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For Steelers' LeBeau, Tormenting Offenses Never Gets Old
LeBeau Celebrating 50th Year In NFL
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TAMPA, Fla. -- At 71-years-old, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has the dubious distinction of being the NFL's oldest coach, but the mastermind behind Pittsburgh's No. 1 ranked defense has proven that tormenting opposing offenses only gets better with age.
In the fifth year of his second stint with the Steelers -- he previously served as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator from 1992-96 -- LeBeau has guided the team to the top of the defensive rankings.
The Steelers finished first in total defense, pass defense and scoring defense and second in run defense at the end of the regular season, drawing comparison between the current squad and some of the all-time greats -- namely the 1976 Steel Curtain team that sent eight defensive players to the Pro Bowl.
"The Steelers of the 70's, I don't know if any defense will ever do what they did. I remember one series of games where it wasn't a matter of whether the opponent was going to score, it was whether they were ever going to make a first down. I've just not seen defense like that -- they were one in a million," said LeBeau.
After starting the season 1-4, the '76 Steelers defense allowed just 28 points in the final nine games of the season.
The Steelers made it to the AFC Championship that year before losing to the Raiders 24-7.
Celebrating 50 years in the NFL as both a player and coach this season, LeBeau is credited as the architect behind the Steelers "zone blitz" scheme that wreaked havoc on opposing offenses in the mid-1990s, prompting fans to refer to the team as "Blitzburgh."
But when asked if he'd continue coaching beyond Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, LeBeau had one more defensive scheme up his sleeve.
"I'll continue coaching if they [the Steelers] lose, but we're going to try to win," said LeBeau
LeBeau Celebrating 50th Year In NFL
[url="http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/sports/18578366/detail.html"]http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/spo ... etail.html[/url]
TAMPA, Fla. -- At 71-years-old, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has the dubious distinction of being the NFL's oldest coach, but the mastermind behind Pittsburgh's No. 1 ranked defense has proven that tormenting opposing offenses only gets better with age.
In the fifth year of his second stint with the Steelers -- he previously served as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator from 1992-96 -- LeBeau has guided the team to the top of the defensive rankings.
The Steelers finished first in total defense, pass defense and scoring defense and second in run defense at the end of the regular season, drawing comparison between the current squad and some of the all-time greats -- namely the 1976 Steel Curtain team that sent eight defensive players to the Pro Bowl.
"The Steelers of the 70's, I don't know if any defense will ever do what they did. I remember one series of games where it wasn't a matter of whether the opponent was going to score, it was whether they were ever going to make a first down. I've just not seen defense like that -- they were one in a million," said LeBeau.
After starting the season 1-4, the '76 Steelers defense allowed just 28 points in the final nine games of the season.
The Steelers made it to the AFC Championship that year before losing to the Raiders 24-7.
Celebrating 50 years in the NFL as both a player and coach this season, LeBeau is credited as the architect behind the Steelers "zone blitz" scheme that wreaked havoc on opposing offenses in the mid-1990s, prompting fans to refer to the team as "Blitzburgh."
But when asked if he'd continue coaching beyond Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, LeBeau had one more defensive scheme up his sleeve.
"I'll continue coaching if they [the Steelers] lose, but we're going to try to win," said LeBeau
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