With Dick LeBeau resigning—marking an end to his long and distinguished career with the Pittsburgh Steelers—the question lies in who will succeed the Hall of Famer as the team’s future defensive coordinator.
Thus begins a transitional period for the team’s defense. Stars Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and Ike Taylor have reached the end of their brilliant careers in black and gold. The “new” stalwarts are Lawrence Timmons and Cameron Heyward, two of the only defensive stars developed since Mike Tomlin took over coaching duties in 2007. The future of young players such as Ryan Shazier, Jarvis Jones, Shamarko Thomas and Stephon Tuitt lies in the team’s next coordinator.
Here’s a look at four potential candidates for that job.
Keith Butler, Steelers LB coach
Butler has long been viewed as the heir apparent for LeBeau, and the Steelers have satisfied him with large contract extensions and salary increases.
He has been with the team since 2003, and played a key role in developing players like Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Timmons, Larry Foote and Jason Worilds. Even James Farrior, who started his career in New York, came to be a dominant force under Butler.
The knock on Butler is that he’s been there in the team’s glory days as well as the recent decline (on defense). Jarvis Jones hasn’t developed as the team had hoped he would and the team also missed on Stevenson Sylvester and other mid and late-round talent at the position.
Another question is whether Butler would revitalize the team’s defensive scheme. In the past few years, the same tactics that brought Pittsburgh so much success seemed to be dated and predictable. Until someone else emerges, he should be considered as the favorite for the job.
Raheem Morris, Redskins DB coach
Morris, who flopped as a head coach in Tampa Bay in much the same fashion as LeBeau did with the Cincinnati Bengals a little over a decade ago, is currently coaching defensive backs for a team that is looking for a new coordinator.
Morris is a respected defensive mind that was a fast-rising assistant before his disastrous head coaching stint with the Buccaneers.
Morris and Tomlin worked together in Tampa and could reunite. Tomlin was a 4-3 guy before coming to Pittsburgh and he could bring in Morris to install a similar system with the Steelers. Morris would be a departure from LeBeau and could be the type of fresh voice this team desperately seems to need.
The question will be if he can develop talent better than Butler could. He’s a name to watch as things unfold.
Steve Spagnuolo, Ravens secondary coach
Pittsburgh could attempt to poach a hot name from a rival by hiring Baltimore’s Spagnuolo as the team’s new defensive coordinator.
Like Morris, Spagnuolo flopped as a head coach with the St. Louis Rams. But he’s also one of this past era’s most respected defensive minds as an innovative schemer that utilizes multiple blitz packages. He also runs the 4-3 that many believe Pittsburgh could switch to in the near future.
Spagnuolo is an outside-the-box name and he’ll be hard to pry away from the Ravens. He’s rumored to be interested in a return to New York to work with Tom Coughlin and the Giants. That is where Spagnuolo did his best work as a defensive coordinator. The failure in New Orleans is a concern, but he could be the right guy at the right time for the Steelers. His overall system is similar to that of LeBeau and would likely provide a seamless transition for players.
He has no connection to Tomlin or Pittsburgh, but that could be a good thing for a team in search of a new identity on defense. If the team is looking for a fresh voice on the defensive side of the ball, he might be the type of dark horse that ends up getting the job.
Carnell Lake, Steelers DB coach
Butler may be the favorite in-house candidate, but he’s not the only name that could be of interest. Lake was a great corner and safety during his time in Pittsburgh as a player. Despite the team’s struggles in the secondary, he could be the guy to take the reins of the defense and revitalize it.
Lake has never served as a coordinator at any level, so this would be a real shot in the dark. He does, however, provide some continuity given his long-standing relationship with LeBeau, whom he has coached with and played under. AndTomlin may opt for Lake so that he can take a greater hand in defensive matters as well.
Lake isn’t a likely option, but if the team is looking to go in-house and isn’t truly sold on Butler, they could go this route in an attempt to return the Steelers defense to the prominent unit it once was.
