Miscommunication sinks Steelers defense

Missed assignments. Wide-open receivers. Late substitutions. Ten players on the field at one point.

The Steelers' miscommunication during a 28-21 loss to New England was on display for a national audience Thursday, but defensive players said only part of their problems stemmed from malfunctioning headsets.

“We have a lot of room for improvement, especially when it comes to communication,” outside linebacker Arthur Moats said. “A lot of the plays that we gave up were from lack of communication.”

Mammoth tight end Rob Gronkowski roamed free on at least two pivotal plays, but those weren't the only examples of the Steelers defense appearing out of sorts and out of position.

“A couple times we didn't get lined up, and that's a fault on us,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “We have to line up and be ready, and we didn't do that.”

There are several explanations for the communication issues:

• Myriad minor injuries in training camp meant the starters rarely had an opportunity to practice together.

• A loud, sellout crowd at Gillette Stadium.

• Having a new defensive coordinator in Keith Butler created unanticipated opening-game issues.

“We're not making excuses,” Moats said. “We feel like as professionals, from the first game to the Super Bowl, new coaches or whatever, we're supposed to be hitting on all our cylinders and making sure our communication is sharp and we're productive.

“So the fact we didn't accomplish that the way we wanted to, it leaves a bitter taste in our mouth.”

Among defensive players, it was not surprising that outspoken veteran linebacker James Harrison came closest to blaming the headset issues for the Steelers' communication problems, saying they “could have contributed to some of that.”

Still, Harrison acknowledged that many of the missed assignments were no one's fault but the Steelers'.

That the Steelers held the Patriots to below their 2014 averages for points (29.2) and total yardage (365.5) — not to mention outgain them by 103 yards — was little consolation to opening a season 0-1 for the fourth time in five seasons.

“We weren't satisfied at all,” cornerback Antwon Blake said. “We know we had a lot of issues going on that we need to correct.

“We weren't satisfied with giving up 28 points because we know we could have been better.”

Chris Adamski is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.