Steelers DC Teryl Austin Thinks the Splash Eventually Will Come for Minkah Fitzpatrick
PITTSBURGH — Through four games, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has yet to record an interception. So far, it’s been a continuation of last year when Fitzpatrick did not create a single turnover. In 2022, Fitzpatrick was the NFL’s co-leader in interceptions with six.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin thinks the turnovers will eventually come for Fitzpatrick. The old saying is that turnovers come in bunches.
“Sometimes it’s not happening right now, but I got full confidence because I know what kind of player Minkah is and the more opportunities that he has and the more time he’s back there that those splash plays will come,” Austin said. “I don’t worry about that. I know how he leads our group in terms of the communication and everything working from back there, and it’s a lot smoother. So I think as a unit, we’ve operated really well, really smooth overall, and so the splash will come. I’m not going to get bent out of shape about that at this particular time.”
Fitzpatrick said at OTAs that he wanted to get back to his ball-hawking ways.
“Just let me play ball,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s it. Minkah ball.”
Fitzpatrick thought the additions of DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson and Patrick Queen would help him reach an All-Pro level again.
“As many great players as you could get in the field is going to help Minkah play Minkah ball,” Fitzpatrick said.
So far, Minkah ball has not come to fruition. He has no pass breakups, either. But he has been solid tackler, recording 25 tackles (18 solos) in four games.
Mike Tomlin did not like the personal foul penalty levied against Fitzpatrick during the team’s 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It was a crucial penalty in a three-point loss, as the Colts ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive.
Tomlin said that he spoke to the NFL office on Monday, and was told “they didn’t like that call, as well.”
“You’re gonna get wronged from time to time, just like the opponent is gonna make a play from time to time,” Tomlin said. “It’s how we respond to it. We still had a lot of opportunity to win that game after that call.”
Fitzpatrick and safety DeShon Elliott both strongly disagreed with the call after the game.
“I thought we were playing football,” Fitzpatrick said. ” I don’t know what we’re playing at this point. It’s a very different game than what I playing and what I grew up loving. Can’t hit nobody hard. Can’t be violent. So, I don’t know what to say anymore.”
The Colts were 8 of 15 on third down against the Steelers. The defense looked lost on several occasions, as Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco threaded the Steelers’ zone coverage.
“I think it’s like everything. You go back and put something bad on tape. You look at it. You figure out what were the issues, the cause of it, the root cause of it, and how do we fix it?” Austin said. “I think that’s what we went about doing this weekend — or this week in terms of making sure our communication is right, making sure we’re talking and saying the right things, recognizing the right formations, all those different things. That’s really what you do. You just go and work at it. I mean, there’s no secret to it. Can I sit here and say we won’t blow a coverage again all year? No, I would be a liar. I wouldn’t say that. It’s like anything else. We’ll just continue to work at it, and each week we’ll have a new set of problems that we have to do and take care of. That’s part ofcoaching. That’s part of this business. I think the better we take care of those problems as we move forward, we’ll continue to have good performances, and we’ll get the plays you saw last week out might be something different, but those plays will be out.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
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