Dick LeBeau to Titans: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is no longer unemployed after reportedly agreeing to terms with the Tennessee Titans. The team provided details on the position in a release: "The Tennessee Titans named Dick LeBeau as Assistant Head Coach/Defense. LeBeau will be in charge of the defense and Ray Horton will work with him to implement it."

The team also passed along comments from head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who spoke about the move to bring in LeBeau:

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This is a unique opportunity to add someone like Dick to our coaching staff. He is a proven commodity in this league and great teacher. One of his greatest assets is the rare ability to relate to all different kinds of players and get the most of them. We had a lot of success together in Pittsburgh and I am looking forward to working together again.

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LeBeau had a whirlwind offseason after parting ways with the Steelers. For a short time, it seemed like he was headed to Arizona in some capacity, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Phoenix:

However, things didn't pan out, as Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported LeBeau didn't want to uproot his family to Arizona:

At the time LeBeau's resignation from the Steelers was announced, he told the Daily Citizen (via Steve Stout of the Urbana Citizen) that it was "just time to make a break." 

Not surprisingly, LeBeau's departure left an indelible impression on Pittsburgh. Former Steelers Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the work LeBeau and Dom Capers did together:

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It was a fascinating time. I feel really privileged to have been around coach LeBeau and coach Capers and that staff. In the old dorms up at Saint Vincent, my room was right across the hall from their room, and I did quite a bit of eavesdropping. To hear them talk about their philosophy, the scheme, I feel very fortunate to have been a part of that.

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Getting LeBeau is a major coup for the Titans. He's a Hall of Famer who is widely regarded for his innovative defensive schemes, though the results haven't been there the past two years in Pittsburgh as that group has gotten older and more fragile. 

No matter where LeBeau ended up, it was going to be a tremendous hire. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010 thanks in large part to the magnificent work he did as a defensive coordinator.

The Steelers weren't the same defense in 2014, though that was the result of an aging secondary that struggled to stay healthy more than anything LeBeau was or wasn't doing. With one of the great defensive minds in NFL history on the sideline, his new defense could be ready to take a big leap forward in 2015.