Inside Conditions: Pittsburgh’s new name for its defense…‘The Steel Blanket’

JUSTIN FIELDS EASILY HAD HIS BEST GAME AS A STEELER IN THE TEAM’S 20-10 WIN OVER THE CHARGERS, SEPT. 22. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN) In 1971, Pittsburgh ra­dio station WTAE host­ed a contest to name the dominating Pittsburgh Steelers defense that smothered opposing of­fenses so thoroughly that there were occasions op­ponents could see no light at the end of the tunnel. Thus the name, “The Steel Curtain.” That was the label many Steelers fans adopted to describe the play of the team’s de­fensive line. As time went on, the label evolved to in­clude the entire defense. Fast forward to 2024. I don’t need a contest to assist me in defining the present defensive players. I now crown the defense, “The Steel Blanket.” The reason that I chose the word blanket is because in this case, “The Steel Blan­ket” has a dual purpose. The defense provides a level of comfort and con­fidence to the Steelers’ offense, allowing them to play an almost stress-free type of football. That same quilt of com­fort can also be used to smother the opposing of­fense like an African py­thon smothers an unwary raccoon that answers a questionable online ad for a dinner date, not knowing that...