Rod Woodson owns the NFL records for fumble recoveries and interceptions returned for touchdowns, so he knows a thing or two about making big plays on defense. He also knows the Steelers aren’t making many of them right now. The unit has just 13 takeaways this season, putting it in a tie for 25th in the NFL.
With the team riding a three-game losing streak and in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played 10 seasons with the Steelers said he believes it’s time for someone on the defense to step up and lead by example.
“I think that’s what’s lacking,” Woodson said in an interview to promote the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s World Bowl, a high school all-star game that includes players from the United States and abroad. “When I played, we had players making those plays. After I played, you still had players. Troy [Polamalu] is the last guy that comes to mind. Ryan Shazier was going to be that guy, to be the leader/playmaker. He gets hurt, and I think they’re looking for that guy. They’re trying to find who that player’s going to be on either the secondary or the linebacking corps or the defensive front. Somebody who’s going to make the play when it needs to be made.”
He’s right. No Steelers have more than one interception this season, and only one has forced or recovered more than two fumbles. That one is linebacker T.J. Watt, who is probably the closest to taking on that mantle by racking up 10 sacks and forcing four fumbles so far.
The key, Woodson feels, is striking the right balance between aggression and responsibility as a team. If one player makes a stop, another needs to make a strip to force a fumble, for example. He’d also like to see players finish on the opportunities they do generate, noting the numerous drops that have cost defensive backs interceptions this season.
Then there’s the matter of in-game adjustments. He’d like to see more now that the defense has given up the lead in the fourth quarter in back-to-back losses against the Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders.
“The structure of the defense itself, they’ve got to be more adaptable when offenses are doing certain things to them, and they’re causing them issues throughout the game,” Woodson said. “You can’t just always say, ‘We’re going to do and be us.’ That sounds great, but when it’s not pliable on game day and you’re getting beat because of that, you’ve got to find something else. You’ve got to find an alternative.”
That being said, he has hope in the team’s cast of young players, particularly in the secondary. He noted first-round pick Terrell Edmunds and Sean Davis in particular as candidates to become anchors of the defensive backfield in the future.
With time, he feels those guys can become more cohesive and excel despite the meltdowns of the past few games.
“They have strength, and it’s going to come,” Woodson said. “We had a lot of young guys in the secondary all at one time when I was younger. It took a couple of years to grow and become a solid foundation for the franchise. It’s no different today. I think they have the pieces in place. They’ve got some good players. They’ve got to make plays when they have the opportunities.”
The World Bowl, the Hall of Fame’s first venture outside of the U.S. for an all-star game, will be played Dec. 22 in Mexico City. Woodson is serving as a host and said he hopes the event can highlight the growth of football at the grassroots efforts in places like Mexico and Europe. You can learn more about the event at the Hall of Fame’s website.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: December 14, 2018, 3:00 p.m.
