The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a spark on defense. If you watched them surrender 115 yards per game on the ground last year you know there were specific positions that where the play seemed painfully slow.
The team addressed the team speed issue in the draft, and in free agency, and the speed added to the roster has been a major talking point among the media and other outlets when talking about the Steelers.
Just don't talk about it around head coach Mike Tomlin.
"Speed is speed. Too much has been said about it already. Football is football. This isn't a track meet." Tomlin said during a press conference on the first day of training camp.
Tomlin might be trying to downplay the youth and inexperience that is currently running rampant on his team's roster, but speed isn't just speed. Speed makes up for mistakes and is what makes plays.
Granted, this is football and if players that were fast always equated to success on the grid iron then you'd be seeing Olympic track stars throughout NFL rosters. However, that isn't the case.
Tomlin's job isn't an easy one heading into camp, and he is setting the tone for what could be his most challenging and important camp of his tenure with the organization. Tomlin has to get this team acclimated to life in the NFL, as well as prepared to have a better start than they saw in 2014 when they went a combined 0-8 including their four preseason losses. A start like that can't happen, and Tomlin realizes it.
However, the Steelers' new found team speed is certainly an asset that should be talked about.After all, it might be that team speed that this team hangs their hat on for success this season.