Especially on the defensive side of the football, all 11 players must work in tandem to limit negative plays. Individual efforts can wreck a play, but all 11 players must complete their assignments to have sustained success. Last season, there was a pretty noticeable imbalance on the Steelers’ defense by the end of the season, with seven different inside linebackers and six different safeties starting games. Players were playing out of position, like Patrick Peterson at safety, and the Pittsburgh Steelers defense was relying on guys signed off the practice squad to fill out their roster.
They filled in admirably at times, but it definitely took its toll on the overall performance of the unit.