Mark Twain is credited with popularizing the saying that there are lies, damn lies and statistics.
And certainly, you can use statistics to make a case one way or another that the 2018 Steelers had a good defense or one decidedly average.
The Steelers finished the 2018 season sixth in the NFL in total yards allowed. They led the NFL in sacks for the second consecutive season and were ninth in third-down percentage. They were 10th in passing yards allowed and had the league's sixth-best run defense.
On the other side of the coin, they were tied for 16th in points allowed and red zone defense. The Steelers also were 24th in fourth quarter scoring defense and 29th in forced turnovers with 15.
So, while some of the numbers suggest the Steelers were a top-10 defense, others suggest they were more middle-of-the-pack.
The question now is if the offseason additions of Steven Nelson at cornerback and Mark Barron and Devin Bush at inside linebacker will be enough to make the Steelers a top-10 defense across the board.
The Steelers will start to find that out for sure on July 25, when they report to Saint Vincent College for training camp.
Turnovers, or lack thereof, were a big part of the problem in 2018.
Teams that are in the top-10 in the league in sacks also typically find themselves at the top of the list for most turnovers forced. But that wasn't the case for the Steelers.
Their league-best 52 sacks was tempered by just seven interceptions. By comparison, the Chiefs, who tied the Steelers for the league lead in sacks, had 15 interceptions and 27 forced turnovers overall.
Nobody would say Kansas City's defense was a good one in 2018, but in terms of pressure and turnovers, the Chiefs were among the league's best.
Enter Nelson, Kansas City's top cornerback from a year ago. The fifth-year corner intercepted four passes in 2018, and the Steelers are hopeful he can make a similar impact this season after signing him to a three-year, $25.5-million contract.
He should be an upgrade at corner opposite Joe Haden, a spot held down by Coty Sensabaugh for more than half of last season after former first-round draft pick Artie Burns fell apart.
But while Sensabaugh didn't allow many big plays, he also didn't provide any turnovers, failing to intercept a pass.
Meanwhile at inside linebacker, Barron, a free-agent signing, and Bush, their first-round pick in the 2019 draft, should provide the Steelers with better overall play than the combination of Jon Bostic and L.J. Fort provided a year ago next to Vince Williams.
The Steelers also brought in former Lions and Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to work with the secondary.
"I see a lot of additions. I feel like we’ve upgraded. We’ve gotten better," Sean Davis said. "I feel like we’re all progressing and making those proper steps to be a championship defense."
The proof will start showing itself in September. But the Steelers do know this: They won't have to face the gauntlet of top-level quarterbacks they did a year ago.
The 2018 season saw them face Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Cam Newton. All have either won an NFL MVP award or, in the case of Rivers, finished in the top three of the voting.
The schedule isn't nearly as daunting this season in terms of facing top quarterbacks, though Brady and Rivers are on the regular season schedule again this season, as well as an improving Baker Mayfield in Cleveland.
The fact, however, remains that no matter who you play, you have to create turnovers. And the Steelers know they need to do a better job of it, especially late in games.
"To me, winning football games has a lot to do with what’s happening in the final two minutes,” Keith Butler said. “If you look at what’s happened the last couple of years in football, the games are coming down to the final two minutes. It seems like the league is concerned about how many four-point games we have, which is good because it keeps everyone tuned in. No one is turning the channel. That’s fine.
“The problem is we have to make sure we’re good. I think we can do better than last year. We have to do better than last year during those two-minute periods. There are going to be a lot of close games. Those games we lost last year, we won the year before. We have to get the winning edge.”
The Steelers feel they have made the necessary adjustments to have that winning edge. But they thought that last season, as well, with the addition of Bostic at inside linebacker.
They were much more aggressive to fill those needs this time around. It looks better, at least on paper. But paper won't hold up against Brady on Sept. 8 at Gillette Stadium.
At the very least, the Steelers are much faster in the middle of the field, which should help.
"Last year, we were top 10. This year, we want to be the best," Terrell Edmunds said. "We’re trying to make interceptions. Last year, we didn’t do what we wanted to or what we were capable of. We want to come out here and catch more interceptions, have the ball in our hands. When the ball is on the ground, we’ve got to scoop it up. It’s going after the ball. We have to keep on having that mentality that we’ve got to have the ball when it is in the air."
