Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Making the complex simple and the irregular regular

At 71, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, the NFL's oldest coach, just finished his 50th year in the league.

[In the 1960s, playing alongside guys like Night Train Lane, Earl Morrall, and Alex Karras, he was one of the NFL's best cornerbacks.]

As this article describes, "LeBeau may be the most beloved coach in the game. He's also one of the most accomplished. The Steelers' defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL in 2008, allowing more than 300 yards just once in 18 games, counting playoffs."

PIT head coach Mike Tomlin says Coach LeBeau's strength is keeping things simple, but not simplistic:

"Dick is a fundamentalist, I'm a fundamentalist," Tomlin said. "Things that he does schematically are geared toward putting his players in position to play. He's a unique teacher that way. He makes the complex simple. He makes the irregular regular."