Tag: teryl austin

Why Steelers fans should be concerned about Art Rooney II’s 2025 plan

Steelers fans should brace for a frustrating 2025, as Art Rooney II remains committed to a wait-and-see approach with Mike Tomlin’s staff.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, a playoff win cannot come soon enough—and the supposed plan for the 2025 season leaves little hope for one anytime soon.

Steelers President Art Rooney II shot down the idea of cleaning house within the Black and Gold coaching staff—a change that desperately needs to happen, especially regarding DC Teryl Austin, with the 2024 defensive struggles falling squarely on his shoulders.

Rooney also touched on the offensive staff, claiming that the team had reworked the offense more than ever before last offseason—and he remains optimistic about what it will look like under Arthur Smith again in 2025.

Rooney’s plan for the Steelers’ 2025 season is rather simple—continue trusting Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff.

The standard Tomlin once spoke so highly of has shifted from winning championships to accepting mediocrity—and Rooney practically gave him the greenlight for this to continue.

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers should honestly prepare for the worst heading into 2025, as Rooney expects change without making any significant changes.

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Steelers lose defensive coach to the New York Jets

Aaron Curry is leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers for the New York Jets, raising questions about potential coaching changes this offseason.

It has begun! Art Rooney II told everyone that while coaching staff changes were coming, the moves wouldn’t be “wholesale.”

Aaron Curry, who has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team’s inside linebackers coach since February 2023, has been hired by the New York Jets as their new linebackers coach.

While no one can deny the inconsistency surrounding the run-stopping duties of the linebacker room in 2024, Curry was hardly the problem behind the defensive struggles as a whole.

Curry is expected to play a major role on the New York Jets’ coaching staff under new head coach Aaron Glenn and new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

Will more changes follow Curry’s departure from the Black and Gold? If so, will the Pittsburgh Steelers make the right decision and move on from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin? No one can deny that this 2025 offseason is shaping up to be an exciting one as January comes to a close.

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Coaching staff size not an issue for Steelers team president

The Steelers maintain one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the smallest coaching staffs in the entire NFL. While some teams have individual passing game and run game coordinators and specialized defensive coaches, the Steelers keep it very old school, which amounts to the absolute bare minimum.

Steelers President Art Rooney II was asked about this by the local Pittsburgh media and he defended the small coaching staff and said he didn’t think it is a limiting factor for this team despite its struggles.

“I just don’t see that holding us back,” Rooney said. “I don’t think that’s our problem.”

It has always felt like the Steelers are micromanaged by head coach Mike Tomlin. Since the days of guys like Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians ended, Tomlin seems to want to keep his thumb on everything and a larger coaching staff would only create more work for him.

The Steelers went 10-7 in 2024 but faded down the stretch to the tune of four straight losses in the regular season and getting doubled up by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs.

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Steelers remain silent on the coaching front

It would appear the Steelers have no plans to change any of their coaching staff.

At the end of every NFL season, we see a huge turnover of head coaches as well as key assistants. Good teams, bad teams and every team in between are a part of this cycle. Except, as it seems, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite an absolute collapse in the final five weeks of the season, including the playoffs, Pittsburgh has opted to just sit by and maintain the status quo.

The Steelers offense showed some growth last season under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. They went from 23rd in the league in scoring in 2023 to 16th in the NFL in 2024. Even scoring improved slightly from No. 25 to No. 23.

Defensively, this group was a mixed bag. The defensive allowed fewer yards in 2024 but gave up more points. The defense also struggled to get after the quarterback. The team finished with only 40 sacks, which was the third-straight season 47 sacks or fewer.

All of this eventually circles back around to head coach Mike Tomlin but it’s become clear Tomlin isn’t going anywhere. However, the Steelers coordinators should be fair game. There are so many young offensive and defensive minds in the NFL who could bring the Steelers into the modern NFL if the team was just willing to take a chance on them.

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Report: Steelers not planning big coaching changes

According to Ray Fittipaldo, the Teryl Austin and Pat Meyer’s jobs are safe.

When a team is struggling, ownership typically guts out the coaching staff to find better fits for the players. It’s much easier to swap a couple of coaches and roll the dice on them as opposed to a huge number of players.

But it sounds like the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to do neither in their endless quest to rise out of mediocrity in the NFL. According to Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, he doesn’t get the sense the Steelers plan to move on from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin or offensive line coach Pat Meyer.

The Steelers offseason feels like Groundhog Day sometimes. The season goes the same but nothing changes. Head coach Mike Tomlin preached about changes in his end-of-the-year press conference but if they don’t start with firing the worse two assistants on the staff, we aren’t sure how much any other changes will matter.

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If Mike Tomlin stays, Steelers DC Teryl Austin needs to go

Teryl Austin’s future with the Steelers is in question as criticisms mount over his handling of a star-studded defense in 2024.

