There is no team in the NFL more synonymous with defense than the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it was the "Steel Curtain" spearheaded by Joe Greene and Jack Lambert that brought the franchise to prominence, the reputation dated back to the Steelers of the early 1960s that nearly won an NFL title and aptly put by Dan Rooney: "Win or loose, you were going to come out battered and bruised." For 17 consecutive years, the Steelers were represented in the Pro Bowl by a linebacker and 7 times had a player recognized as Defensive Player of the Year. And in 1994, they introduced the fire zone blitz to the NFL, establishing a new identity as "Blitzburgh" that remains the core defensive philosophy to this day.
The Zone Blitz scheme which featured a series of exotic and creative blitzes was the brainchild of defensive backs coach Dick LeBeau. The Steelers 1994 defense was dominant, establishing a (then) franchise record of 55 sacks, surrendering only 12 TDs en route to making the Steelers an elite contender. LeBeau first created the zone blitz as the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals as a way to stop the dynasty San Francisco 49ers west coast offense of the late 1980s. It worked to near perfection in Super Bowl XIII and against the dynasty Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX, being undone more by poor QB play from his own teams' offense than anything else.
Once when interviewed by Steve Sabol, Sabol quoted Napoleon to understand the zone blitz philosophy:
"When firmness suffices, why be reckless? And yet you are the creator of the zone blitz."LeBeau answered immediately, "But it's not reckless. It's pressure, but it's not maximum pressure where you commit everybody."
It was also very complex. LeBeau left the Steelers and a number of coordinators continued to utilize the scheme, but never at the same level of it's creator. When LeBeau returned in 2004, he finally had an offense that was good enough to compliment his defense and it took the Steelers to a mini-dynasty by reaching 3 Super Bowls in 6 years, winning a pair of them.
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What is the Zone Blitz - How did it change?
Today, the Steelers still utilize the same concept, though a changing of the offensive landscape by way of rules changes midway through the 2010 season greatly impacted the way the Steelers could execute the scheme. There is no way to truly hit on everything in a single article, but here is a very high level overview:
Sam LB - would be the strong side LB, usually would line up on the 2 WR side, this would now represent Alex Highsmith.
Will LB - ideally the strongest pass rusher, would be moved to take advantage of the matchup. This would now represent T.J. Watt.
Buck LB - goes to TE and remains inside or around the guard, and this would now represent Joe Schobert.
Mack LB - try to free to run on the open side, and this would now represent Devin Bush.
SS - can blitz or cover and ideally want a great athlete to play the position (ex. Carnell Lake, Troy Polamalu) inside or outside the box depending upon the situation.
FS - could move into coverage or help the deep middle.
The key to the defense would be that you wouldn't be sure who was rushing. The QB could read the LB as covering the RB, but through series of stunts and shifts, there wouldn't be enough blockers on one side and a lineman covering the RB in the flat, leading to pressure and mistakes.
How have the Steelers Modernized the Zone Blitz?
As the league as changed, the Steelers have had to adapt the concept of the zone blitz. While they are technically still a 3-4 defense, it's almost more of a 4-3 defense as the edge rushers are standing up DEs. On most 4-3 schemes, the OLBs will drop into coverage, but not in Pittsburgh. They have a primary responsibility to rush the QB. There are 2 DL in a stance with the EDGE OLBs standing up.
An example of a blitz would see the slot CB with the SS lined up behind them. The slot CB would blitz (see below) and the SS would pick up coverage. This is a "tell" so at times the blitz has to come from somewhere else.
Steelers OLBs are the playmakers of the defense. From Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene, Joey Porter and Jason Gildon, James Harrison and Lamar Woodley, they must get pressure. Watt is crucial to making this defense work and a lot is riding on Highsmith leveling up and even showing he is ready to be the next great OLB. The acquisition of Melvin Ingram is massive as it not only gives a chance for rest but they can employ sets with all 3 OLBs on the field at once. One such set led to a Highsmith interception of Lamar Jackson to begin the Steelers 2nd half rally.
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Why are our LBs always in coverage?
This is answered by the weakness vs. strength of the defense. The key to the success of the defense is getting pressure. There are going to be mismatches but if the QB is unable to identify them, that is part of the trade-off. The Steelers have led the league in sacks for 4 consecutive years (an NFL record) and in 2020 tied the franchise record of 56. The idea is over the course of the game, you will not contain opposing offenses 100% and they will find the weak spot, it's a matter of who exploits it the most and the best.
ILB and Safety
A lot of Steeler Nation has torn into Robert Spillane, especially after he looked so poor in coverage in the last preseason game. This is not accurately fair, as Spillane, under normal circumstances with the full weight of the pass rush in front of him, would have a QB potentially not even recognizing where he is in on a matchup. But it also emphasizes the need for change and adapting to the modernization of NFL offenses. There is a great need for speed and agility from the ILB position.
Ryan Shazier set the bar for what is needed in this era of speed from the ILB and is the reason they traded up to the 10th pick to acquire Devin Bush. The ACL injury to Bush set his development back, but it's important to remember that Shazier had a rocky first two years, only coming on towards over the 2nd half of 2015 and blossoming in 2016. In the past, the Steelers had Chad Brown, who recognized that the offer from the Seattle Seahawks was too good to pass up, had he remained a Steeler, he would be fitted for a Gold Jacket. James Farrior had the agility to play the ILB ahead of his time and would thrive in the game still today. Lawrence Timmons was an incredibly fast and agile LB for his size that might even be better in the game now than in in 2008. The key is the ILBs, while not the featured playmakers like OLBs, must be able to move between in the box and out, which was a huge reason for acquiring Joe Schobert - who is known for his tackling and coverage skills.
The strong safety has always been the pillar of a top Blitzburgh defense, be it Carnell Lake or Troy Polamalu. While Terrell Edmunds is a great tackler, he isn't a playmaker and does not have that nose for the ball. Free safety has never been manned by a better player in franchise history than Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick covers up a lot of mistakes in front of him and patrols the deep middle. When the Steelers go Cover-1 or Cover-3, that is a lot of area. But it's not a coincidence that as teams get closer to the red zone, he has less ground to cover and can react very quickly to make big plays.
It's important to note, this is a very high level overview. There are so many more details and it doesn't even touch Cover-2 or the stress on the CBs. But watching film and the defense evolve, there is just so much different about the way the defense plays vs. pre-2010 and it's not always the fault of who you might think it is when a play goes wrong.
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