It’s Put Up Or Shut Up Time For Teryl Austin
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Job security is a tricky thing. To have it is a great feeling. To not can be stressful. Sometimes, however, one can have too much comfort in their role. Over the years, people have argued over the concept of tenure. On one hand, it protects teachers and professors from unjust firings, while critics of the concept argue it can inspire complacency or laziness. The same can apply to football coaches, and historically, coaching for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a high-security position.
As you may have heard, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. It’s an incredible feat that should help secure his place in Canton, but it has done nothing for the Steelers fans over the past decade. And I say this as a believer in Tomlin. Even after pitiful performances against the Patriots and the Cardinals in 2023, I couldn’t overcome one argument: Who would the Steelers hire if Tomlin were fired?
As the season came to a close, and both Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel were suddenly on the market, yinzers got antsy. With legitimate, bonafide top head coaches on the table, people called for the dismissal of Pittsburgh’s third coach in over 60 years for the organization. Art Rooney and the Steelers front office responded by awarding Coach T another extension, putting to rest any real “hot seat” conversations.
Unfortunately, Tomlin isn’t the only coach who seems to be fighting for a job in Pittsburgh. Or at, he least shouldn’t be.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was promoted through the ranks in a way similar to former Pittsburgh coordinators Keith Butler, Bruce Arians, and, of course, Matt Canada. He stepped into the role with a stout defensive roster and the best defensive player on the planet. With depth and talent all over the field, statistically, the Steelers’ defense has been just okay under Austin.
The Steelers were exceptional when it came to points allowed last season. They were also sixth-best when it came to red zone conversions, and of course, they were stellar against the run. Pittsburgh’s defense was also dominant in the second half, often propping the game up nicely for the offense through a myriad of turnovers and fourth-down stops.
That’s the good, now comes the bad. The defense was also gashed on multiple occasions by tight ends. This correlated with a lack of third-down success, being in the league’s bottom third at making the stop. It’s not fair to completely separate blame between players and coaches, but sometimes it seems apparent. The Steelers’ defense was eighth in takeaways in 2023, and the team had the highest turnover margin in the league. Still, this was coupled with them allowing 5.4 yards per play, which is bottom 10 in the league.
Combining the stats with what we watched, it sure felt like the playmakers were saving the day, winning games despite glaring flaws on the defensive side of the ball. Hell, look no further than Minkah Fitzpatrick losing his bolts at the end of the game against Green Bay last year. Injured and on the sideline, Minkah yelled and jumped in the air to get someone to call a timeout to fix a gap in coverage, exchanging passionate words with Austin in the process.
A changing of the guard is imminent with the potential departure of Cam Heyward. With one of the best, longest-tenured playmakers on defense possibly out the door, Austin will have to prove he can out-scheme his opponents, rather than simply rely on his wealth of talent. Austin’s pedigree suggests he could struggle.
The Steelers are 1-10 in the absence of T.J. Watt, with six of those losses coming under Austin in 2022. Again, he is the best defensive player in the league according to many, but it shouldn’t be a death sentence when he’s out. Like his older brother, T.J.’s style of play can create situations where he misses some time. As a case study, those games are an indictment of Austin. This is especially painful for Steeler Nation because Austin remained in the position when Brian Flores packed his bag for Minnesota after the 2022 season.
Khan will be hard-pressed to find a new playmaker prior to the 2025 season, particularly if they don’t manage to hang on to Heyward. But it can’t be all on the GM to make up for struggling schematics, it needs to be done with the pieces they have at their disposal. If Austin doesn’t prove he can plug the holes on defense, the Steelers should consider finding a coordinator who can, before it’s too late for the guys currently keeping them afloat.
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