Dick LeBeau and Steelers agree to part ways

[NorthCoast]

Butler has a ton of background from different schemes he has been involved with in the past. Personally I look for his defense to be ultra-aggressive. Don't be surprised to see some 3-3 looks with Shazier dropping out to the edge as a DB, allowing him to cover a back or TE or blitz off the corner. I think Shazier is gonna be seen all over the field. Maybe not like Troy used to, but he is athletic enough to do more than line up 3 yds behind the nose tackle. Blitzes are gonna come from everywhere. QB pressure is gonna be a focus point. I think backend coverage is gonna be tweeked in certain situations depending on the call up front, down and distance. Hopefully they go to a 1 gap responsibility more than a 2 gap. That will allow everyone to play faster and more aggressive.

Wow.....And fans were complaining that DL's schemes were too complicated???????

[feltdizz]

ESPN reportd the Bills are hiring Rex Ryan...

[buccoray61]

ESPN reportd the Bills are hiring Rex Ryan...

Yeah,I posted that in the NFL forum.....talk about a bad fit.

[feltdizz]

Yeah,I posted that in the NFL forum.....talk about a bad fit.

Just wanted to make sure his name didnt come up in here anymore...lol

[buccoray61]

Just wanted to make sure his name didnt come up in here anymore...lol

Good thinking! LOL!

[Oviedo]

If Butler get his chance things will change IMO. If Butler is the new DC it will be very interesting to see who is the LB's coach. Porter maybe or a "Tomlin guy"? Also Starlifter said He is not inspired with confidence for next season. Is that because there will be a new DC or because of the players on the roster right now? I feel just a tad better with a move of some sort and excited for the draft and FA. Will try to come back to this thread and see how the DC change with the draft/FA work out. It was time for a shake up some were on D with this being a bad Steelers D. There is still a ton more work to do this off season before I will feel good about this D. Have a feeling I may not feel better till middle or even late next season to see how this move and others play out good or bad.

The draft will be very interesting and telling about the direction for the future. I'm most interested to see if Butler, or whoever the next guy is, starts to get young players on the field sooner doing more.

[Slapstick]

Interestingly- in 1998 at Memphis, Butler was D-coordinator while one M.Tomlin served as DB coach - not like the two have completely different backgrounds.

They worked together at Arkansas State as well...

[Slapstick]

I think that Jerry Olsavsky should have the inside track...

Why not both? Olsavsky for inside backers and Porter for outside backers...

[Mr.wizard]

Im excited to see what happens now, not sure why people are viewing this as a bad thing, seems like there is nowhere to go but up.

[Oviedo]

If LeBeau was part of the player selection process, then this could be a sign that he has slipped in his evaluation process.

Do you really believe that a coach with 50 years experience was excluded from evaluating talent for his unit? That is an unrealistic belief but convenient for those who didn't want to scratch LeBeau's Teflon coating for his responsibility for the struggles on defense

[Oviedo]

if we put up our defensive stats the last 3 years and didnt put a name next to the defense I'm pretty sure most fans would want the DC fired.

The only reason DL stayed this long is because his name is Lebeau.. any other DC would have been let got last year.

Truth. And the fans crying over LeBeu's departure would have been the ones screaming to fire the guy.

[NorthCoast]

The draft will be very interesting and telling about the direction for the future. I'm most interested to see if Butler, or whoever the next guy is, starts to get young players on the field sooner doing more.

With Ike Taylor and Troy out a combined 16 games this was the youngest starting defense in over a decade. How young do you want to get? All rookies on the field???

[squidkid]

if we put up our defensive stats the last 3 years and didnt put a name next to the defense I'm pretty sure most fans would want the DC fired.

The only reason DL stayed this long is because his name is Lebeau.. any other DC would have been let got last year.

what stats?
2014 18th
2013 14th
2012 6th

this was our rankings for point allowed.
so every DC that finished below 18th, 14th and 6th those years were fired?

[Starlifter]

will be interesting to see the impact of DL's departure on troy and ike.

