Prior to the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Organized Team Activities (OTAs) I gave you three buzz words to listen for a lot as coaches and players spoke after each session. One of those words was “speed.”
I don’t deserve a pat on the back for that nor do I want one because it was pretty common to expect the term to be used a lot considering the infusion of it during the offseason.
Still, it’s good to hear that this team and defense in particular is getting faster because the lack of speed has been an issue for several years now.
One indication of the new-found speed comes from the very guys who are responsible for it. When veteran Ike Taylor appeared Tuesday for his first showing at OTAs he was asked about the “new defense” by Trib-Review beat writer Alan Robinson. Taylor’s reply was “Super-duper fast.”
Taylor went on to tell Robinson that William Gay had given him a head’s up about the new look via text message. Granted, these are young men running around in helmets and shorts (Antonio Brown being the exception as he wears his shoulder pads) but the word coming from the South Side about “speed” is encouraging.
Players will make mistakes in Dick LeBeau’s defense but when they make them going a little faster it might be a little easier to tolerate. The good news for now is that the defense and team in general is getting faster.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard weekly on Trib-Live Radio talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.
