Steelers News: Tony Dungy Reveals How To FIX PIT’s Defense + A-Rod Speaks On MVS & Roman Wilson

Steelers News: Tony Dungy Reveals How To FIX PIT’s Defense + A-Rod Speaks On MVS & Roman Wilson

Tonight on Steelers Talk, we’ve got a lot of Steelers news and rumors to talk about on today’s show. First up, defensive coordinator Terrell Austin talks about Kyle Duggar and then the state of the Steelers defense earlier today in the south side of Pittsburgh. I’m going to let let you know on my thoughts on what he had to say. Then uh former Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl champion and former NFL head coach and Super Bowl champion as a head coach uh Tony Dunie went on the Cam Hayward podcast and he kind of detailed his plan for what he would do to address the Steelers defensive struggles and how to fix this Steelers defense. And then Aaron Rogers talked to the media yesterday about some wide receivers. Roman Wilson, the secondyear receiver out of Michigan, and then his longtime buddy Marquez Valdez Scaning that apparently is going to be signing with the Steelers next week on the practice squad. We’ll be breaking down all this and more on today’s edition of Steelers Talk. Now, before we get into the content, I’d appreciate if you guys follow me on X and support me on that platform as well. That’s where I do all my film analysis, guys. We can’t put it up here on YouTube, but I can put it up on X. So, if you guys want to uh check me out on X, uh put out daily updates on there, uh channel updates as well. And then whenever there’s breaking news uh items surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers, I get my instant reaction on X. So, if you guys want that uh extra content from me on on social media, you can go tojack_sperry and follow me on X. So, today was Kyle Duggar’s first day in Pittsburgh. Of course, the trade was executed officially uh this morning between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. And he will officially wear the number 29. He was a participant in practice today. He was seen chatting it up with his former Patriots teammate Jabril Peppers. It was good to see number 29 out there. the first time in black and gold even though it was just his practice uniform, but it’s still nice to see him. Uh, and then Terrell Austin says that Pittsburgh and this coaching staff is doing everything that they can to ramp him up to play this week versus the Indianapolis Colts in any capacity that they that they can. Now, we’ll see just how much he can get ramped up in this kind of shorter period. Uh, you know, we what we saw from Jabbril Peppers when he signed back in week two is that they didn’t even give him a helmet that first week and he ended up playing that second week versus the New England Patriots. Uh, but it seems like the Steelers are really dead set on getting uh Duggar u you know out there. Um and even if it’s just special teams, even if it’s just a couple different formations and and and personnel groupings, uh expect to see Kyle Duggar in some capacity on the field on Sunday, or at least that’s the way it sounds uh based on what Austin was saying today. Hey, Mike DeFabo from The Athletic said today the the the defensive coordinator Taylor Lawson said that the Steelers will have a quote unquote contingency plan though if Kyle Duggar isn’t up to speed by Sunday. He mentioned Jabril Peppers is another candidate to play strong safety. Chuck Clark, unfortunately, is the other option. So, it certainly doesn’t sound like Jaylen Ramsey is an option at safety. is something that I’ve suggested on some previous shows this week that something that I would do. Uh because, you know, you’re going up against Tyler Warren this week and you need somebody that can that’s that’s big enough, physical enough, and good enough in coverage to be able to cover up a dynamic tight end threat like Tyler Warren is. And uh you know, if if I have a choice between Kyle Duggar, Jabril Peppers, Chuck Clark, Juan Thornnehill, all the other options at safety on this current Steelers roster, I’m hoping Jabril Peppers is the guy that’s lined up versus Warren. Peppers can still do a good job guarding tight ends and man-to-man. Uh whereas I think Duggar, you know, not only is he new to this scheme, and I don’t know, don’t don’t know if I want somebody so new to the scheme to be guarding up uh one of the better receiving weapons for the Indianapolis Colts this week, but also I really trust Jr. Pepper’s ability uh to guard uh tight end. So hopefully that’s the plan heading into the week. I guess we’ll see if Mike Tomlin and Terrell Austin are smart enough to realize that. Now, in terms of how I would line up this defense, now if Cory Trice Jr., this is contingent on if Cory Trice Jr. is actually healthy today. He was actually a limited participant in practice, so it looks like he’s injured again. Uh, but that would be, you know, in terms of pure talent, the guy that I would prefer to have out there. You know, you got Joey Porter Jr. I would want him on Michael Pitman Jr. using those long arms to kind of jam him and not allow him to get open to the short and intermediate levels of the field. Cory Trice has really good speed, so I’d have him run with the deep threat. Alec Pierce, Brandon Eckles on the shifty slot guy, Josh DS, and then I would put Jaylen Ramsey on Tyler Warren, which Jabril Pepper’s playing free safety. But what I’m expecting out there on Sunday is I think Jaylen’s actually going to be playing on the outside playing against Michael Pitman Jr. They’re going to put Joey Porter Jr. on Alec Pierce. I do think they’ll put Eckles on Josh DS. And then I think or at least I hope they put Jabril Peppers that strong safety to take to take on Tyler Warren with Juan Thornnehill uh getting a getting maybe his last chance to prove what he can do as the starting free safety