If Mike Tomlin could talk about winning the “sticky” Lombardi Trophy because it contained so many fingerprints, then the 2015 Steelers could be said to have a sticky defense.
Keith Butler’s fingerprints will be all over it.
The team’s new defensive coordinator might have worked on Dick LeBeau’s staff for the past 11 seasons, but that does not mean he will continue to carry LeBeau’s entire philosophy into his first chance at running his own NFL defense.
The Steelers will still play a 3-4 base, but how they play that defense might not look the same.
“There will be some things that are different, yes,’’ Butler said in his first interview with the media since head coach Mike Tomlin promoted him five months ago. “There are some things we did well last year. We have to try to try to marry the things that we did well last year and maybe some things that we haven’t done before here, we’re going to try to do those.”
Like what things?
“I’ll let the Patriots figure that out when we play them,’’ Butler said of the Steelers’ first 2015 opponent.
Yet he did offer a hint at one change. Under LeBeau, the three defensive linemen’s primary duty was to eat up blockers and allow linebackers to make the plays. It is why their defensive linemen had so few sacks and tackles through the years (and also few Pro Bowls).
Butler, 59, suggested that will change.
“We have a lot of [high] draft choices in that front seven. We have to use those draft choices in those front seven, not only the linebackers but [ends Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt]. Those guys are talented guys. We have to use them too.
“We can’t let them always take up for the linebackers, or try to take people on for the linebackers, we have to let them play football, too. So, hopefully we can employ everybody in this defense, especially the front seven.”
Carnell Lake, entering his fifth season as secondary coach, believes Butler will put his imprint on the defense.
“He’s trying to make some adjustments that he wants to make without strictly abandoning what’s been successful over his career here with the Steelers under Dick LeBeau,’’ Lake said. “It’s been very successful and I think he’s taking a smart approach, taking small baby steps right now, making sure guys understand the kind of things he wants to get done and then moving forward from there.”
Butler will coach from the sideline during games, as did LeBeau, and he welcomes any input Tomlin wants to offer. Tomlin worked on the same staffs with Butler at Memphis and Arkansas State.
“I look for his input,’’ said Butler, who added that Tomlin has given him the same free rein to run the defense as he gave LeBeau.
“It would be foolish for me not to get advice or input from him when his expertise is defense. I don’t know everything there is to know about defense. I’m going to make some stupid calls out there. I hope my players can cover up for me sometimes. I’d be crazy and arrogant to think I can do this without other coaches helping me.”
Butler turned down chances to become a defensive coordinator elsewhere, including Indianapolis the year Bruce Arians joined the Colts. The Steelers blocked a few others from hiring him. He revealed that his wife, Janet, wasn’t real happy with him one time when he decided to stay rather than accept another job without telling her first.
“She got mad at me because other people who were interested were going to pay a lot more money and all that stuff. I went ahead and said yeah [to the Steelers] without talking to her first.”
There were two reasons he stayed, he said.
“To me, if you’re going to coach in this game, you want to win the Super Bowl and I always thought the best chance for me to win a Super Bowl as a coordinator would be here. That’s one of the reasons I always stayed, and the other reason is Mike Tomlin is a great guy to work for.”
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com and Twitter @EdBouchette.
First Published: June 11, 2015, 7:28 p.m.