Communication issues continue to plague Steelers defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense continues to experience problems with on-field communication.

Keith Butler has been at the helm of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense since taking over Dick LeBeau's throne before the 2015 season. LeBeau, considered one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time, left crater-sized shoes for Butler to fill in his first season. Despite the large expectations, Butler's first season as DC in Pittsburgh saw the Steelers lead the league in red zone turnovers, while also improving their sack total, turnovers and points allowed per game. 

Fast forward to 2019, where Butler has yet to help the Steelers in their quest for a seventh Lombardi Trophy as he enters his fifth season with his current duties. Two weeks into the regular season, the Steelers are 0-2 while allowing 61 points through both games played, a standard that shouldn't exactly be the standard.

Pittsburgh's defense has led the NFL in sacks for the last two years. Despite displaying the ability to get to the quarterback, the Steelers have rarely rose to the occasion when a stop was needed. Sunday's home debut against the Seattle Seahawks confirmed precisely that. 

Example #28292 of a Keith Butler defense failing to rise to the occasion. pic.twitter.com/pUAvHQKglb

— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) September 16, 2019

Though different circumstances approach Butler's defense every time they take the field, one common denominator remains once the final whistle blows: Miscommunication. 

“It was just all about communication,” said rookie linebacker Devin Bush after Sunday's loss. “Lack of communication. Still something we’ve got to clean up, got to get a lot better in.”

Communication (or lack thereof in this case) is nothing new for the Steelers on the defensive side of the ball. Take the Steelers opener in New England, where after the 33-3 thumping via the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, Butler wasn't shy about the errors:

"Us coaches didn't go a good enough job of getting these guys ready to get the right communication on the field and that was causing the busted assignments" said Butler following the game. 

2019 is not the lone exception to said issues, as Pittsburgh's week one match-up last year in Cleveland featured miscommunications of fairly incredible levels to the point where the defense ran two different plays at once. One could even track back to 2017, where Butler's defense once again experienced problems with communication on the field. 

If you're ambitious enough, you likely would be able to find many more examples of these early season woes. No matter how far back you go, however, one constant remains: Keith Butler continually fails to properly prepare his defense from a year-to-year basis. 

It doesn't stop or end at simply relaying the plays and being on the same page. However, establishing the basics of signals and play-calling clearly has not been effective on whatever fronts Butler has exercised them. 

In years prior, the Steelers have possessed the offensive firepower to overcome such defensive shortcomings. Yet the Steelers remain win-less through two weeks of play, and with the lack of production on the offensive side of the football, the burden of righting the ship in Pittsburgh starts in the headset of Keith Butler.