LeBeau Returns To Rejuvenate Defense
By Jerry DiPaola

No one has more stories about the old days than 67-year-old Steelers' defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. He probably has at least one for each of his 62 career interceptions.

He just won't repeat any of those stories to anyone other than his players.

'Buy my book,' he said.

LeBeau, who played cornerback for 14 seasons for the Detroit Lions, has wised up after giving away his stories to sports author George Plimpton, who turned them into one of the greatest sports books of all time, 'Paper Lion.'

'I better save some of these anecdotes for whenever I write my own book,' LeBeau said.

LeBeau, whose conversations with coaches, players and reporters are often laced with soft-spoken, Midwestern common sense, is back with the Steelers after an absence of seven seasons. You can't find anyone in black and gold who doesn't think that's a great idea.

'You want to play for him,' said inside linebacker Kendrell Bell, 'because his heart is in the game.'

3-4 Aggression

Along with LeBeau comes an increased emphasis in and commitment to the 3-4 defense that coach Bill Cowher loves because it allows so much versatility and the ability to attack from a variety of angles.

The theory behind the 3-4 and the zone-blitz scheme that LeBeau devised one day while doodling on a napkin during an airplane flight is this: The quarterback can be hurried while not exposing flaws in the secondary.

'It's a safer way to put pressure on the offense,' LeBeau said.

The key is having any member of the front seven drop into pass coverage as unpredictably as possible.

'Our linebackers have to be able to play pass defense, as well as rush the passer,' LeBeau said. 'That is one of the strengths of the 3-4. You have a lot of men who can rush, but all those guys can't rush at the same time so some of them have to cover and take away the holes in defense.'

The Steelers are hoping that the aggressive tendencies of LeBeau's defense will pay dividends in the form of increased turnovers. Last year, the Steelers created only 25 turnovers, 14 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries, the smallest number since Cowher became head coach in 1992.

Part of the problem can be traced to former defensive coordinator Tim Lewis' reluctance to trust his cornerbacks in one-on-one coverage, thus limiting options with safeties and linebackers expected to help in pass coverage.

Lewis ultimately was fired and LeBeau, who also had an offer in Buffalo, wound up back with the Steelers.

'LeBeau is just more diversified (than Lewis),' said Steelers' defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen, who played under LeBeau in Cincinnati from 1997-1999. 'He's been in a few different systems and had success other than just with 3-4 defense. He's more seasoned, and he's not afraid to take more chances.'

LeBeau was a member of Cowher's first Steelers' coaching staff, serving as Dom Capers' secondary coach until Capers left after the 1994 season. LeBeau was promoted to coordinator, and his defense was ranked third in the NFL and helped lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl in 1995. It improved to second the following year before he left to return to Cincinnati in 1997 to be closer to his son.

Cowher and LeBeau have denied that a rift between the two led to LeBeau's departure.

'I know some people thought that (LeBeau) and I could not get along very well,' Cowher said. 'But that was the furthest thing from the truth. He really wanted to go back (to Cincinnati). His son was finishing high school and he wanted to be with his family at the time. It turned out very well for him. We stayed in great touch. As a matter of fact, Dick used to always give me a candy bar before the game when we played against each other. They were little, miniature-sized ones.'

'I'm very excited about the opportunity to be reunited,' Cowher said.

Cool LeBeau

Of course, it's a considerably different defense than the one LeBeau led to Super Bowl XXX after the '95 season. That defense included great players such as future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown and Joel Steed.

'I was a pretty smart coach, then,' LeBeau said.

The only player who went to training camp with the Steelers this year and also played under LeBeau in Pittsburgh is 33-year-old cornerback Willie Williams.

'He's still the same guy,' Williams said. 'Cool LeBeau. That's what I call him. He hasn't changed one bit. It's the same type defense. If we can get the front seven to be aggressive and pressure the quarterback, the secondary can come up with a lot of picks. Dick LeBeau, he is just a physical guy. He's very aggressive. He's going to bring aggressiveness to the game again.'

Williams said most of LeBeau's stories from his playing days stem from his 62 career interceptions with the Lions and NFL-record 171 consecutive games for a cornerback.

The interception total ranked third all-time in the NFL at the time of his retirement after the 1972 season. His 46-year association with the NFL as a player and coach is longer than that of every owner in the league with the exceptions of the Steelers' Dan Rooney and the New York Giants' Wellington Mara.

Productivity and reliability: That's what he has given his employers over the years, and that's all he will ask of his players this season.

'He's always telling me 62,' Williams said. 'He says, `Until you get 62, you can't talk to me.''

Midway through training camp, LeBeau was hopeful that his young defense could come together in time for the Steelers' Sept. 12 opener against the Oakland Raiders. There are no guarantees because four starters, safeties Chris Hope and Troy Polamalu, linebacker Clark Haggans and corner Deshea Townsend, were backups at this time last year. Plus, Joey Porter must rebound from his 2003 slump, Kendrell Bell must stay healthy and Scott has to iron out inconsistencies.

'I think we will be an aggressive team,' he said after the first preseason game. 'We need to build on that. They played very hard in the game, but they didn't play consistently well.

'I think this team has a chance to be a pretty good defensive team. - We have some new faces in there. We have to learn to play with each other and trust our teammates and where he is going to be and become a team.'

Asked what the legacy his defense will leave, LeBeau said, 'I hope they say 11 tough football players that play hard and run to the ball. That's the description I want. That's the game.'