FanHouse Dick Lebeau

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, may finally get through the doors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- as a player.

The seniors committee on Tuesday named LeBeau, 71, a cornerback who played in an NFL-record 171 consecutive games (most at his position), and running back Floyd Little, 67, who amassed more than 12,000 all-purpose yards, as the two seniors finalists for the Class of 2010.

They will join 15 modern-era candidates on the complete list of finalists for the 2010 class. The modern-era candidates are still under consideration by the selection committee.

To think, when the Steelers announced that Mike Tomlin -- not Russ Grimm -- would replace Bill Cowher, the biggest concern was that the former Vikings defensive coordinator who had learned the intricacies of the Cover-2 while serving as Tony Dungy's secondary coach in Tampa Bay would get rid of zone-blitz architect Dick LeBeau and scrap the 3-4 defense.

The Cardinals trailed the Steelers 10-7 when linebacker Karlos Dansby intercepted quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the Pittsburgh 34-yard line with two minutes to go in the first half of Super Bowl XLIII.

Seven plays and 1:42 later, Arizona had a first-and-goal from the 1. Best case: the Cards headed to the locker room with the lead. Worst case: a tie. Unimaginable case: NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison pick-six'ed Kurt Warner (video after the jump), resulting in a 10-point swing that had as much to do with the game's ultimate outcome as the Big Ben-to-Santonio pass-and-catch in the back of the end zone during the last drive.

But here's the thing: Harrison was supposed to blitz on the half-ending, game-changing play. If he had, Boldin would have been wide open, Warner would have hit him in stride and the Steelers might still be sitting on five Super Bowl titles.

In May, the Eagles announced that Sean McDermott would be the team's interim defensive coordinator, replacing Jim Johnson indefinitely while he received cancer treatments. Friday, the organization named McDermott to the full-time gig.

Johnson continues to battle cancer, and as NFL Network's Jason La Canfora writes, "If there is ever a Coordinators Wing in the Hall of Fame (and frankly there probably should be), then of this modern era of defensive coaches, Johnson and Dick LeBeau should be first-ballot entrants."

Johnson, 68, molded the Eagles into one of the league's best defenses during his 10 years in Philly, and in a 2005 interview with the Boston Globe he explained his blitz-happy philosophy.

Four years ago, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau figured out how to move Troy Polamalu around to create all kinds of confusion--the result was an amazing run through the playoffs on the way to a Super Bowl victory. Two years ago, LeBeau tinkered with the Steelers defense by working up a pass defense with one down lineman and defensive end Brett Keisel wandering all around to cause mass chaos. The result was the league's top ranked defense for total yardage allowed.

Last year LeBeau drew up overload blitzes with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley lined up on the same side and nickel packages that allowed Lawrence Timmons, Harrison and Woodley to come from anywhere and everywhere. It turned into one of the best defenses of all time (first in total defense, passing defense and scoring nd second in rushing defense).

Good news: Larry Foote is an NFL starter, which is all he wanted. Bad news: he went from the Steelers, twice Super Bowl champs in the past three years, to the Lions, winners of exactly zero games in 2008.

In Detroit, Foote will have to adjust to playing middle linebacker in the 4-3, and despite suspect pass-coverage skills, he'll upgrade the defense. (Given that the Lions were one of the worst units in the league, it would be hard not to. Point taken.)

Foote, signed last week and, after wrapping up OTAs with his new team, talked to WDFN-AM Detroit's Matt Shepard about the subtle differences between the Steelers and the Lions:

As expected, the Steelers finally got around to releasing linebacker Larry Foote today. The team's 2002 fifth-round pick hadn't missed a start since 2004, but with the emergence of Lawrence Timmons, Foote became expendable. In fact, last season, Foote was a two-down player, coming off the field in passing situations. And that, along with Timmons' progress and Foote's $2.9 million salary for next season, was enough for the Steelers to make a change.

Foote never made the Pro Bowl during his seven-year career, but he was an integral part of the defense, particularly after Dick LeBeau returned as coordinator in 2004. He was one of the team's most consistent players, and that, along with his age (28), means he won't be out of a job for long.

After a week of hoping that Bryant McFadden would decide to stay in Pittsburgh, the Steelers lost him to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, as Ryan Wilson reported.

It's a disappointment for the Steelers, but one they can easily survive. When McFadden was hurt last year, the Steelers secondary didn't miss a beat. William Gay, the starter when McFadden was hurt, will replace McFadden as a starter, Deshea Townsend will be the nickel back and the Steelers will likely draft a cornerback to eventually replace Townsend and give Gay competition.

According to the Football Outsiders' game charters, Gay was the best cornerback in the league last year in yards allowed per attempt thrown his way, so he's not likely to be in over his head.

The Green Bay Packers added some depth to their secondary on Friday, agreeing to terms with free agent safety Anthony Smith. A former 2006 third-round pick, Smith was a tremendous disappointment with the Steelers, and was not tendered a contract offer this offseason as a restricted free agent.

He's talented, sure, but he's the football equivalent of a million-dollar arm and a 10-cent head. His claim to fame as an NFL player is his foolish guarantee of a win against New England back in 2007, when the Patriots were on their way to an undefeated regular season.

The news that the Cardinals have promoted from within to fill their defensive coordinator job is very good news for the Steelers.

There had been rumors that Steelers linebacker coach Keith Butler, who was with the Steelers back when Ken Whisenhunt was the offensive coordinator, was a leading candidate for the job, but in the end Whisenhunt decided to promote Bill Davis to help prevent losing him to Kansas City, where Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley just got the head job.

So why is this a big deal for the Steelers?