John Mitchell and Keith Butler are the two longest tenured members of the Steelers coaching staff, each going back to when they were hired by Bill Cowher. Mitchell came in 1994 as defensive line coach, nine years before Butler arrived as linebacker coach.
Both coaches helped mold a defense from 2007 to 2012 that ranked among the best, if not the best, in the NFL, shutting down running games like a vapor lock and making quarterbacks feel as though they were a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.
In four of those six seasons, the Steelers defense ranked No. 1 in the league in yards allowed. They were top five in the other two.
Those defenses came up the other day because Butler, the team’s defensive coordinator, and Mitchell, who has the title of assistant head coach, were comparing those units to the Steelers’ current defense. In particular, their discussion centered on one aspect: Is this the fastest defense the Steelers have ever fielded?
The answer could be a resounding yes.
Mike Tomlin changed the way the Steelers defense was constructed several years ago, implementing speed by drafting faster, lighter players to keep up with the way the NFL game is played. It goes back to when he drafted linebacker Ryan Shazier in the first round in 2014 and continued last season when they moved up 10 spots in the first round to take Devin Bush, who ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine — second fastest time among all linebackers.
When the Steelers made a trade to add safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (4.46) to a secondary that already included safety Terrell Edmunds (4.47) and cornerbacks Joe Haden (4.43) and Steven Nelson (4.49), that gave them five players who run sub-4.5 40-yard dashes in the second levels of their defense. Mix in the freakish size, speed and athleticism of outside linebacker Bud Dupree and the tenacity of outside linebacker T.J. Watt, and the Steelers have swapped brawn for burst, much to their liking.
“It allows you to do a lot of things,” said Haden, who tied for the team lead and tied for fourth in the NFL with five interceptions last season. “You can blitz from all different areas. Just our pass rush, they’re able to get to the quarterback so fast. It allows me and Steve to be able to take a couple of chances knowing the quarterback is back there having a good time just posted up, having a good six, seven seconds for us to cover and being able to read routes. It just gives us a little more space to be able to take chances.”
And that defense will get even faster this season with the return of defensive end Stephon Tuitt, whom Butler refers to as a “wild stallion” because of the disruptive manner with which he plays on the front line. Tuitt was the defense’s most dominant player last season until he sustained a season-ending pectoral muscle tear in Week 6.
He couples size with athleticism and agility, giving the Steelers’ one of the best defensive-end tandems in the league along with two-time All-Pro Cam Heyward. They are also among the two highest paid defensive ends in the league — or will be when Heyward is eventually signed to a contract extension that has been put on hold.
Tuitt’s cap hit of $14,940,750 is the third highest on the team, behind only Ben Roethlisberger and Dupree. He ranks ninth among interior defensive lineman in total contract value at $60 million. Heyward is expected to surpass that before the start of the regular season, though the uncertain nature of the season could further delay the process.
“We have a lot of guys on the field that can get sideline to sideline very quickly,” Tuitt said. “That enables us to do a lot of things within our defense that many other defenses probably can’t do with the type of unique skill set that a lot of our players have.”
Steelers coaches salivate over Tuitt’s skill set, and have since they drafted him in the second round in 2014. His return will more than compensate for the loss in free agency of nose tackle Javon Hargrave, whose snaps increased from 455 in 2018 to 680 last season because of Tuitt’s injury. But despite his increased playing time, Hargrave’s stats actually went the other way. His sacks dropped from 6½ to 4 and his tackles for loss went from 7 to 6.
‘I guess it’s a thing you know when he’s on the field, you can’t double team everybody,” defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said of Tuitt. “He’s a big human being who can move. He’s trouble to block.”
Tuitt’s unique physical skills are actually a motivator for Heyward, who relies on natural strength and leverage to dominate offensive linemen. But Heyward’s recovery from a torn pectoral muscle in 2016, when he missed the final 10 games, serves as great motivation for Tuitt. Heyward came back from the injury to post a career-high 12 sacks and be named first-team All-Pro a year later. He followed that with a Pro Bowl selection in 2018 and another first-team All-Pro selection last season.
“I’ve had a chance to get my pec back stronger than it even was before,” Tuitt said. “Cam went through this situation within a couple of years ago from me. He’s been a great, reliable resource to talk to and understand from a recovery standpoint and how to handle my injury.”
The Steelers are hoping Tuitt responds the same way.
“I think the heart grows fonder when you’re away,” Heyward said. “For [Stephon] Tuitt, personally, he’s itching to go. He’s ready to go.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac
First Published: August 21, 2020, 9:00 a.m.
