Every NFL franchise is very traditional in its own way, but none may be more traditional than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps the biggest Steelers tradition is winning football games on defense. Going back to the 1970s, they won four Super Bowls behind some of the greatest defenses in NFL history. Sure, Terry Bradshaw was great, but his defense made winning games much easier when he didn't have to score very many points. Since then, the franchise has prided itself on defense, always under the belief that defense wins championships, a philosophy that is still very true to this day.
Associated Press
"Mean" Joe Greene was a cornerstone of Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense and a team that became a dynasty in the '70s.
The Steelers' defense of the 70s was more modern than people might think. They ran a 4-3 scheme, which has become very popular in today's NFL. In 1982, they switched to the 3-4 base, becoming the first team in NFL history to do so. When Bill Cowher was brought in in 1992, he stuck with the 3-4, adding his wrinkles, and had great success in the '90s and 2000s. After Cowher came Mike Tomlin, who also added his wrinkles to the scheme, and while he also had lots of success, one thing was for certain: at the end of his Steelers tenure, the defense looked very stale and was often at a schematic disadvantage.
New head coach Mike McCarthy may be an offensive-minded coach, but he made it clear in his opening press conference that he wants to stick with the 3-4 scheme. He still believes in the Cover-3, one-high safety look that the Steelers often got diced in. Though McCarthy made his intentions clear, one insider believes Patrick Graham could have a tough time implementing the scheme, given the prevalence of popular sets across the NFL.
Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette recently wrote an article about McCarthy's history in the 3-4 scheme. Dulac notes that with teams running two- and three-receiver sets, it's tough to actually sit in a 3-4. He notes that it is still up in the air how much they will be in a 3-4.
"Because of the way the game is played today, with teams using multiple-receiver sets, the 3-4 is no longer a team's base defense. Nose tackles have come off the field and been replaced with an extra defensive back in nickel and dime schemes. The Steelers used their sub-package defenses at least 75% of the time under Mike Tomlin," Dulac wrote. "Even though McCarthy wants to emulate the defense he has admired for 34 years, it remains to be seen how much he can use the 3-4 scheme with the Steelers."
The Steelers used to run more of a fire zone defense under Dick LeBeau, but after he left, they phased it out. Tomlin began to run a much more conservative scheme, keeping everything in front. While the Steelers version may have looked outdated, the Seattle Seahawks just won a Super Bowl off the back of an elite defense, and they are a 3-4 base scheme.
Michael Henninger / Post-Gazette
Former Steelers DC Dick LeBeau (left).
Their ability to disguise coverages and free up rushers is what sets them apart from the rest of the league.
Steelers' McCarthy Has Lots Of Familiarity With 3-4 Scheme
McCarthy has been the head coach of three different professional franchises, and all three have run a 3-4 base. He even won a Super Bowl in 2009, running the exact same scheme as the Steelers. McCarthy's defensive coordinator was Dom Capers, a former Steelers defensive coordinator, and Capers stuck with what was familiar.
"When I first got there in Green Bay, I took every defensive play from the Steelers," said Perry, who played for the Steelers from 1992-99 and joined the Packers’ coaching staff in 2009. "That’s how we put our cut-ups together. We actually taught our 2009 defense off of the Steeler defense."
The 3-4 scheme is still alive in the NFL and continues to evolve.
Kevin Terrell / Associated Press
New Steelers Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham stands on the sideline during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Steelers need to figure out how they will deploy their group in said scheme.
#SteelerNation