Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost three of their last five games by four points or less. They led in all the games but down the stretch the defense let them down. This was in issue defensive coordinator Keith Butler acknowledged when he spoke to Missi Matthews of the team’s official site during the team’s organized team activities.
Two areas of emphasis Butler mentioned was working hard to stay closer to receivers and to intercept passes they have an opportunity to intercept. These sound great in theory, but Butler has to own some of the responsibility for this one.
Too many times last season we saw the Steelers secondary relegated to passive zone defense and limited their own opportunities to get turnovers based on scheme alone.
The hope is the additions the Steelers made in the offseason will allow Butler to call a more aggressive game. It all starts up front with the pass rush. If the team can get more consistent pressure, all the rest will fall in place.
