A Legendary Defense

To most NFL fans, Dick LeBeau is known as a football lifer, Pro Football Hall of Fame member, and mastermind behind the revolutionary zone blitz defense. But to Pittsburgh Steelers fans, LeBeau is the beloved defensive coaching genius who helped lead the Steelers to their last two championships - Super Bowl XL in 2005 and Super Bowl XLIII in 2008 - crafting a devastating 3-4 defensive scheme that came to define a treasured era of football in Pittsburgh.

In Legendary, LeBeau along with veteran Steelers’ scribes Scott Brown and George Von Benko will revisit that unforgettably dominant 2008 defensive unit, one of the most feared and successful in the modern NFL landscape. A deep dive into each game of the 2007-2008 championship season, with added perspective of how that ＂Blitzburgh＂ defense stacks up against the other great contemporary defenses, LeBeau also intersperses revelations about the 2008 Steelers with anecdotes from his nearly 60 years in the NFL as both a star player and groundbreaking coach who spanned decades of football innovation.

This fond look back at the latest golden era for the Steelers also includes recollections from the legends on defense who helped bring LeBeau’s ground-breaking vision to life, from Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu to 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison to unheralded but essential linebacker James Farrior, and many more who count LeBeau as one of the most admired and brilliant coaches in league history.

Dick LeBeau spent 59 consecutive seasons in the NFL,14 playing cornerback with the Detroit Lions and 45 as a coach for numerous teams. As defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, LeBeau led the team to wins in Super Bowl XL and XLIII. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2010.

Scott Brown is an author and freelance writer who has written for ESPN.com, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Florida Today. Brown has authored or co-authored several sports books, including The Pittsburgh Steelers Fans’ Bucket List and Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story.

George Von Benko is a sportscaster, writer, and sports historian who has written for outlets including the Herald Standard and the Green County Messenger.