Steelers Defense Running out of Time to Adapt to New Coordinator, System

Very few within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization—and hardly anyone outside it—expected major strides from the team's defense in a transitional 2015 season, but the growth is going to have to come quick after an opening-night drubbing by the New England Patriots.

At the hands of a recently freed Tom Brady, the Steelers allowed the Pats offense to get rolling early, and it never really stopped. The final score read 28-21, but the way those 28 points were put up will hang over the Steelers' heads going into extended preparation for Week 2.

Poor communication, missed tackles and blown assignments were commonplace in the Steelers defense Thursday, trends rarely, if ever, seen under the leadership of longtime defensive leader Dick LeBeau. New defensive coordinator Keith Butler has his work cut out to get the group ready for a grueling season.

Unsurprisingly, the main thorn in the Steelers' side was one Rob Gronkowski.

The Patriots tight end wrecked the Pittsburgh defense almost single-handedly, catching three touchdowns on five catches for 94 yards. The Steelers tried to cover him with every linebacker on the roster. Nobody could cover him.

Perhaps some of Gronk's catches would have been made against any defense, but one play stood out as especially alarming. With the Steelers finally within a possession at 21-14 early in the fourth, Gronkowski broke free behind coverage for a wide-open 52-yard gain.

Mike Rodak of ESPN noticed a recurrence from preseason struggles against the Buffalo Bills:

The stubbornness of the Steelers to stick to their scheme also played a part when a quick adjustment may have made a difference. Instead of ditching a Cover 2 scheme that allowed Gronkowski plenty of room to roam against outmatched linebackers, Pittsburgh stuck to it and continued getting burned.

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Even NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth was in on a trend that the Steelers' defensive minds were slow to come to, as CoachingSearch.com reported:

The issues went past simple scheming for Pittsburgh. Defenders constantly looked confused and unaware as the Patriots showed multiple odd formations, allowing New England to easily pick up yardage on the ground and find holes in the defense.

Case in point—the Patriots' first three scoring drives amassed a total of 31 plays. Even early in the game when fatigue didn't factor, the Steelers were helpless in slowing up a Patriots offense that looked machine-like by comparison.

You know it's bad when comedian Frank Caliendo chimes in:

When it comes down to it, any adjustments the Steelers make to their defense will have to coincide with better play from the defensive backs.

The Patriots' wide receiving duo of Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola isn't near the NFL's best, but they just about looked like it Thursday. In just his second career start, Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake looked lost, and William Gay's uncharacteristic struggles meant he couldn't pick up the slack.

Steelers coaches wanted to talk communication problems stemming from headset issues, but Bleacher Report's Matt Miller reminded us where the onus should be put:

It may not be a simple fix for the Steelers to right their wrongs, but there wasn't much panic steaming from the locker room. As defensive end Cam Heyward shared, it's just a matter of moving on to the next one, as he told Ken Laird of TribLIVE:

Pittsburgh fans following the preseason knew early struggles could bubble to the surface after presumed starting safety Shamarko Thomas—pegged to replace the great Troy Polamalu—was benched in favor of Will Allen. 

Preseason changes in the starting lineup are never a good thing when it's not due to injury, and that was the case Thursday night.

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It's not like these struggles are anything new for the Steelers, who finished 2014 ranked in the bottom five in passing touchdowns conceded and net yards allowed per play, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. 

The defense didn't ultimately doom that squad until the postseason. But if the 2015 edition wants to even get that far, the defense will have to figure out ways to hold strong offenses like New England's under 20 points.

Perhaps there's a small reprieve in terms of scheduling, as the Steelers' two upcoming opponents—the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams—aren't exactly elite through the air. It's possible they could turn out to look that way, however, if Pittsburgh keeps up the current act.

There's still time for the Steelers to turn it around and get closer to the defensive edge that the franchise was built upon. They're only 0-1, after all. 

But if Butler and the rest of the defense doesn't figure out a way to seriously slow down the potent offenses they're set to face, Ben Roethlisberger and the soon-to-return Le'Veon Bell won't be able to carry them.

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