STEELERS

Patrick Graham doesn't have a set way of doing things. He's usually adapted to the talent provided on the roster. That's exactly what he's doing as the new defensive coordinator of the Steelers. And based on what they have, there's a strong indication of what kind of coverage we'll see most often, though there is a distinct effort to mix and match quite a bit.

"I'm very excited," Jaquan Brisker said Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "We've got a lot of different things, a lot of different personnels and things like that. Just not showing what we're going to do, having a little disguise to it, or sometimes we'll just be in it. It's giving us a lot of flexibility."

Flexibility is sought after by Mike McCarthy throughout the entire roster. That being said, looking at who the Steelers have in the secondary, there's not a true centerfield-type free safety -- a position this team has employed for years. That makes a ton of sense since the Steelers were predominantly been a single-high safety team under Mike Tomlin, even going back to when Dick LeBeau was defensive coordinator.

Jalen Ramsey is probably the best fit to play that spot, and very well could on occasion, though I wouldn't question Brisker's ability to play that spot, either. However, assistant head coach/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. made it clear this week that Ramsey is destined to be a Charles Woodson-type player, bouncing around to several positions. There's no cementing him at safety on a full-time basis.

Looking at Brisker and DeShon Elliott, who have been the two primary safeties during any team period that coincided with media shooting windows during OTAs, both are more of the traditional strong safety. In today's NFL, that means playing closer to the line of scrimmage or in the box, covering tight ends and running backs in pass coverage and aiding the defensive front in the run fits. Even Brisker told Dejan Kovacevic this week that he lined up as a linebacker.

So, again, how can the defense function like this? Or are they doomed for failure?

First, I've been reporting for months, which has only been confirmed by both players and the little bit I can report from OTAs, this defense will deploy much more two-high safety looks under Graham. And the main reason for that is because of who they have on the roster. Brisker and Elliott can be the two deep safeties when the team is in Cover 2, Cover 4 or Cover 6. In any of those three coverages -- all two-high looks -- the most any safety has to cover is one half of the deep portion of the field (Cover 2, half of Cover 6).

When the Steelers are in single-high coverages, the most vulnerable a deep safety will be is in Cover 1, meaning just one defender is responsible for the entire deep portion of the field. Perhaps the coaching staff's thinking is they don't need a dynamic free safety for that role because they have two outstanding cornerbacks in Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean, who have allowed just one combined touchdown in coverage over the past two seasons. If Graham is selective in when they deploy Cover 1, such as third-and-short or in the red zone, then it also lightens the burden on whoever the deep safety would be. The majority of pass concepts on third-and-short would be in the quick or intermediate range, and there's not nearly as much field to cover once offenses get into the red zone.

So in theory, yes, the Steelers can function without a true centerfield free safety. If they need a true player of that position only a handful of times per game, then it's actually a bad allocation of resources to pay the money needed to have that type of player, such as a Minkah Fitzpatrick.

In fact, thinking about what Brisker and Elliott can do as the two high safeties in Cover 4 could be a great extension of the run defense. The idea that Cover 4 is weak against the run because there isn't an eighth player in the box is very misleading. In Cover 4, if the offense runs the ball, it's often taught for the two inside quarter defenders (usually the two safeties) to crash down into the box, giving the defense nine players to stop the run. And both Brisker and Elliott can do a great job in shutting down opposing run games when they crash into the box.

We'll get a much better idea of what the Steelers are going to do on defense when we get to training camp in Latrobe, Pa. Everything the team works on there will be for all eyes to see. But, if anyone's thinking the Steeles are operating blindly without a certain type of safety on the roster, think again.