of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I certainly will take Thornhill over Chuck Clark at this point at that free safety spot. But then Nick Farah uh from Penn Live reported this who was at the D who was at Terara Lawson’s press conference today saying on trying to slow down the quick game success against the Steelers. Terrell Austin says the team has to quote unquote mix up its coverages in different ways, but they also have to be better in man-to-man on some of these reps. Well, you know, Terrell, something else that would help in man-to-man coverage is if you don’t play these guys 10 to 12 yards off the line of scrimmage. All right? Like how many times have we seen on the Steelers film this year, guys, where we’re playing man-to-man, it’s very clear we’re playing man-to-man, but we have at least one corner playing 10 to 12 yards off of the receiver. All right? And they just run like a little quick route or a little, you know, slant route or a little, you know, shallow cross and the quarterback can just get him the football right away. I mean, it seems like every single game there’s like five or six examples of quarterbacks just being able to get the ball out super fast because of the way the Steelers are lining up. Okay. And it that’s coaching. That’s that’s you know the game plan. That’s Terara Lawson. That’s Mike Tomlin. And you know obviously you got to mix it up. Obviously you know you got to do better in man. But you also have to put your guys in positions to succeed. And it’s very clear right now that Terrell Austin and Mike Tomlin do not trust their older corners especially Jaylen Ramsay. Um you know Chuck Clark who’s not corner but he’s a safety but he play but they play him in man coverage. Darius Slay they play them in off coverage so often. Um, and they do not trust them in press because I think they realize that they’re not fast players. So, if they play them in press, you are really, really uh, you know, risking those guys getting burned down the field. But, at the same time, if you play them in off coverage and you’re playing, man, like these quarterbacks can just get it out super quickly. And if we can’t tackle, it’s going to lead to some really, really big gains after the catch. Um, so I just don’t understand why you call so many man-free blitzes. All right. I I don’t understand why you do it if you don’t trust your corners to hold up one-on-one in press coverage. There’s no reason to play man-free. So, why are we calling it almost 30 freaking% of the time? It makes absolutely zero sense to me. And you know, you know what you do when you don’t have fast corners that can hold up with people and press man? You play zone. Okay? And this that’s what this defense needs to be. All right? And you need to mix up your looks. You have to do what you know modern defenses do and you rotate post snap and you do all those things. And frankly, that’s some of the best stuff Tara Lawson and Mike Tomlin do is their postnap rotations into non-traditional Tampas into non-traditional cover three looks. All right, that’s some of the best stuff that this coaching staff does. And instead of doing that, um, which really fits the personnel of this team better, they decide to keep running these man concepts when they just don’t have the personnel to do it. And then not only that, but they’re putting them in a position to fail by playing them in off coverage when playing that man coverage. So, Terra Austin, Mike Tomlin, they got to figure it out. But let me know what you guys think down there in the comments section. What is the biggest liability on the Steelers defense right now? Is it the play caller, Taylor, Taylor Austin, type TA? Do you think it’s Darius Slay on the outside? Type DS. Do you think it’s Juan Thornhill at free safety type JT? Or do you think it’s Chuck Clark, type CC, down there in the comments section? This will be the pin comment on today’s show. So, in just a second here, I’m going to tell you about our sponsor today at GLD. And while I’m talking about GLD here, let me know your pick down there in the comments section. All right, fellas, let’s be real. Buying men’s jewelry used to be an absolutely a nightmare. And frankly, in many places, it still is. 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Um, and it’s just a fantastic piece that you guys uh can have in your wardrobe forever. You know, the feeling uh that when you get that new chain, it just hits different. It elevates your whole fit, the confidence, the compliments that you get from others, the way you carry yourself, all changes instantly when you put on uh all that great stuff. So, uh, and a GLD has everything, guys. chains, pendants, rings, earrings, even fully iced out watches if that’s your style. Whatever your style is, they’ve got you covered. And listen, don’t just take my word for it. Over two million customers and 50,000 five-star reviews back it up. Not to mention, it’s worn by some of the biggest names out there like Justin Bieber, Micah Parsons, Tyreek Hill, Malik Neighbors, Ice Rocky, and a ton more. Rock with GLD. The best part, every single piece from GLD is guaranteed for life. It’s literally built to last for the rest of your life. Just like your love for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Work hard and change the game with our friends at GLD. Today for a limited limited time only, new customers are getting an insane deal here. Use code chat to get 50% off plus a free chain at gl.com. That’s 50% off and a free chain with code chatgld.com. