Patrick Graham can sum up his lofty aspirations for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in three words, no matter if he’s coaching his players or chatting with fans.
The Steel Curtain, he says.
The 47-year-old was born at the tail end of the franchise’s dynasty of the 1970s, only three days after the Steelers defeated the Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII, to be exact. However, since becoming defensive coordinator, Graham has made a point to mention those Super Steelers and the great defenses since.
“The benefit of being here with the Steelers is that there’s a clear standard in terms of what the people of the city and the town and what the Rooney family expect … the Steel Curtain,” Graham said. “There’s no need for me as a coordinator to come up with any gimmicks for what we’ve got to do.”
Inside linebacker Payton Wilson said Graham’s message isn’t that this year’s defense is destined to be great because of those past teams. Instead, Graham holds up the Steel Curtain as an example of the greatness that is attainable.
“PG’s been really clear. He wants it to be the Steel Curtain, but we have to earn that right,” Wilson said. “That’s not something that just comes with being a part of the Steelers. Those are some great, great defenses that have earned that name.”
The original Steel Curtain teams won four Super Bowls with rosters full of future Hall of Famers. They had a top-10 defense every year from 1972-79, finished among the top five in yards allowed six times and twice ranked first overall.
It’s been a while since a modern-day Steelers defense claimed greatness. They haven’t had a top-10 ranking in the past five seasons. They most recently ranked first in 2012.
They were 26th last year.
“You’ve got to want to play to that standard every single year,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “We know that those guys who played during the Steel Curtain, they kind of set the standard for Steelers defense around here. We know we have the talent and the players to be able to be that type of defense. So that should be a realistic expectation for us to perform like that. We’ve just got to go out and do it.”
Highsmith also summed up the great Steelers defenses in three words: “Hard, fast and physical.”
The seventh-year pro was a rookie in 2020 when the Steelers finished third in total defense. They haven’t ranked better than 12th since, with three years ranking in the 20s.
“When you watch the tape, you want to see a bunch of guys flying around, making plays, forcing turnovers,” Highsmith said. “And so that’s something we’ve got to pride ourselves on.”
Graham coordinated the Las Vegas Raiders defense for four seasons before the Steelers hired him. His Raiders squads ranked higher than the Steelers in two of the past three seasons, finishing 14th last year.
He already knew the Steel Curtain legacy but learned more about Pittsburghers’ passion for defense. He said fans aren’t shy about sharing their expectations, wherever he might see them around town.
“It doesn’t matter, gas station, grocery store — I don’t go to the grocery store — out for dinner, yeah,” he said laughing. “At the airport, yes, very serious about it. But it’s fun to be in a town where the people are passionate about football like that.”
Graham describes himself as a kid from Connecticut who wasn’t a great football player, had a knack for coaching and “got lucky” by ending up with “one of the more storied franchises in American sports.”
So, he appreciates passionate fans.
“They’ll make it clear to you in terms of what they expect, and I think it’s kind of cool,” Graham said. “We’re trying to figure out and earn our way in this tradition of Steelers defense. There are lofty goals there, in terms of the teams that have come before us, all the great coaches that have been here before, and just trying to earn our place in this tradition.
“I know this, we’re far away from that,” he said. “It’s just imagination right now, but we just got to work hard, put in the work, day by day, and go from there.”