One of the main things that the Pittsburgh Steelers are known for is their two legendary quarterbacks, Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger. Bradshaw was the king of the '70s, while Roethlisberger dominated in the 2000s and 2010s. During Roethlisberger's era, the NFL was treated to having some of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time.
Names like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Philip Rivers are just the tip of the iceberg of what the Steelers had to face during this time. For Roethlisberger and the Steelers to make it to three Super Bowls and win two of them is an impressive feat that doesn't get enough credit.
Tough Tasks For The Steelers
One of the toughest things for the Steelers during their run was going against these legendary quarterbacks. From insanely close games against Brady and the New England Patriots, to tough battles against Manning. This made game planning difficult for defenses across the NFL.
Former Steelers Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau gave his input on the All Things Covered podcast about when he had to face Brady and Manning. His former player and host of the podcast Bryant McFadden asked him what it was like going up against a quarterback of this caliber. He noted teams that make it to championships and make a run, that the heart and soul of the team is a great quarterback. This is why a team like the Patriots was so dominant for so many years.
"You usually would look at the offens[ive] statistics going into a game, and you knew when you were going to have your hands extra full. The teams that you watch that reach the playoffs and reach the championship, and when you look at the heart and soul of them, there's a really good quarterback in there and those two guys [Brady and Manning] for sure were two of the major reasons why those teams won a ton of championships."
LeBeau is one of the most underappreciated coaches for the Steelers. Everyone gives credit to Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher for the two Super Bowl wins in the 2000s, but rarely give credit to LeBeau. He was the glue that helped forge what was a legendary defense during this time. He would always make sure that his players were ready, even if it was against someone like Brady or Manning.
During the podcast, LeBeau went into great detail about what preparation for himself looked like against these guys. The amount of strategizing that he did is what made him a cut above the rest of the defensive coordinators in the league. He would almost look for holes in a team during the most crucial parts of a game.
"As far as preparation, I would always try to see what their protections were." He then noted, "I wanted to try and figure out if I could when their back was against the wall and they had to have a play, and most people in the whole stadium and both sides of the field knew who they were going to throw the ball, what were you going to get? When you can identify what they have the most confidence in, then I would look at how I could tear that house down."
What made LeBeau such an impactful coach against these different quarterbacks was his usage of the zone blitz. He started using this defense in the 1980s when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals. He basically brought this defensive scheme to the NFL since no teams were using it. But he wouldn't use it just at random points of a game. He noted that he would be strategic when he used it.
"If I had a fire zone that I thought would beat [quarterbacks], I wouldn't run it until a situation got in my mind where I thought these guys aren't playing around now. They have to have it and I am going to try and put what I designed against it."
So, what do you think, Steeler Nation? Was LeBeau's strategy smart?
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