In recent years, the Steelers have gone from being heavy on defense to heavy on offense. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt intends that the team will be both in 2016.
“We got nothing but high hopes,” Tuitt said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We see the future looking very bright. You see what we can do. I personally believe we can be the No. 1 defense in the run and the pass and we’re going to do it.”
The Pittsburgh defense wasn’t as bad as most expected it to be in 2015, but few think it will be the best in the league in 2016.
“We got a chance to put all the pieces together,” Tuitt said. “Everybody got a chance to learn together, to learn how each other played. We got a chance to show what we really are like, where we left off, and I can’t wait to pick up from there. . . . I want people to be afraid to play us.”
The Steelers were believed to be one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs, until a late fumble blew their chance to beat the Broncos in Denver. Tuitt initially was upset, but that didn’t last.
“I went from me being mad to me saying we got a very powerful team in the future,” Tuitt said. “We’re going to have a very fast, physical team. I can’t wait to training camp, to put all the pieces together to keep this train moving forward.”
Watching the Broncos win the Super Bowl only added to the resolve.
“We know what the taste feels like to almost be there, to watch a team we had beat win the Super Bowl,” Tuitt said. “I know that’s in everybody’s mind, and they can’t wait to get back on the field to show that.”
While the Steelers have an uphill climb to be the No. 1 defense in the NFL, they’ll definitely be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Especially if they can avoid the key injuries that relegated them to the No. 6 seed and left them without receiver Antonio Brown for the game in Denver.
