Per a rumor by Pro Football Talk (PFT), Dick Lebeau may retire after Super Bowl XLIII. As mostly everyone knows, Dick Lebeau is the beloved Steelers defensive coordinator and the inventor of the zone blitz schema.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (not just the defense) should win this Super Bowl for their future ‘Hall of Fame’ coach Lebeau. What would be a better treat then winning this one for him since he’s been so instrumental to the Steelers success both past and current. His defense plays the way football was meant to be played. In addition to winning Super Bowl XLIII for coach Lebeau, the Steelers players should carry their coach off the field on the player’s shoulders. That’s the type of respect that Lebeau deserves.
All current and past Steelers players feel strongly for the coordinator and praise him not just for his coaching ability and personality but they respect him as a ‘dad’ type figure. In fact, many players have referred to him as coach ‘dad’. Players love him, opposition fear him.
Coach Dick Lebeau is well respect (and well deserved) not just throughout the Pittsburgh Steelers organization but also within that National Football League circles. He was a Hall of Fame player (is not yet inducted but should be) and a legendary coach. In fact, some coaches including Baltimore Ravens (now NYJ head coach) coach, Rex Ryan have even studied coach Leabeau’s defensive schemes and reused it within their own defensive schemes. Lebeau has been praised by former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst as saying “Dick LeBeau is arguably the best ever to coach defense. … He has done it on such a consistent basis over a long period of time.”
Note to Steelers players…. Let’s win Super Bowl XLIII for Coach Dick Lebeau!