Question Mark
Secrets of Steelers’ defensive success revealed
Question: What is the secret to Pittsburgh’s defensive success? It seems like they have been good for 20 years on defense. Obviously they have great coaches. Do they draft more for defense than other teams? — Roger Harrison, Philadelphia.
Answer: Pittsburgh does not draft more for defense than other teams. In fact, they probably draft for defense less. Since 2000, Pittsburgh has drafted for defense on just 30 out of 69 picks — or 43 percent. If you take the top three rounds, the Steelers have drafted for defense 50 percent — 13 of 26 — since 2000. They draft well, so they don’t have to keep re-tracing their steps on defense.
This will be the eighth straight season and the 14th time in 16 years in which the Steelers have ranked among the top 10 on defense. They haven’t ranked in the bottom half of the league on defense since 1991.
So here are four basic reasons:
1. Success with a limited number of high-round picks.
2. Coaching.
3. Continuity.
4. The ability of scouts and coaches to find rush linebackers for the 3-4 scheme.
If an assistant coach ever was going to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau probably should be the first one in. (LeBeau belongs anyway based on his playing career, but that’s another story.) LeBeau has been in Pittsburgh 10 of the past 17 years. Since 1992, the Steelers have drafted 25 defensive players among the top three rounds, and 15 have been pretty good to great. That’s a superb ratio. They include Joey Porter, Levon Kirkland, Chad Brown, Jason Gildon, Casey Hampton and Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgh also finds players in later rounds. Six of their current 11 defensive starters were acquired in the fourth round or later, including James Harrison, an undrafted free agent who has 12 sacks this year.
The Steelers’ continuity, their stability in the football department, and the fact they have played the same scheme contributes to their success. The scouts know exactly what the coaches want and they look for the same kinds of players every year. The fact the ownership hires good people doesn’t hurt, either.
Q: What happens if the Giants and Jets have home-field advantage for their respective championship games if they make it that far? Since both play at Giants Stadium, there is no way the games could run back to back like they do now. — Mark A. Scott, Buffalo.
A: The league would not try to hold both games on the same day. It would be too difficult a turnaround for the stadium workers, even if they started the games at 12:30 and 8 p. m. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week one game would be moved to Monday evening, Jan. 19. The NFL would like a prime-time title game. It probably would be the NFC game, because FOX, which televises the NFC, has a weaker Monday night TV schedule than CBS.
Q: Just in pure numbers, how many first-day draft picks has New England made on offensive and defensive linemen this decade? And how many for the Bills? — Evan Rush, Toronto.
A: We’ll call first-day picks any in the top three (even though the first day is only two rounds now). New England has taken eight linemen — four on offense, four on defense. Four have been first-rounders (Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren and Logan Mankins). The Bills have taken 10 — two on offense and eight on defense. Three have been first-rounders (Erik Flowers, Mike Williams and John McCargo).
Bills beat reporter Mark Gaughan answers your football questions every Friday. Send your e-mails to mgaughan@-buffnews.com or mail to Question Mark, The Buffalo News Sports Department, One News Plaza, P. O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Please include name and hometown.
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