Austin Must Be Let Go

[NorthCoast]

I'm at the point that Teryl Austin is a huge drag on this defense. He is the Matt Canada of the defense. Just awful in teaching his players how to play defense. Multiple guys not knowing what is going on on any given play, which leaves guys wide open. I am surprised the media hasn't latched on to this more than they have. And it might not be the 'one guy' theory that they are talking about. This time of year the defense should be a well-oiled machine, but it's more like the rusty Titanic.
And before anyone says 'it's Tomlin's defense', I don't disagree. But he isn't going anywhere, so Austin has to take the fall on this one.

How does a veteran player not know how to play the position?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2qCBAjf][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2qCBAjf]Screenshot 2024-12-30 064328[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/191750946@N04/]R W[/url], on Flickr

[Joel Buchsbaum]

He was a bad coachig hire. But he's not the real problem, the man who hired him is.

[NorthCoast]

Pay particular attention to the body language after the plays.... this is very bad:

[Joel Buchsbaum]

Pay particular attention to the body language after the plays.... this is very bad:

I blame Tomlin for bring back this bad seed. He always skates on his diva's. You have to ask yourself, is he part of them acting up?

[NorthCoast]

I blame Tomlin for bring back this bad seed. He always skates on his diva's. You have to ask yourself, is he part of them acting up?

Does not matter how much you want to blame Tomlin. Tomlin is here through 2026.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

Does not matter how much you want to blame Tomlin. Tomlin is here through 2026.

I don't know about that. Some declining network can give Tolmlin a very attractive offer and he goes. We could have another ending season collapse, which right now seems likely. Rooney can wake up one day and give us some executive actions. Lots of unknowns.

If I were a betting man, I'd say Tomlin being here until the end of 2026 is where my money would go. But I would not bet my house on it.

What I do know is to be a final four team you have must nail your QB and head coach combo. Or have a great team and good assistants around them! We don't.

I would pay for chaep Art Rooney II to have a cup of coffee and breakfast on me.

[feltdizz]

reminds me of the Lebeau defenses late in his career when no one knew what they were doing.

Line up man to man and call it a day. That usually works best.

[Northern_Blitz]

I don't know about that. Some declining network can give Tolmlin a very attractive offer and he goes. We could have another ending season collapse, which right now seems likely. Rooney can wake up one day and give us some executive actions. Lots of unknowns.

If I were a betting man, I'd say Tomlin being here until the end of 2026 is where my money would go. But I would not bet my house on it.

What I do know is to be a final four team you have must nail your QB and head coach combo. Or have a great team and good assistants around them! We don't.

I would pay for chaep Art Rooney II to have a cup of coffee and breakfast on me.

How many times have you told yourself this story?

Re Austin

I think he did what he was supposed to do when he was hired. But maybe the improved pass D and picks was Minkah.

Pass D has been rough this year. Let year too. Pat off this is secondary injuries.

I don't know that is fire him just to fire him. But if a good option is around I would be fine with getting rod of him.

[Eich]

I'm not really one to pile on Tomlin but if any part of the team is a reflection of him, it's the defense. That's his specialty. I'm not sure it matters all that much who the coordinator is. Unless it's a strong personality like Brian Flores.

It's quite frustrating that coming up on the last week of the season, we're still talking about communication problems and confusion. If things are too complex for the guys on the field at this point, then simplify the thing.

[WindyCitySteel]

First of all, Tomlin runs the defense and has since LeBeau left. Second, it’s not the DC who teaches the individual position players, it’s the position coaches.

The Steelers made a reclamation project out of Sutton, I’m guessing the decision to force him into the lineup despite the poor play comes from above Austin or the DB coach.

[WindyCitySteel]

I'm not really one to pile on Tomlin but if any part of the team is a reflection of him, it's the defense. That's his specialty. I'm not sure it matters all that much who the coordinator is. Unless it's a strong personality like Brian Flores.

It's quite frustrating that coming up on the last week of the season, we're still talking about communication problems and confusion. If things are too complex for the guys on the field at this point, then simplify the thing.

Exactly, and he was a DB coach in the beginning at Tampa. Weren’t there talks of players getting multiple defensive calls from the sideline during the Butler era? i.e., both Butler and Tomlin were calling plays at times?

I believe that’s what started the speculation that Butler confirmed when he left — he was the DC in name only.

[WindyCitySteel]

Wow, called plays for LeBeau the last couple of years, too. Sure, fire Austin, he will be the sacrificial lamb and when nothing changes after, fire the next “DC”.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, those last couple years of LeBeau’s tenure, the D fell off a cliff.

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2022/01/24/keith-butler-dick-lebeau-mike-tomlin-defensive-play-calls-teryl-austin-stephon-tuitt-update-analysis-steelers-fdl

[hackjam]

They should have figured out a way to keep Flores. Give Austin a soft landing with some senior defensive assistant role or some BS and get the real dude in that role. That Minnesota defense is a problem.

[Eich]

They should have figured out a way to keep Flores. Give Austin a soft landing with some senior defensive assistant role or some BS and get the real dude in that role. That Minnesota defense is a problem.

The only way someone like Flores stays is if Tomlin goes. I don't see Tomlin keeping a strong personality like that with him.

I think part of the problem with a head coach like Tomlin, is ego. I'm sure they all have an ego but I don't think Tomlin likes to give much free reign to coordinators.

[WindyCitySteel]

They should have figured out a way to keep Flores. Give Austin a soft landing with some senior defensive assistant role or some BS and get the real dude in that role. That Minnesota defense is a problem.

There was no way Tomlin was letting someone run his D, and Flores wasn’t going to be a puppet. The last coordinator was was his own man in Pittsburgh was Todd Haley.