While the Pittsburgh Steelers
secured another victory, two franchise legends aren’t letting the defensive secondary off the hook. Speaking on their “Deebo and Joe” podcast, former All-Pro linebacker James Harrison and Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden zeroed in on a recurring vulnerability in Pittsburgh’s pass defense. They’ve noticed secondary players biting on underneath concepts and surrendering big chunk plays over the middle.Analyzing a 29-yard completion to Indianapolis Colts tight end Drew Ogletree, Harrison explained that the unit's issues stem from a lack of route recognition in zone coverage rather than a shortage of talent.
“We got to know concepts. We got to know it's a dig coming right behind my head,” Harrison stressed. “Like you got to feel
like if he's running up, you got to start sliding. We're not feeling routes. If we're in zone, they throwing the cheese, dude. You be cheesing.”
Haden quickly agreed, noting how discipline in the back end dictates whether an offense can exploit middle-of-the-field soft spots.
“Listen, man. We can't be rats, man. We can't like no cheese, brother,” Haden added.
Harrison broke down how opposing quarterbacks exploit defensive backs who jump on low routes instead of sinking into the intermediate passing lane.
“You gotta feel the dig,” Harrison said. “You see him coming. If he runs a seven, you good, but he bending right behind you. The quarterback is throwing it while he's right behind you. So, if you just go to the dig, just slide this way. He’s going to hit you in the face with the ball. He's anticipating that you don't know. And we've been showing that we don't know.”
For Pittsburgh to make a deep postseason run, the secondary must heed the veterans' advice: stop taking the bait, read spatial relationships, and eliminate free yards off simple zone-beaters.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Haden and Harrison warn Steelers DBs to stop 'cheesing'
