Legendary Steelers Coach Dick LeBeau Used To Line His Defense Up To Taunt Them According To Troy Polamalu

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense in the early 2000s was built by some of the most legendary players in the history of the NFL. Those players exuded the kind of toughness that would make the Steel Curtain players of the 1970s proud. They were so aggressive and smothering that Joey Porter Sr. nicknamed them the "Big, Nasty D." But they weren't that big and nasty according to one of their coaches.

The men who made up those defenses all have unique stories. Some played in Pittsburgh for their entire careers, like Troy Polamalu, Brett Keisel, Ike Taylor, and Casey Hampton. Some honed their craft in another city, but had the opportunity to unleash it in the Steel City, like Ryan Clark and James Farrior. Others just couldn't leave Pittsburgh behind and came back for more, like James Harrison and Bryant McFadden. What they all have in common, regardless of their journey, is that they are Steelers through and through. 

Those that couldn't leave the city behind had something in common with their Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau first arrived in Pittsburgh in 1992 as a defensive backs coach. He left and returned in 2004 to work with this group. He was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame as a player in 2010 and is one of a small number of inductees who became head coaches. He never let his players forget the fact that he had a more successful career than most of them.

Recently, Polamalu appeared on Taylor Lewan and Will Compton's podcast, Bussin' With The Boys. Lewan, who played for the Tennessee Titans, mentioned he was fortunate enough to play a single season with LeBeau when he spent a few seasons there, after Pittsburgh and before he retired. Polamalu shared how LeBeau had a unique way of doing things. 

"The fact that he's a Hall of Fame player, there were funny things that he would always do. Like he'd come to the DB line, he'd just walk down and he'd go, '12, 15, 27, um 55, all you guys don't amount to the amount of interceptions that I have.' You would literally go like, 'That's 55 all you guys combined, 63 over here.' He was awesome," laughed Polamalu.

LeBeau really had 63 interceptions during the 14 years he spent in the NFL, all of them for the Detroit Lions. He primarily played cornerback and nearly didn't make the league. The Cleveland Browns drafted him in the fifth round, but cut him during training camp. The Lions made a smart decision and it paid off in interceptions. He had 12 seasons with three or more interceptions during his career, three of them for touchdowns. When he retired in 1972, he ranked third all-time for total number of interceptions. 

LeBeau brought that same passion and intensity to coaching. He is known for developing innovative schemes that stymied opponent's offenses and who wreaked havoc on the field. But Polamalu said that while he might have been a bit braggadocious at times, he was really very humble and for a cerebral player like Polamalu, he was a perfect fit. 

"He was everything to me. He came in my second year and we left the Steelers together. Every day, there was a wise sage moment with him. He was never a yeller, he was never a cusser, it all came in a very real sense. The beauty of his coaching was the consistency. It wasn't like he changed his message that got stale, none of it ever did, but he kept us excited and happy. It was just the level of respect that we had for him."

LeBeau did so many things that won his players over and kept them loyal. One story that always stands out is how he recited Twas The Night Before Christmas to the players every single year just before Christmas. He didn't just read it, he actually recited it from memory. Lewan said he always remembers that too and Polamalu said it touched him so much, he still listens to a recording of it with his family each year.  

Known as the father of the "zone blitz" or "Blitzburgh" as Yinzers like to call it, he is credited with revolutionizing the way football would be played. His defenses created coverage that confused the opponent's quarterback. During his time in Pittsburgh, the Steelers' defense was ranked in the top five an incredible 11 times. 

Steelers' Dick LeBeau Fathered One Of The Greatest Defenses In History

During his time in Pittsburgh, LeBeau kept the Steelers' defense highly competitive, but one of those defenses came together to be one of the greatest defenses in team history, the 2008 squad. That group was even featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine.

While that wasn't the only standout year, LeBeau himself said he was surprised by how good that group was. They were statistically number one in just about everything, including total yardage allowed, points allowed, passing yardage allowed, first downs allowed, and yards per play. They became the team to beat, literally, and rode the success of that defense right into a Super Bowl where they beat the Arizona Cardinals. 

Are you surprised to hear that LeBeau was a bit of a trash-talker? Click to