The Steelers are faced with a bit of conundrum with Minkah Fitzpatrick, their All-Pro free safety whose addition in a trade helped transform the defense into the NFL's most larcenous unit.
Do they move him around more this season to stop teams from avoiding his area of the field and allow him to make more big plays than he did last season?
Or do they keep him right where is, roaming the deep middle of the field and keeping quarterbacks from attempting big pass plays? And doing what he did last season after he was acquired in trade with the Miami Dolphins three weeks into the regular season?
Fitzpatrick said he doesn't anticipate a different role. Why fix something that isn't broken?
"I don't see me moving around a whole lot," Fitzpatrick said Monday before practice at Heinz Field. "Last year we were successful with what we were doing. I don't see that changing. I don't see my role changing too much."
Fitzpatrick's contribution to the Steelers in 2019 was not only immense, it was immediate. He had five interceptions, including a 96-yard touchdown return; a 43-yard fumble return for touchdown; and eight passes defensed, two of which led to interceptions by the defense, all in his first seven games.
But opponents quickly took notice of his big-play abilities and tried to stay away from him. Fitzpatrick had no interceptions, one fumble return and only one pass defensed in the final seven games.
"I do my job, do what I do best," Fitzpatrick said. "I'm not asking for other responsibilities ... I won't ask unless I see something. Right now I don't see that."
Teryl Austin, the team's senior defensive assistant/secondary, said the Steelers might be able to move Fitzpatrick around a little more to keep him more involved in the action.
"Getting him Week 3 like we did last year, you were just trying to throw him in and just trying to get him lined up and all that other stuff," Austin said. "But I think this offseason has been helpful for us and for him and for the group. We have been able to talk some things out and really get down into the details of our defense, and I think that will give him a little bit more ability to show up in a couple different positions than he was last year, which will help him get around the ball a little bit more and keep that production."
Of course, the Steelers don't want to weaken the deep middle of the field _ Fitzpatrick's territory _ just to gratuitously move him around. And he will not assume the freelance role that Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu once performed in the defense. That puts too much stress on the rest of the defense.
"I don't think we will consider moving him around more," secondary coach Tom Bradley said on Monday. "I think we like that combination where he is back there. We do bring him into the box at times just to make sure we can change up our tendencies on them. We like him right where he is right at free safety."
"Minkah is a very smart player, very intuitive, when he's on the field," said cornerback Steven Nelson. "I think he's going to be around the ball regardless."
This is Fitzpatrick's first training camp with the Steelers and, despite his young age (23), he wanted to be sure he helped instill a competitive environment in practice. That was apparent in Saturday night's scrimmage when he threw running back Benny Snell to the ground when Snell tried to run through him after a long gain. The two went facemask-to-facemask after the play, jawing at each other.
"You weren't going to be able to get away with going half-speed," Fitzpatrick said of practice. "I knew what Benny was coming with, so I had to approach it that way. If everyone is floating around and cruising, nobody is getting better. We're not just going to turn over for anybody."
And that's what Fitzpatrick does: He has the speed to cover a lot of ground in the secondary, but also the physical ability and explosiveness to make tackles in the run game. He is part Ed Reed _ one of his idols _ and part Polamalu.
"You want somebody back there that, one, can cover ground, which I believe I do well," Fitzpatrick said. "You're a safety, you're the last line of defense, you're not going to let balls fly over your head. But you also have to be aggressive. You're not just going to let guys make plays in front of you."
Fitzpatrick does both, which is why the Steelers don't want to mess too much with success.
