isn无毛视频檛 anything quite like the experience of actually being able to do it, so it无毛视频檚 a setback to him right now.无毛视频�
JERRY OLSAVSKY
The inside linebackers coach is enjoying the spring turned in by Matakevich, who, of the two starters, has shown the most range in coverage. Olsavsky said the third-year man has turned it up this week in particular.
无毛视频淢aybe it was the first day of minicamp,无毛视频� said Olsavsky. 无毛视频淢aybe because he was playing against Ben (Roethlisberger). I don无毛视频檛 know what it was, but I无毛视频檓 glad he had it.无毛视频�
The top three ILBs are known, and last year无毛视频檚 No. 4, L.J. Fort, enjoyed a spectacular Wednesday alongside Bostic on the second team. Undrafted rookie Matthew Thomas continues to receive attention from the coaching staff, which began almost immediately after he was given jersey No. 46.
无毛视频淢atthew Thomas is a very good player,无毛视频� Olsavsky said. 无毛视频淐omes with a lot of athletic ability. We were happy to sign him and we无毛视频檒l see where he goes. You can无毛视频檛 have enough good football players on your team. From what I see now, he无毛视频檚 really athletic and he doesn无毛视频檛 mind running into other people. That无毛视频檚 right up my alley.无毛视频�
Thomas is a 6-3, 232-pounder who ran a 4.44 40 at his pro day with a vertical jump of 41.5 inches. He was a five-star recruit who struggled with suspensions and injuries at Florida State, but led the team in tackles the last two seasons.
Olsavsky was asked why the staff chose to give Thomas so much attention this spring.
无毛视频淕uys show up. It doesn无毛视频檛 take you long to see a guy,无毛视频� Olsavsky said. 无毛视频淧eople in Pittsburgh always come up to me, even when I wasn无毛视频檛 coaching, and they无毛视频檙e like 无毛视频楳an that didn无毛视频檛 look good, but YOU know what you无毛视频檙e talking about.无毛视频� And I would say, 无毛视频楴o, you know what you无毛视频檙e talking about. You无毛视频檝e watched football your whole life. You may not know what it无毛视频檚 called or why they无毛视频檙e doing that bad thing, but you know it ain无毛视频檛 good.无毛视频� That无毛视频檚 why they boo. Why? Because they know what good football looks like, and if you know what the good stuff looks like you know what the bad stuff looks like. So, we see a lot of good stuff and you just keep putting him out there.无毛视频