The secret behind the Baltimore Ravens recent defensive revival is no mystery to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. He knows 75-year-old senior advisor Dean Pees has played the key role.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, December 19 (h/t Ravens Vault co-host Bobby Trosset), Tomlin credited Pees with being a “quality, veteran defensive coach. We’ve competed against him a lot over the years, we’re highly familiar with his schematics. And to be quite honest with you, man, a lot of what they’re doing more recently, specifically since our game, looks a lot like Dean Pees football.”
Getting into the nuts and bolts of what Pees is doing, Tomlin said the Ravens “keep a lid on things. They mix up a variety of two-high safeties and so forth. They don’t give up big plays. They were 32nd in the league in the passing game going into our last game, and since our last game they’ve given up two passes of 20 yards or more.”
Tomlin has called the transformation of what was the worst pass defense in the NFL “a sea change.” He views Pees as a “significant component of it.”
A couple of things stand out from Tomlin’s detailed response. First, the obvious respect the Steelers have for the Pees-engineered Ravens defense.
That respect could influence the Steelers gameplan when the two teams renew hostilities with the AFC North title on the line at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, December 21. The Steelers won the first meeting, 18-16 at Acrisure Stadium in Week 11, the start of a run during which the Ravens have allowed less than 25 points in four-straight games.
Second, Tomlin’s omission of Baltimore’s first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr from his over two-minute answer may resonate in the Ravens locker room.
Dean Pees and Position Switch Key to Ravens Defense
Pees’ experience can’t be undersold as a key factor behind the revival of the Ravens defense since he joined the staff in October. He’s a 20-year veteran of NFL coaching circles, 14 of those years spent as a coordinator, including a six-year stint with the Ravens that helped the 2012 team win a Super Bowl.
Few assistant coaches are as adept at disguising pressure and mixing up coverages. A great example of Pees’ creativity is this cornerback blitz from his days as DC for the Tennessee Titans in 2019, highlighted by Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports.
Designer blitz packages were a feature of the Ravens league-leading defense last season, but Pees has restored some unpredictability to this year’s group. The Ravens are still near the bottom of the league’s standings with a 21.8 blitz percentage, per Pro Football Reference, but they are being more selective and more effective about sending extra rushers on Pees’ watch.
A more significant change has occurred in how the Ravens deploy their personnel since Pees was hired. Specifically in the formation of the defensive backfield.
Choosing new starters at safety inspired improvement against the pass. In particular, moving All-Pro Kyle Hamilton out of the box and into the deep third of the field.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey has given the lion’s share of the credit to Hamilton moving back for the upturn in the Ravens’ pass defense. The numbers support Humphrey’s view.
Numbers like “Weeks 1-10: 0.036 EPA/Play Allowed (7th worst in the NFL),” compared with “Weeks 11-15: -0.085 EPA/Play Allowed (5th best in the NFL),” per Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus.
The Hamilton-led secondary should worry Tomlin and the Steelers ahead of Saturday. Especially when they’re likely to be without their most dynamic pass-catcher.
Mike Tomlin, Steelers Have a Problem
Wide receiver George Pickens is set to miss the game due to a hamstring problem, according to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. Being without Pickens is a major blow for a Steelers offense reliant on the 23-year-old for big plays through the air.
To put Pickens’ impact into perspective, The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer cited numbers from TruMedia to show how the Steelers fare with and without the second-year wideout. The statistics make for welcome reading from a Ravens perspective: “Yards per play: 11th / 32nd Success rate: 18th / 32nd Explosive-play rate: 13th / 32nd.”
That combination of a pass attack missing its best playmaker and a defense making strides in coverage and pressure will be vital for the Ravens. It should prove decisive in ending a miserable run against the Steelers, who’ve won eight of the last nine meetings.
Add in extra motivation from Tomlin’s omission of Orr’s role in the unit’s success, and the Ravens defense could dominate in Week 16.