The once-illustrious winning ways of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Black and Gold symbol of excellence continue to be tarnished by HC Mike Tomlin’s ‘winning seasons” and his coaching staff—more specifically, DC Teryl Austin.

Insider Gerry Dulac reported that Tomlin is likely to remain with the Steelers in 2025. With this information in mind, it’s time to wish Austin the best in his future endeavors.

If Pittsburgh hopes to remain competitive in 2025 and beyond under Tomlin, something from this subpar coaching staff needs to change—and it starts with the defensive coordinator.

Austin was gift-wrapped one of the greatest defenses on paper a coach could ask for, yet he failed to coach and prepare them for the tough battles that awaited in 2024.

There is no reason why a defense that features some of the best run defenders in DeShon Elliott and Elandon Roberts, as well as the generational veteran talent of T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, should give up almost 300 rushing yards to any NFL team—let alone a divisional rival in the playoffs.

The recipe for 2025 success is simple: if Tomlin stays, he needs to choose greatness over his loyalty to Austin.

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Cory Trice Jr’s Week 18 struggles fall on team’s inability to adapt

Cory Trice Jr.’s struggles against Ja’Marr Chase in Week 18 highlight the Steelers’ recent failures to adjust defensively.

Several positional mismatches are to blame for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 18 loss, and one of the biggest was CB Cory Trice Jr. versus WR Ja’Marr Chase.

Trice, positioning himself as the future of the Steelers’ secondary—and still very well could be—struggled mightily against Chase. However, the Steelers’ defensive coaching adjustments offered little support.

The young corner was tasked with covering the projected 2024 Triple Crown winner in Chase and immediately gave up a touchdown on the first drive.

The commentary crew echoed what every Steelers fan was thinking: why was there no safety help? Help would remain scarce as Chase continued to tear apart the Steelers’ defense.

Eventually, the Steelers’ coaches switched starting lock-down CB Joey Porter Jr. to Chase’s side, and Black and Gold defensive success followed. however, the damage was already done, as Chase finished the night with 96 receiving yards and a TD on 10 receptions.

Although Trice’s elite play in Week 17 led to disappointment in Week 18, DC Teryl Austin and HC Mike Tomlin must be held accountable for not making a change earlier in the game—or providing Trice additional help over the top.

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Steelers DC offers pep talk to media over defensive struggles

Teryl Austin had some choice words about his Steelers defense.

Last week, several Pittsburgh Steelers players spoke their minds about the struggles with the Steelers defense. And they did it publicly. This felt like something quite out of character for a Mike Tomlin-led team.

But this week, the coaches and even players are doing some classic damage control by saying all the right things and offering up plenty of coaches speak and talking points. This includes defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

“I would much rather have them be emotional and be upset about things not going their way than not giving a shit,” Austin said. Our guys give a shit.”

We have no doubt there are plenty of guys who give a…well that care. But there’s no doubt there are guys who are not putting forth their best effort. The Steelers take on a hot Cincinnati Bengals team this week and cannot afford the volume of lapses this defense has had during their current three-game losing streak.

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Do Steelers have another ‘Matt Canada problem’ with DC Teryl Austin?

Teryl Austin faces scrutiny in 2024, echoing Matt Canada’s 2023 firing, despite coaching a more talented Pittsburgh Steelers roster.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It appears Steelers fans are once again attempting to run a coordinator out of town, as the Black and Gold faithful are now hoping DC Teryl Austin will receive the infamous ‘Matt Canada treatment.’

Much to the delight of Steelers fans, Canada was rightfully fired in 2023 for his poor performance as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. Austin, meanwhile, is showing signs of losing the locker room’s vote of confidence in 2024, as the once-great Steelers defense has displayed significant regression over the past three weeks.

After poor defensive showings in consecutive losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs—giving up over 1,200 yards of offense in those contests—fans of the Black and Gold are calling for a change in leadership at the defensive coordinator position.

Canada was fired for overseeing a poor offense with an equally underwhelming roster, while Austin has the advantage of coaching some of the league’s best defenders.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers fail to win a playoff game in 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Austin receive his pink slip during the 2025 offseason.

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Steelers’ DC isn’t keen on treating LB Payton Wilson like a rookie

Steelers’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin spoke highly of Payton Wilson’s maturity and what it means for the team.

It is clear that not every rookie needs time to adjust to the NFL level of speed.  Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson has been turning heads through seven weeks of the 2024 season with his elite play in both the pass and run defense.  His instincts have further supported the argument that Wilson deserves more play time on defense, as he has been used sparingly thus far.

Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin seems to agree that the rookie linebacker shouldn’t be restrained in any capacity, as his maturity allows for the team to place more trust in his play.

The team would be wise to continue to treat him as a more established player in the league, even though he might have far less experience than other linebackers on the roster.  The admiration that Wilson’s teammates and coaches have for him is backed up by his competitive spirit on and off the field.

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