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you. A big shout out to GLD for sponsoring today’s edition of Steelers Talk. So this week, the host on the Cam Hayward podcast, Not just Football Podcast, uh had Tony Dunie, a Steelers legend, former, you know, defensive player here during the glory days of, you know, the Steelers dynasty in the 70s and then of course, you know, legendary head coach as well for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Um, and Cam in and his co-host asked Tony about what he would do and what what his thoughts are on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, what’s going wrong, and how uh he would go about fixing it. And this is what coach Dunie had to say. I’m seeing just a little bit of breakdowns in just the key situations. Communication in the back end, gap control, getting off your blocks, taking care of your business upfront. It’s close, but it’s just not there yet. And that’s what’s got to come for me. I learned it from coach null 40 years ago playing in Pittsburgh. He would say, quote, “There’s no magic formula. There’s no night that’s going to come in on a white horse. We have to do what we do.” Unquote. For me, I learned I learned it. And he would always tell the coaches, “If we’re struggling, you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to do less. We’re not going to create more stuff. We’re not going to add stuff. Let’s cut back and make sure we know exactly what we’re doing.” Sometimes you got to do that. The Steelers have some new guys in the lineup, especially in the secondary, guys that are talented, but they haven’t played together. You want to be able to go out and play fast and play free. And I think that’s what they need to do. And for me, a lot of the times it was uh less it was it was let’s cut down, let’s simplify. Now, I both agree and disagree with certain elements of Dunie’s argument here. I think where he where coach Dunie is right is that the Steelers’s communication on the back end in particular in the secondary is clearly too much for these players to handle and you know there’s been you know consistent miscommunication in terms of how to pass off you know certain rub concepts and you know bunches and stacks and they just haven’t been able to sort those things out at a consistent rate this year. Um, and it absolutely needs to be fixed and you have to find something that works that gets these guys to play at a high level and you find their assignments correctly and not leave guys wide ass open like we’ve seen quite frankly uh over the last, you know, really a full season long dating back to last year when the defense had their collapse. But I think where coach Dunie’s wrong is that, you know, he suggests, you know, potentially playing like three defenses in two fronts. um you know, it was one of the suggestions he gave and it’s like you just can’t play that vanilla in the National Football League. Unless you play a lot of man and unless you have the horses to be able to play man, you really shouldn’t be playing man at that high of a rate. Um you know, the modern NFL, these quarterbacks know exactly, you know, what how to beat every single type of coverage and, you know, they’re really smart and fast processors. So, if you just go out and like static cover three and you play it all game, you know, and you just simplify in that way, you’re going to get absolutely toasted in the National Football League. Um, and as we’ve discussed, Pittsburgh can’t guard people in man. All right, especially with the current set of quarterbacks that they’re starting with Darius Slay, Jaylen Ramsey. I mean, Joey Porter Jr. is actually doing a pretty decent job in man-to-man coverage right now, but he’s missing assignments. He’s not tackling in the run game. He’s missing run uh fit assignments as well. you know, Joey’s had, you know, certainly his struggles uh since coming back from his injury in terms of doing the right things. Um, but certainly, you know, in terms of the man coverage aspect, the Steelers really struggle in that regard. And my take on the situation is that, you know, certainly the Steelers need to do something to make it more simple for these people in the secondary to communicate whatever their system is to communicate who’s got what assignment and whatever. it’s too complicated and you know it’s not working right because we’re seeing too many coverage bus in that way. So you have to make it simpler for the defensive backfield, but you also want to find that right mix where you’re also making it complex for the offense to figure out what you’re in. You know, you still want to be able to do those post snap rotations when you’re playing zone. You still want to be able uh to mix things up with your defensive front and and make the quarterback think how many people are blitzing, how many people are are coming on this on this rush right now. You know, you want to be able to make it complex for the offense to figure out while making it simple for your defense so that they can play fast and free like Coach Dunie points out. Now, make sure you guys click that thumbs up icon if you haven’t already. If you are enjoying today’s show, really does help out the YouTube algorithm. Uh when you click that thumbs up icon, tells the YouTube algorithm that you’re enjoying our show here. Um so, just make sure you guys click that thumbs up icon if you haven’t already. So, yesterday Aaron Rogers uh talked to the media and he had some very interesting things to say. First about Marquez Valdez Scaning who reportedly could be signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers next week apparently. And this is what Rogers had to say about his good friend MVS. I love MVS. I’ve always enjoyed playing with him. He’s one of my favorite teammates of all time. He is a really special guy and I think MVS can still really play. You saw last year when he was in New Orleans, he had opportunities. He had a lot of big touchdowns. He can still really run. I think MVS wants to be on an active roster. So, if there wasn’t an opportunity here for that, then I guess he’s waiting for some for something else. But I don’t fault him. I love MVS. Whether he is here or somewhere else, I’m always pulling for