LeBeau’s defense is dominant

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Falcons and Titans didn’t seem to know what was coming next from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Dick LeBeau-coached defense, or exactly the way he planned it.

After all, the Steelers themselves don’t seem to know what their newly elected Hall of Famer will scheme up on the next play, the next series or the next game.

They pride themselves on their unpredictability, and it’s obvious that, even at age 73, LeBeau isn’t running out of ideas or innovations.

“That’s why we love him so much,” defensive end Aaron Smith said. “He gives us the best calls, puts us in the best position to make plays. He calls a great game every week.”

Every Wednesday, the Steelers eagerly show up at their practice facility to see what LeBeau has concocted for that week’s opponent.

LeBeau’s defense appears to be playing with a sense of urgency that’s uncommon so early in the season, and with good reason. Aware that how they played during quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension might swing their season, the Steelers have allowed only one touchdown in eight quarters plus an overtime.

They’ve forced a league-high eight turnovers. They’ve held two of the league’s best running backs, Chris Johnson of Tennessee and Michael Turner of Atlanta, to an average of about 2 yards per carry. They’ve also re-established their image of a defense that plays with an aggressive edginess and a relentless physicality.

“It’s fun to watch us dominate the way we are,” said nose tackle Casey Hampton. “We’re going to be as good as we let ourselves be.”

The core essentials of one of the best defenses during the NFL’s salary cap era never change: Play fast, play smart, hit hard, don’t get out of position, know what your teammate’s doing and stay aggressive. The alignments do change, and rapidly, in a zone blitz defense that LeBeau innovated more than 20 years ago and, to this day, never stays the same.

“Every third down is something crazy,” linebacker James Farrior said.

With safety Troy Polamalu healthy again after playing only three full games last season, LeBeau is showing off more schemes than ever that feature a player he insists he is the league’s most versatile.

“He just opens up the playbook to anything that you want to do,” LeBeau said.