The Pittsburgh Steelers officially moved on from the Dick LeBeau era by naming Keith Butler as their new defensive coordinator.
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The longtime “heir apparent” is now in charge.
Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler is now the team’s new defensive coordinator, taking the position after the Steelers and former coordinator Dick LeBeau parted ways last Saturday.
“We are excited to announce Keith Butler as our defensive coordinator,” Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said on the team’s website. “Keith has been an integral part of our defensive game planning and schemes for several years and we look forward to him moving into the role of calling the defense. His passion and energy will be important to us taking the next steps to being one of the top defenses in the NFL.”
The 58-year-old Butler joined the Steelers in 2003 and was the mastermind of a linebacking corps that was consistently among the league’s premier units. Pittsburgh linebackers earned 10 Pro Bowl nods, seven first or second team All-Pro selections, along with three team MVP honors.
“It’s the dream of a lifetime,” said Butler. “There are only 32 of these jobs on this Earth. I am excited about the opportunity and I look forward to getting this process started immediately.”
Butler played 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (1978-1987), and is still second on the team’s all-time list with 813 tackles. He began his coaching career at Memphis (1990-97) — where he worked with Tomlin — before moving on to Arkansas State for the 1998 season. His previous NFL coaching job was with the Cleveland Browns from 1999-2002.
Butler has to improve a defense that ranked 18th overall, which was the lowest a LeBeau-coordinated defense was ranked during his time with the Steelers. Pittsburgh is also in the midst of transition defensively, as veterans Brett Keisel and Troy Polamalu are approaching the end of their careers, while youngsters like Cameron Heyward and Shamarko Thomas are the new breed for the unit.
Keisel ended the season injured and could be headed to retirement, while Polamalu is pondering ending what should be a Hall of Fame career. Linebacker James Harrison, who came out of retirement early last season, has not decided if he will return for another year.
Linebacker Jason Worilds, who led the team with 7.5 sacks, will be an unrestricted free agent and will be a prime target for teams in search of a young edge rusher. Worilds said he would like to remain with the Steelers, yet will keep his options open.
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