Whether the New England Patriots have gotten into the minds of the Steelers is open to conjecture.
Nevertheless, they will change the way they play defense after Tom Brady riddled their secondary in the AFC championship in January. The Steelers served up a soft zone that Brady devoured, throwing for 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 blizzard.
Carnell Lake, their secondary coach, broke the news publicly at the draft that they will play more man-to-man defense in 2017. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler confirmed it with more specifics Wednesday.
Butler, who often speaks like the Alabama native he is, offered this down-home formula for not just getting over the Patriots hump but for improvement on defense:
“Be able to rush the rushers, and let the coverers cover.