If you read my stuff here at Steel City Blitz regularly then you know I’ve been very critical of Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary coach Carnell Lake. As a player, Lake was a Steelers’ great and an easy guy to cheer to for too. In his capacity as coach however, I’ve been less than impressed. Because I’m a fair guy and can give credit where it is due, I think Lake needs some accolades for what is going on in the Steelers’ secondary.
We have seen dynamic improvement in the two rookies that he’s in charge of in cornerback Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis. Burns and Davis rank third and fifth respectively in total tackles and they’ve picked off four passes with Burns leading the team with three himself. Davis has seen more and more time up around the line of scrimmage where he’s collected 1.5 sacks and has made numerous plays around the line of scrimmage.
Part of the issue I and many of my colleagues had with Lake was the fact that the defensive backs just didn’t seem to be improving. Injuries were part of that but so too was some inexperience as a coach on his part at the NFL level.
While the two rookies appear to be his prize pupils, I think Lake has had an effect on Mike Mitchell as well. While Mitchell has missed some plays at times, overall he’s played better as the season has gone on. Whether we agree or disagree on his big-hitting mentality, the fact is, he has become an enforcer. Mitchell is the guy you don’t want coming at you with a full head of speed.
I know from solid sources that Mike Tomlin has had more to do in recent years with the secondary than any other time during his tenure but that doesn’t and shouldn’t take away from Carnell Lake’s influence on the play of this unit. While the recent defensive surge has been a complete team effort, there’s no doubting the contribution of Lake’s crew.
