JUSTIN FIELDS EASILY HAD HIS BEST GAME AS A STEELER IN THE TEAM’S 20-10 WIN OVER THE CHARGERS, SEPT. 22. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
In 1971, Pittsburgh radio station WTAE hosted a contest to name the dominating Pittsburgh Steelers defense that smothered opposing offenses so thoroughly that there were occasions opponents could see no light at the end of the tunnel.
Thus the name, “The Steel Curtain.” That was the label many Steelers fans adopted to describe the play of the team’s defensive line. As time went on, the label evolved to include the entire defense.
Fast forward to 2024. I don’t need a contest to assist me in defining the present defensive players. I now crown the defense, “The Steel Blanket.” The reason that I chose the word blanket is because in this case, “The Steel Blanket” has a dual purpose. The defense provides a level of comfort and confidence to the Steelers’ offense, allowing them to play an almost stress-free type of football.
That same quilt of comfort can also be used to smother the opposing offense like an African python smothers an unwary raccoon that answers a questionable online ad for a dinner date, not knowing that it would be the main course listed on the menu. Instead of having a negative view when the offense may commit a turnover, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin pointed out the Steelers’ defense did not appear overly concerned.
“I don’t know that our defense worries about that,” he said. “They’ve got no control over when or how they take the field. They’ve got all the control on how they get off the field. That’s the life we live. I think it was reflected when we turned the ball over, right when that ball got tipped up in the air and intercepted. You saw the spirit in which our defense took the field, so we’re not looking for comfort. We’re not looking to hide on the sideline. We’ll get ourselves off the field.”
Tomlin also addressed the maturity of second-year linebacker Nick Herbig, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. When starting right outside linebacker Alex Highsmith suffered a groin injury late in the second quarter in the Sept. 22 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Herbig replaced Highsmith in the lineup and the defense didn’t miss a beat. Mike Tomlin’s assessment of Nick Herbig’s performance was: “You know, this guy wants to be great. But he’s looking at the recipe every day of his life, too. He just does, man. He’s sharp enough to follow guys at his position that are already doing it at a high level, who have been doing it longer than him, and I think that positions him more than anything to produce what it is you’re looking at.”
Oh by the way, some folks are “whispering very loudly” that Coach Mike Tomlin’s 2024 strategy is beginning to mirror the game plan of his predecessor, Bill Cowher, by staying close in games, and closing strong by running the ball excessively to sustain time of possession and claim victory. Geez, that strategy has, is and will always be the perfect game plan for success in the NFL, if you can pull it off. If that sort of strategy is the do-all and cure-all for success in the NFL, why even bother to install and utilize four wide receiver—and empty-backfield sets? If these birdbrains are attempting to connect Mike Tomlin’s success to the strategies, then when Tomlin becomes eligible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will he be turned away because people considered his strategies too similar to the imaginary playbook of Bill Cowher?
Mike Tomlin only lost one AFC Championship game. Bill Cowher lost four. Now tell me, friends and neighbors, based on the sheer numbers, who would have to borrow strategies from who? The next thing that they will be saying is that Mike Tomlin stole the fried chicken recipe from Colonel Sanders and combined it with the recipe from the late Willie Stargell’s “Chicken on the Hill” restaurant and went on to make a boatload of money. If you believe that, there is nothing more to say.
About Post Author