[Oviedo]

From the PG this morning

DickLeBeau resigning as Steelers defensive coordinator

January 10, 20155:02 PM


ByGerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

TheSteelers and longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau have mutually agreed to part ways, the first but most significant step as the team prepares to move forward with younger players and, apparently, afresh approach.

Mr.LeBeau, one of the most revered defensive coordinators in the National Football League who is regarded as the architect of the zone blitz that is copied by many other teams, agreed to resign after meetings over several days with Coach Mike Tomlin.

“I’m resigning, I’m not retiring,” Mr. LeBeau said Saturday in a phone interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It was a lot of great days, a lot of great years. It’s time to go in a different direction.” He broke the news in the Urbana Daily Citizen, a newspaper near his hometown of London, Ohio.

The mutual parting was reminiscent of the announcement three years ago that offensive coordinator Bruce Arians had agreed to “retire”when in fact team president Art Rooney II told him he would not be offered a new contract. A week later, Mr. Arians joined the Indianapolis Colts as offensive coordinator.

Ina statement released by the Steelers, Mr. Tomlin said, “We want to thank Dick for his many years of service with the team and all thathe has done for this organization. His coaching helped lead us to many successful seasons and championships. We are very appreciative of his efforts, and we wish him well.”

Mr.LeBeau, 77, just completed his 11th season in his second tour of duty with the Steelers. His defense finished 18th overall in the league,including 27th against the pass. The Steelers allowed 15 pass plays of 40 yards or longer, second most in the league behind the Philadelphia Eagles (1. It was the second season in a row the Steelers allowed more long pass plays than any team in the AFC.

However,during his tenure with the Steelers, Mr. LeBeau’s defense ranked No. 1 overall in the league five times and in the top five 10 times.

“It happens,” said Mr. LeBeau, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who has spent 56 years in the league as a player and coach.“It’s like I’m starting brand new. In this business you can end up in that position.”

The likely successor to Mr. LeBeau is linebackers coach Keith Butler, who has been with the team since 2003 and been given several indications over the years that he will be the next defensive coordinator.

The Steelers have blocked opportunities for Mr. Butler to interview with other teams by increasing his pay and giving him a three-year contract when most other assistant coaches get two-year deals.

However,Mr. Butler’s latest contract expired after the season and he could choose to explore opportunities with other teams.

The decision to part ways with Mr. LeBeau comes at a time when the Steelers are likely to part with as many as four more players whohelped them get to three Super Bowls — linebacker James Harrison,defensive end Brett Keisel, cornerback Ike Taylor and possibly safety Troy Polamalu.

Earlier this season, Mr. Harrison told the Post-Gazette the decline of the Steelers’ defense was not Mr. LeBeau’s fault.

“The scheme is the same, the calls are the same,” Mr. Harrison said.“The defense works. It’s been proven that it works for years and years. The defense has always been ranked in the top nine or 10 since coach LeBeau got here, except for the last year and now. The only thing that changes is the players.”Mr.LeBeau joined the Steelers in 1992 as a secondary coach on BillCowher’s first staff and remained in that position until 1995, when he was promoted to defensive coordinator. But, after one season in that role, he left to become assistant head coach/defensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he eventually became head coach from 2000 to 2002.

In 2004, he returned to the Steelers for his second stint as defensive coordinator and quickly produced the No. 1 total defense and rushing defense in the league. In 2005, the Steelers stopped four of the league’s top five offenses in the postseason on their way to their fifth Super Bowl championship.In 2008, the Steelers led the league in total defense, pass defense and points allowed and finished second against the run and won another Super Bowl title. That same year, Mr. Harrison was named the league’s defensive player of the year.

Two years later, Mr. LeBeau’s defense led the league in eight defensive categories and shattered the franchise record for rushing yards allowed per game (62.. Mr. Polamalu led a secondary that produced 21 interceptions and he was named the AFC defensive player of theyear.

Mr.LeBeau said he did not know if he will continue to coach in the NFL or elsewhere.“Idon’t even know, but I’m not retiring,” Mr. LeBeau said. “There might not be anyone interested.”