Mark Twain once said there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin would like to say the same. Currently, the Steelers are 28th in total defense (yards allowed). And yet, the team is 2-1 after holding the New England Patriots to 14 points last week.
Two injured players – ILB Cole Holcomb and first-round DT Derrick Harmon – returned to face the Pats. Two more starters could return this week to face the explosive Minnesota Vikings. Defensive backs Joey Porter Jr. and DeShon Elliott – valued starters last season – have shown up on the practice field this week.
"Two guys that have been with us," said Austin. "Familiarity with being here and being with me and in this system allows to you do some things."
Austin went into coachly detail about those things.
"It gives you some flexibility because sometimes you get in the game and there are some things you may not have worked on that we go, 'Hey, we need this game.' Or, 'Hey, guys, we're going to do this,' and they have recall and they're able to get to those things. When you have newer guys, that's not the case. You've got to figure out how to adjust and deal with what you put in that week."
The "newer guys" fully populated the Steelers' secondary in the two games since Porter and Elliott got injured. The top five defensive backs against the Seahawks are all new to the Steelers this season, while the top six defensive backs against the Patriots -- with the recent addition of Jabrill Peppers -- are new to the Steelers this season.
Little wonder "communication issues" have cropped up.
For a secondary that showed off its smothering skills early in training camp, and became the reason for high expectations of the defense as a whole this season, those issues have resulted in skewed statistics.
"There are certain things that go on at camp, and that's good," Austin said. "But (it doesn't matter) until you're in a game and you see how guys react and go in the game and learn them in the game. ... Now that we're starting to get those game snaps under our belt, I kind of see us getting a little bit better.
"We've got a long ways to go, don't get me wrong," Austin added, "but I feel we can get there because I think I like the talent and the work ethic of the group."
If Porter and Elliott play this week, they'll bolster a secondary that's going against a Vikings offense highlighted by wide receiver Justin Jefferson and tight end T.J. Hockenson. They'll be joined by the return of former Pitt star Jordan Addison, a talented wide receiver coming off a three-game NFL suspension.
After three games, the Steelers rank 28th in yards allowed per reception, 26th in total pass defense, and 24th in opponents' passer rating. The combination of cohesion and health will no doubt help. Porter and Elliott join Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey, Brandin Echols, Chuck Clark, Juan Thornill, and Peppers to form a who's who of talented veterans.
"There's a nice high ceiling in that room," Austin said. "We have talent, but we also have veterans. We have some good young talent. To me, the secondary is a lot like an offensive line. You have to get to learn to play together because of all the intricacies that go on with your group.
"I just think they have an opportunity to really get better. I'm not going to go out and say, 'Hey, we're going to be X, Y, and Z,' but I just like the fact that we do have a lot of room to improve. I think if we make those improvements and do that, that's going to help us win a lot of games."
As for the skewed statistics on offense, coordinator Arthur Smith pointed to the Steelers' alleged inability to throw deep. Aaron Rodgers has thrown an NFL-high 31.4 percent of his passes behind the line of scrimmage, but he's compiled a 120.2 passer rating on short passes (less than 10 air yards), according to NextGen Stats. And Smith pointed out that the game-winning touchdown pass last week to Calvin Austin was recorded as a 17-yarder but could've gone further.
Much further.
"We won the game on a deep ball as the field ran out," Smith said. "If we had been 40 yards back, that could have been a 60, 70-yard touchdown. So it's not by lack of trying. We opened the season going deep, and we got sacked. ... So it's not like it's been quick game, 3 yards and a cloud of dust. They still have to defend that stuff, and you got to hit more of them.
"We've got to continue to work, do a better job, make sure we're better in just the basic fundamentals, whether that's blocking, taking advantage of some of the man (coverage), and how we release. All of that stuff goes into it. But there's not a lack of vertical speed. If you want to say 'Well, do a better job of it,' that's fair. But it's not for lack of intent."
The message from both coordinators: Don't be surprised if the statistics tell a different story next week.