him. Now, u just keep in mind here that we did get an update from Jordan Schultz a couple days ago about what the likely thing is going to be happening here. Uh because Mike Tomlin said that there was no deal imminent with MVS. So, Jordan Schultz clarified saying the Steelers deal with Marquez Valdis Scantling is expected to be signed next week per source. and his source, guys, is likely MVS’s agent. Uh, it’s usually where these guys get their information from. So, my best guess uh for why MVS is not signing his contract this week is that he’s waiting to see what the Steelers do before the deadline. All right. I’m sure that, you know, they probably wanted maybe a couple of assurances from Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin that they weren’t going to trade for like a Jacobe Myers or Rasheed Shahed if he was to sign a contract in Pittsburgh because like Rogers says, he wants to be on an active roster. Um, and I’m sure the Steelers gave him no such asurances. So he’s like, “All right, I’ll sign with you guys, but I want to see what happens before Tuesday.” So I think that’s probably what’s going on right now. If the Steelers trade for a Jacobe Myers, maybe they don’t end up signing MVS. Maybe he does come back and, you know, he does sign with the practice squad regardless. Who knows what’s going to happen at this point, but at this point in time, MVS is not a Pittsburgh Steeler. Uh, and that’s the takeaway that you should take out of that as of right now. But then Aaron Rogers also took the time to really praise uh his young wide receiver in this wide receiver room, Roman Wilson, who has really uh you know come on pretty strong over the last three weeks uh including a really good 75 yard performance last week where he led the team in receiving yards and got his first ever NFL touchdown is what Rogers had to say about Roman and his progression as a player. I told Roman last Wednesday, it’s going to be your week this week. I just got a feeling. And then Thursday, he had his best practice of the season. Even in that, there was still three or four real coachable moments. So, I told Roman, I’ve I’ve liked him since the first time we’ve got to know each other back in Malibu. And I told him back then, I’m going to coach you to your potential and not to what I’m seeing. So, I’m going to hold him to a high standard. And I was really proud of him in the game for a couple of reaction plays that he made. We just need to see consistency from him. But, it starts in practice. And I thought Thursday was a really good practice for him. And today he had another nice practice. And I was really in a game sit even in a game situation uh or you might in even in a game situation get so enamored with what a guy’s doing, who’s around the ball getting targeted. But a lot of times things that happen in the succeeding weeks are because of things you’ve seen on film on the backside of plays where a guy’s not getting the ball and you see the detail in the craft in the routes. The other day Roman got the ball on Thursday on a number of plays and that was positive. But there were some other routes on the backside when he didn’t get the ball where you started to see some of the craft show up, some of the detail in the routes that gives you confidence that you can trust. And so that’s what it is. So it certainly doesn’t sound like Aaron Rogers feels like that the Steelers need to add another wide receiver. It seems like he’s really developing a high level of trust in Roman Wilson. And then Wilson is starting to kind of turn a corner here in terms of his attention to detail, in terms of how he’s running his routes, how, you know, he’s connecting with Aaron Rogers, how he’s seeing the field through Rogers’s eyes, um, and and building that connection on the field with QB1. So, I think a big downside to potentially going out and getting a Jacobe Meyers or a Calvin Ridley or like a legit number two receiver before the trade deadline, guys, is that you would pretty much have to bench Roman Wilson because this team really likes Calvin Austin the third as well. Rogers actually praised Calvin yesterday in his media availability as well and I just don’t see them uh you know benching Calvin Austin the third at this point. So if you do get a Jacobe Myers that’s going to delegate Roman Wilson to wide receiver for duties and unless there’s another injury he’s going to be on the bench for the foreseeable future and it doesn’t sound like Aaron Rogers uh would really love to see that because there is a building chemistry between those two and I would love to see that continue to grow as the season goes on. So what’s you guys? Let me know down there in the comments section. Should Pittsburgh trade for a veteran wide receiver 2 before the trade deadline? Give me a yes if you think that or type no if you think that they should stick with Roman Wilson as their wide receiver three heading into the rest of the season. That’ll be it for today’s edition of Steelers News and Rumors. Guys, thank you so much for stopping by today. Make sure you guys click that subscribe button if you haven’t already. Until next time, here we go, Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Tony Dungy is calling out what’s wrong with PIT’s defense, and his comments have fans talking. On today’s episode of Steelers Talk by Chat Sports, host Jack Sperry breaks down Dungy’s plan to fix the Steelers’ defense, what Teryl Austin said about getting Kyle Dugger ramped up fast, and Aaron Rodgers’ latest remarks on Roman Wilson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. From defensive miscommunication to trade deadline possibilities, this show covers every angle Steelers fans need to know. Hit that Subscribe button to stay locked in on all the latest Steelers news, rumors, and updates from Chat Sports, your #1 source for everything Pittsburgh Steelers!

