As the Pittsburgh Steelers sit at home and watch the rest of the NFL Playoffs, their to-do list for the offseason seems to be growing by the day.
Several changes need to be made in terms of personnel, but there is one change that won’t be made any time in the near future.
That’s a switch from a 3-4 defense into a 4-3 scheme.
In theory a transition may make sense as it is still a question mark whether or not defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will return in 2015 and head coach Mike Tomlin was always a 4-3 guy before he came to Pittsburgh.
But at the end of the day, it all boils down to personnel and while the Steelers will likely look to revamp their entire defense beginning this offseason, they simply don’t have the personnel to make a change.
When you look at the defensive end positions, which is the one position on the field where the Steelers future looks really bright. Cameron Heyward is a future Pro-Bowler and rookie Stephon Tuitt showed some flashes late in the season that he could turn out to be a solid contributor in the future.
But there is one thing that neither Heyward nor Tuitt can be considered and that is an elite pass rusher.
To make the switch to a 4-3, the Steelers almost need one of the top pass rushers in the game to build around. I don’t see a J.J. Watt, Justin Houston or Elvis Dumervil walking through the door any time soon, so a switch is likely out of the question.
In theory, Daniel McCullers and Steve McLendon could both play tackles so you could have a decent front four, but without that pass rusher, a switch doesn’t make sense.
In reality, the Steelers spend so much time in the sub-packages lately that they play four down linemen a majority of the time anyways, but it hasn’t resulted I getting to the quarterback.
It all boils down to pass rush, a place the Steelers have struggled since the 2010 season when they recorded 48 sacks during the regular season. Coincidently that is the last time this franchise has won a playoff game.
Since then the Steelers have been on a steady decline of getting to the quarterback. They recorded only 35 sacks during the 2011 campaign, 37 in 2012, 34 in 2013 and bottomed out this season by only reaching the quarterback a mere 33 times.
That also has impacted the overall defense as the secondary has been torched and the Steelers have struggled stopping the run as well.
After finishing only ranked No. 13 in the NFL in total defense last season, the Steelers finished only at No. 18 this past season.
It all boils down to having the right personnel and the Steelers simply don’t have it to succeed no matter what scheme they want to play.
Another question about a potential switch to a 4-3 is what to do with Ryan Shazier?
While Lawrence Timmons would certainly play the middle in a 4-3, would the Steelers be willing to move their 2014 first-round pick to the outside after just one season? Shazier does have the speed to come off the edge and has the coverage skills, something all of the Steelers current crop of outside linebackers severely lack.
When the Steelers selected Shazier, I wasn’t crazy about the pick, but I felt he would be better served as an outside linebacker in the NFL. I still feel that way, but I can’t see the Steelers making the switch. He was drafted to play the inside and that is where you will see him next season.
No matter what defensive scheme the Steelers elect to play next season, they have a ton of work to do as a front office to find playmakers to fit into this defense.
At the end of the day, fans of a switch to a 4-3 must realize that a possible transition would take years and wouldn’t happen overnight.
LeBeau may or may not be back on the Steelers sidelines next season, but ultimately most of his defensive philosophies will be there.
The Steelers are constructed to play a 3-4 and that is the way they will likely stay.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
