PITTSBURGH — The Steelers’ Dick LeBeau has long been a ground-breaking defensive coordinator.
After all, he is the man who devised the zone blitz.
Now, LeBeau could break new ground after being named one of two finalists, along with former Denver running back Floyd Little, by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010.
Should LeBeau gain election, he would likely open the door for other assistant coaches to be enshrined in Canton.
“Dick LeBeau, to me, not only has the pelts on the wall from his coaching career, he also has them from his playing career,” said Peter King, senior writer at Sports Illustrated and a Hall of Fame voter. “To me, until he gets in, no assistant coach has a chance to get in.”
A strong case can be made that LeBeau should be in the Hall strictly on the basis of his playing career. He was a standout defensive back for Detroit for 14 seasons from 1959-72 and played in three Pro Bowls.
He also had 62 career interceptions, which is seventh all-time in the NFL, including a career-high nine during a 14-game season in 1970.
“I think this is long overdue,” Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. “He revolutionized the zone blitz and his contributions to the game are unparalleled. He deserves to be in as a player or coach. It couldn’t go to a better person.”
Little is stiff competition for LeBeau, though. Little played in five Pro Bowls during his nine-year career from 1967-75 and led the NFL in rushing with 1,133 yards in 1971.
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Washington hopes to be ready: Nate Washington might be a very disappointed man on Sept. 10 when the Steelers open the NFL’s regular season against Tennessee at Heinz Field.
Washington might miss what was scheduled to be his debut with the Titans because of a strained right hamstring. Washington spent the first four seasons of his career with the Steelers before signing a six-year, $27-million contract as a free agent so he could become a starting wide receiver after being a backup in Pittsburgh.
Washington will miss the rest of the preseason but is hopeful of being ready for the opener.
“I’d be very disappointed if I had to miss that game,” Washington said. “It’s something that I’ve worked very hard for. To miss that game would be big for me.”
Titans coach Jeff Fisher is noncommittal about Washington’s potential availability against the Steelers.
“We’ve done all of the exams and he’s going to miss some time,” Fisher said. “It’s not a serious hamstring, but he does have an injury to the hamstring muscle. We’ll be day-to-day, week-to-week here. He’s a quick healer, and we’ll get aggressive with his treatment.”
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Taking it easy: The final games of the NFL preseason often resemble junior varsity games at the high school level.
Teams play their starters only briefly for fear they might get injured before the regular-season opener.
When the Steelers play the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday night, they may not face either of the defending NFC South champion’s top running backs. DeAngelo Williams has been slowed by a knee injury and Jonathan Stewart has a nagging Achilles’ tendon problem.
Williams rushed for 1,515 yards last season and Stewart added 836.
“Anytime you’re playing games and you have injuries, it knocks down your depth chart,” Panthers coach John Fox said. “We didn’t have a lot of depth to start with, but that’s part of preseason football. Hopefully, we’ll get our injuries out of the way and be healthy when the regular season starts.”
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