When Carnell Lake arrived as Steelers defensive backs coach in 2011 he inherited one of the most veteran units in the NFL. He had Troy Polamalu in his prime and Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor in or past theirs.
In his sixth summer as a Steelers assistant, things are much different. Lake is now working with one of the younger secondaries in the league.
It didn’t happen overnight. Clark left following the 2013 season, and Polamalu and Taylor left after the 2014 season, when the Steelers began to restock the position through the draft.
Still, there are times when the point is driven home, and even Lake is smacked in the face with the realization of how young his group really is. Sunday night was one of those nights.
Lake was conducting a defensive backs meeting after practice. Lake always gives his veterans the courtesy of leaving his meetings in training camp early. It’s the final 15 minutes or so when he addresses basic installation of the playbook and other things that would be repetitive for veterans.
When Lake made the announcement that all players with five years of experience or more with him could exit the meeting, only two got up and left.
“Everyone realized at that time it was a really young group,” Lake said.
The idea of playing young and inexperienced players might scare some coaches, but Lake is perfectly fine with it. When he was a rookie on this same Saint Vincent College campus in 1989, Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll gave him a baptism by fire. And by the time training camp ended, Lake was the starting strong safety.
Lake said he would not hesitate doing the same with cornerback Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis, the rookie first- and second-round draft picks.
“I think they’re capable,” Lake said. “We want to just make sure we get them up to speed. We’re really confident as a coaching staff. We know as coaches they will make rookie mistakes, even during the season. But we want to make sure they have a real strong foundation and play at a level that will allow them to be productive. If we can get there by the end of the first preseason game I would not hesitate. Obviously, it’s up to coach Tomlin. But I would not hesitate, just on my own experience, of throwing a rookie in there.”
With the injury to slot corner Senquez Golson, who is expected to miss 3-4 months with a foot injury, Davis has ascended to the starting slot corner position. He is also competing with veteran Robert Golden for the starting strong safety job.
Davis, at 6 feet 1 and 202 pounds, is not your typical slot corner, but he did play cornerback at Maryland, and the coaches are confident he can handle that role in the NFL.
Gay, who has played in the slot in the past, said he will stay outside in the nickel. Burns or Ross Cockrell, who made seven starts last season, would play the other outside corner spot.
“If Sean learns the playbook, his athletic ability will show,” Golden said. “The first thing you have to do is know what to do, and I think he’s doing a good job with that.”
Golden did not believe the defense would change very much with a bigger player in the slot. Golson is 5-9 and played a different style than Davis, who is four inches taller and has more length.
“Not much,” said Golden, when asked if there would be any schematic changes. “Sean is a very versatile type of guy. He brings more physicality, which we can use a lot. There are pros and cons to it. He’s big and strong and fast. I feel like he can be a great asset to this defense.”
Davis switched back and forth between corner and safety at Maryland. The Steelers wanted to use him strictly at safety when they drafted him, but Golson’s injury forced a change in plans.
In the slot, Davis might have to cover a shifty slot receiver on one play and a big tight end the next. His diverse college experienced prepared him for that.
“With how vertical the game has become there is some blurring of the lines,” Cockrell said. “Guys are called upon to do different things. Corners have to fill in the gaps safeties usually fill and safeties have to cover guys corners usually cover. It’s nice because we have guys like Sean and Artie, who are versatile.”
And if Davis is so impressive that he earns the starting strong safety job ahead of Golden, his teammates don’t think that will be too much for him to handle. The slot corner plays about two-thirds of the snaps as it is. He’d merely be adding safety responsibilities for the other third of the snaps in the base defense.
“We’re in the NFL,” Gay said. “He doesn’t have to go to class anymore. He doesn’t have to go to study hall. It’s all football. Nothing is too much for anybody if you want to win.”
Only Gay forgot about those post-practice meetings with Lake. And they might be running a little longer than usual for the rest of training camp.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: August 3, 2016, 7:25 p.m.