Mad World
Getting Defensive
By Mark Madden

How did the Steelers' defense go from being a dominant, Super Bowl-winning unit in 2008 to losing five games via blown fourth-quarter leads in the team's first 14 games of the 2009 season?

It's pretty simple, really:

o   The defense's two most important players, safety Troy Polamalu and defensive end Aaron Smith, sustained grievous injuries.
o   Cornerback Bryant McFadden and linebacker Larry Foote left. Their replacements, William Gay and Lawrence Timmons, were downgrades.
o   Linebacker James Farrior and cornerback Deshea Townsend grew old in a hurry. The decline in their play was steep.
o   Linebacker James Harrison, suddenly the Steelers' primary defensive weapon with Polamalu and Smith sidelined, couldn't deal with the added pressure and saw his performance dip.
o   Ryan Clark and Tyrone Carter became the NFL's two worst safeties in Polamalu's absence.
o   Coordinator Dick Lebeau made his schemes uncharacteristically unaggressive with Polamalu out, rushing few and dropping many.
o   Lack of success, as it often does, bred lack of success.

Any questions?

It was ugly, and it was inexcusable

Surrendering fourth-quarter leads isn't the Steelers' style, but it happened all season. The Steelers blew three fourth-quarter leads against the Raiders. They nearly blew one against two-win Detroit. They blew two more in a 37-36 win over Green Bay Dec. 20, surviving when Ben Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace with a 19-yard touchdown on the game's final play.

Does the defense rely too much on two players? If so, it's improperly built.

Is the defense overconfident? Probably. The only thing it didn't lose this year is its propensity to thump its collective chest after routine plays.

Is the defense in need of a major overhaul? Yes.

The Steel Curtain foreshadowed its devolution into The 45-Minute Men during Super Bowl XLIII vs. Arizona. Roethlisberger bailed it out then, too. It's broke. Fix it.

In terms of personnel, high draft picks must be used on defensive backs. Ike Taylor isn't good enough to be an anchor. Polamalu isn't healthy enough to count on. Gay isn't good enough to start. Clark and Carter aren't good enough to wear the uniform. Clark punched his exit ticket with a bizarre, nine-minute, anti-fan, anti-media diatribe last month. Clark's rambling was almost as embarrassing as his play.

Linebacker must be addressed. Farrior will accomplish more if asked to do less. Is Keyaron Fox versatile enough to play significant snaps at both inside spots? If not, a solid backup must be sought.

Timmons will be OK. LaMarr Woodley actually played better during their five-game losing streak. Harrison? You never know. He got cut four times, remember.

On the line, the Steelers should franchise Casey Hampton, retaining him for another season. The price would be reasonable, and you can't address everything at once. Brett Keisel is solid. As with Polamalu, you can't count on Smith. But that's why Mike Tomlin drafted Ziggy Hood in the first round. Unless it was to back up Travis Kirschke forever.

Speaking of Tomlin, some feel he might use the Steelers' defensive decline to institute more of his own philosophies, maybe even run off Lebeau and install a 4-3. But Lebeau would have to retire. Dan Rooney would never force him out. At any rate, the Steelers don't have the personnel to make an effective transition to the 4-3.

If the Steelers restock their secondary-and if Tomlin has the chutzpah to use rookies in prominent roles, something he hasn't yet done-this could again be a first-class defense in short order. Remember the impact Hampton and Kendrell Bell made in 2001.

If the Steelers fool themselves into believing this defense, as constructed, is still great, one thing will likely change next season: Most games will be lost long before the fourth quarter.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).