The struggling Steelers defense -- short on sacks and turnovers -- will have a different look Sunday in Baltimore. Pittsburgh is planning to look more like some of its units of old. After weeks of self scouting, including significant introspection during the recent bye week, coaches are intent on adopting a more aggressive approach in the second half of the season.
The defense has been less willing to gamble by bringing numbers on the blitz under new coordinator Keith Butler. The lack of natural pass rushers and a secondary prone to lapses have been issues. For years under vaunted coordinator Dick LeBeau, the Steelers were synonymous with hyper-aggressive defensive approaches and bringing pressure from all over, and many of the veterans were hopeful this staff would employ more of that philosophy.
That strategy will become more the norm now, with the Steelers already giving up more yards and points than they would like, and intent on gambling to attempt to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. The Steelers rank last in the NFL with eight sacks -- the NFL average is 17 -- and they have only three interceptions, tied for the league's second-lowest total.