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Tony Dungy On Fixing Pittsburgh’s Defense:
“I’m seeing just a little bit of breakdowns in just the key situations. Communication in the back end, gap control, getting off your blocks, taking care of your business up front. It’s close but it’s just not there yet and that’s what’s gotta come.”

Steelers Starting Lineup Prediction:
CB1: Jalen Ramsey → Michael Pittman Jr.
CB2: Joey Porter Jr. → Alec Pierce
SLCB: Brandin Echols → Josh Downs
SS: Jabrill Peppers → Tyler Warren
FS: Juan Thornhill

Let your voice be heard by answering today’s questions on the Pittsburgh Steelers:
– Should PIT trade for a veteran WR2 before the deadline? Yes or No?
– BIGGEST LIABILITY?
Type ‘TA’ for Austin, Type ‘DS’ for Slay, Type ‘JT’ for Thornhill, Type ‘CC’ for Clark

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Aaron Rodgers On Roman Wilson:
“I told (Roman) last Wednesday, ‘It’s going to be your week this week,’ just kind of a feeling. And then Thursday he had his best practice of the season. Even in that, there were still three or four real coachable moments.”

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Schedule:
Week 1: at Jets (1pm ET)
Week 2: vs. Seahawks (1pm ET)
Week 3: at Patriots (1pm ET)
Week 4: vs. Vikings (Dublin, 9:30pm ET)
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: vs. Browns (1pm ET)
Week 7: at Bengals (TNF)
Week 8: vs. Packers (SNF)
Week 9: vs. Colts (1pm ET)
Week 10: at Chargers (SNF)
Week 11: vs. Bengals (1pm ET)
Week 12: at Bears (1pm ET)
Week 13: vs. Bills (4:25pm ET)
Week 14: at Ravens (1pm ET)
Week 15: vs. Dolphins (MNF)
Week 16: at Lions (4:25pmET)
Week 17: at Browns (1pm ET)
Week 18: vs. Ravens (TBD)

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We’ve got more Pittsburgh Steelers content every day here at Steelers Talk. He’s some of our latest hits:
– Steelers vs. Colts Preview: Keys To Victory & Score Prediction | Indiana Jones & The City of Steel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVjjv9tgJhA
– Steelers News: The Kyle Dugger Trade Just Got EVEN BETTER + PIT Makes Another SNEAKY GOOD Signing – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnR_VJTh-NI
– REPORT: Steelers STILL Trying To Trade For Jakobi Meyers or Rashid Shaheed Before The Trade Deadline – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6FY3xfBQMs

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