New Steelers DB coach Gerald Alexander must improve communication and execution

Anyone who watched Super Bowl 59 has probably heard this statistic: Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass 42 times in that game, and the Philadelphia Eagles never blitzed him.

Not once.

Against Mahomes.

It gets better. Philadelphia played zone coverage on all but two of those snaps. They rushed with four and sat in a zone behind it. Quarters, mostly. And they dominated the Chiefs.

Let’s not bury the lede. You can only do that if your front can pressure the quarterback. Put bluntly, Philadelphia’s front mauled Kansas City. On one play, they sacked Mahomes while rushing four against seven blockers. Four against seven, and Mahomes went down in under three seconds.

Still, the rush has to be combined with great coverage to be as effective as Philly was. And to cover the way Philly did, with virtually no open windows in which Mahomes could throw, and no busted coverages or breakdowns until the final minutes when Philly put in its JV, was remarkable. What a tribute to the discipline, communication, execution and teaching by their players and coaches. It was a master-class in the art of fundamentals.

In a different place along that spectrum, we find the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were plagued by breakdowns and execution errors in their secondary this past season. They struggled to communicate in coverage, routinely turned receivers loose, and seemed to unravel as the season progressed. The best representation of the Eagles secondary was Cooper DeJean’s pick-six of Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s was two defenders throwing up in their hands in frustration after another chunk play by the offense.

Why was that? The Steelers seemed to be talented on the back end. They had an All-Pro in Minkah Fitzpatrick, solid veterans in DeSean Elliott and Donte Jackson, and a blossoming young star in Joey Porter Jr. The linebacking corps had added the versatile Patrick Queen, and they’d signed veteran Cam Sutton to play in the slot. It seemed like a group primed for success.

Talent is one thing. Chemistry is another. Queen was new, as were Elliott and Jackson. Rookie linebacker Payton Wilson was a regular contributor. So was Beanie Bishop, an undrafted rookie free agent who manned the slot while Sutton served an eight-game suspension for domestic abuse. That’s a lot of new pieces. Early in the season, the Steelers had success playing static, coverages, like Cover-3, with Fitzpatrick in center field protecting against deep balls. But this exposed the middle of the field, and as opposing offenses began to take advantage, the Steelers became more diverse by necessity. That required them to move coverages post-snap, communicate better, and execute elements from deeper in the playbook.

They struggled to do it.

In Week 17, Patrick Mahomes shredded them for 320 yards and three touchdowns. The next week, Joe Burrow completed 37 passes as the Steelers dropped their season finale. In their Wild Card playoff game, Lamar Jackson compiled a 132 quarterback rating, and the Ravens rolled for 464 total yards. Mahomes, Burrow and Jackson is as tough a quarterback trio as you’ll find, but the Steelers helped them by seeming confused and playing out-of-position. Their body language in the end was characterized by frustration and fatigue.

The effect of these lapses fell on Grady Brown, the secondary coach, whose contract was not renewed following the season. In Brown’s place, Gerald Alexander, who coached the Raiders’ secondary last season, has returned. Alexander coached Pittsburgh’s defensive backs the previous two years, with his 2022 unit leading the NFL in interceptions. His task for 2025? Get the Steelers communicating and executing better on the back end.

The following film breakdown delves into some of issues that plagued the secondary. The Steelers will probably move on from some of the players shown here, and will bring in new pieces. Whomever takes the field, it will be Alexander’s job to get them playing better together than much of what you see here:

Why is Grady Brown out as secondary coach in Pittsburgh and Gerald Alexander in? Probably because there were too many coverage breakdowns this past season. Take a look ⬇️@FFSNSteelCity pic.twitter.com/zrtav0tmHI

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) February 18, 2025