Steelers' secret to success at LB may come from an unpredictable name
The Pittsburgh Steelers have overhauled their inside linebacking corps as we approach the start of the 2023 season. Out with the modern version of the position, and in with the old-school thumpers, Pittsburgh acquired names like Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Nick Kwiatkoski in an effort to get back to their roots at the position. […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers have overhauled their inside linebacking corps as we approach the start of the 2023 season.
Out with the modern version of the position, and in with the old-school thumpers, Pittsburgh acquired names like Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Nick Kwiatkoski in an effort to get back to their roots at the position.
But what if I told you that the biggest acquisition of the group wasn't a player, but a coach instead?
A top-five pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, Steelers inside linebacker coach Aaron Curry was hired this offseason as a part of the re-modeling that the notorious position is undergoing in Pittsburgh.
Curry is up for the task, as he brings passion and enthusiasm to the position that will have to be replaced by his players on the field:
“You show them what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable,” Curry told Gary Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Every man in the room has to see that and take that critique and learn what’s going to be acceptable for linebackers and what’s going to be unacceptable."
“Go look at how the Steelers have played defense around here for years. Guys have been running and hitting for years, playing physical and tough for years. Show them the men who have played in this uniform before them and they understand what’s acceptable. If it doesn’t look like that, it’s unacceptable.”
Curry was not hired by coincidence. In the last few years, the Steelers tried to copy the growing trend of getting smaller but faster at the inside linebacker position. Names like Devin Bush and Myles Jack come to mind, with more misfits now out of Pittsburgh.
But those days are over. Pittsburgh may sacrifice the coverage ability and sideline-sideline range that inundates the position today, but this group was hired to play downhill, with energy and force.
“I watch him. I watch how he interacts with the guys. He has a lot of really good energy,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said on behalf of Curry. “He’s really wide-eyed. He pushes those guys. He has all the good stuff a good young coach has. He’ll develop as a coach as he goes, and his players will develop, as well, because he’s doing all the right things. He’s got a lot of young juice.”
So while question marks remain about just how feasible this unit will be on the field, we know they will bring the passion and intensity down in and down out.
Because if they don't, they won't be playing for Coach Curry.
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Featured image via: © Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports
