The Pittsburgh Steelers will see at least one familiar face on the Arizona Cardinals' sideline when the two teams square off this Sunday: Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who spent the last seven seasons prior to this one with the Steelers, most recently as their secondary coach. He was popular with the players - cornerback Troy Polamalu said, "He’s had so much to do with the success that we’ve had as a secondary" - and guided the Steelers' defensive backs to success on the field: Pittsburgh's defense ranked No. 2, No. 1, No. 12, and No. 1 in points allowed in his four seasons coaching the secondary.
Addressing the media Friday, Horton took issue with the idea that Pittsburgh's defense is too old. "I'd love to be old and No. 1 defense in league for third year in a row," he said, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
Horton's success with the Steelers hasn't quite translated to the Cardinals, as they rank No. 19 in points allowed and No. 22 in net passing yards per attempt allowed. In those categories, Pittsburgh ranks No. 4 and No. 1, respectively, and they'll hope to use what Horton taught them against him on Sunday.