Jun 15, 2017 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – When the Steelers selected Artie Burns in the first round of last year’s draft, he was another in a long line of corners the team has selected who are better playing zone defense than man.

But after their regular zone defense and the handful of attempts they made to play man-to-man in the secondary were exploited by the New England Patriots in last year’s AFC Championship, the Steelers went into the offseason looking to become a better man-to-man team.

The problem for defensive coordinator Keith Butler, however, is moulding the players currently on his roster into man-to-man players.

Two days into the team’s minicamp, Butler and secondary coach Carnell Lake were raving about how Burns has taken to the shift in philosophy.

“We’re putting a big emphasis on that just to help us be more diverse as a defense,” Lake said of using more man schemes in the secondary. “We think we’ve got some guys that can do it. Highlighting one guy, Artie Burns is really progressing well in that area. He’s being really physical. He’s challenging Antonio Brown, arguably one of the best receivers in the league, every day. That’s just going to make him better. The more competent he is covering somebody like AB, he should be able to transfer that to our competitors when we get ready to start the season.”

The Steelers’ coaching staff was skewered, first on the TV broadcast, then by the fan base, for the way they attempted to defend the Patriots in that 36-17 defeat in New England.

New England quarterback Tom Brady picked apart the Steelers’ zone defenses. But he also was effective when the Steelers tried to play some man defense, as well, hitting several big plays on catch-and-runs against it.

“We knew at the end of last year that we needed to be able to do more than just spot drop and play zone,” Butler said. “But we felt like that was the best opportunity that we had to try to get to the Super Bowl. We knew that last year. Right now, going into training camp, it’s going to help on both sides of the ball if we can play more man. Our guys can get used to it. Ben can get more used to looking at it and we can get used to playing it a little bit and our guys will get better from it.”

Burns might be the key.

The 22-year-old said his work against Brown has helped immensely. On the first day of minicamp, Brown streaked 40 yards downfield and had a step on Burns. But as the pass from Ben Roethlisberger got to the receiver, Burns closed, dove and knocked the ball away, drawing whoops from his teammates.

“Being smarter about how you attack somebody. That’s what he teaches me,” said Burns of his work against Brown. “He’s really special. He’s really athletic. It teaches me to be light on my feet and be ready to run.”

The Steelers now think they have one corner capable of playing man-to-man on a consistent basis. The question is, do they have any others.

The team selected corners Cameron Sutton in the third round and Brian Allen in the fifth, but Ross Cockrell and William Gay have continued to work with the first team defense throughout the three weeks of OTAs and first two days of minicamp, which ends today.

Cockrell and Gay are more of the traditional Steelers zone cornerbacks, while Sutton and Allen – a converted college receiver – both have more man ability.

“You watch them in shorts and you say, ‘Yeah, that looks good.'” Butler said. “I think Artie is becoming a pretty good press corner. You hope some of the guys you got that you drafted can help you.”

When that will happen remains to be determined. And Cockrell and Gay aren’t going to simply concede their positions to the younger players.

In the meantime, Butler will continue to try to employ what he feels will work best with the players he has available.

“It always goes back to what your guys can do,” Butler said. “I might know a lot about football, I might not, but it goes back to what they can do. I think we’ve got to make sure we don’t get out of bounds in those terms. What can your players do? You can know a lot of football, but if you can’t execute it, it doesn’t do you any good.”

The Steelers signed first-round draft pick T.J. Watt to a four-year contract Wednesday. The linebacker was the final of the team’s eight draft picks to agree to terms. … The Steelers released former West Virginia running back Rushel Shell and re-signed running back Brandon Brown-Dukes. Brown-Dukes, a Mercyhurst product, spent time on the team’s practice squad last season.