polamalubeast
06-17-2014, 02:22 PM
The Steelers and the 3-4 defense form as indelible a partnership as there is in the NFL, a marriage of scheme and structure that's lasted through three head coaches and every trend NFL offenses could throw at it for 32 years.
The run and shoot? The read option? The spread? The wildcat? Never mattered to the Steelers — they stayed loyal to the 3-4 regardless of the NFL flavor of the day, even as offenses sped up and their own personnel slowed down.
But as the Steelers replenish a defense that was one of the NFL's best for a decade but recently isn't generating sacks or takeaways, might they be ready for a defensive cultural change?
“Mike (Tomlin), his strength is a 4-3 team,” NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes said. “They haven't been able to find the personnel that fit the style of defense that Dick (LeBeau) likes to play.”
Some recent Steelers personnel acquisitions — mobile linebacker Ryan Shazier, 330-pounds-plus linemen Cam Thomas and Daniel McCullers, playmaking defensive end Stephon Tuitt, safety Mike Mitchell — all seem just as suited for a 4-3 as they are a 3-4.
Defensive end Cam Heyward said the Steelers already incorporate some 4-3 looks.
“I think our nickel package is more of a four-man line,” Heyward said. “If we have to beef it up, we have some different fronts where we can add another defensive lineman, take a corner or a linebacker out. It all depends on the situation.”
Such a change likely wouldn't occur until LeBeau retires as defensive coordinator, but it would be a natural fit for Tomlin — who worked with 4-3 defenses in Minnesota and Tampa Bay — and linebackers coach Keith Butler, who also has a 4-3 background.
Playing a 4-3 would allow the Steelers to drop their linebackers, including the speedy Shazier, into coverage more often to counter fast-tempo spread offenses. The primary pass-rush responsibilities would shift away from their outside linebackers, whose production has dropped off, and to their interior linemen.
Another argument for the change: Over the past two seasons, the Steelers are only 22nd in sacks and 28th in takeaways.
So are the Steelers silently gearing up to shift away from the 3-4 — the defense that is so intrinsically linked to them that, in 2001, they were the only NFL team playing it?
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/6261503-74/steelers-nfl-4-3#ixzz34vTTmwXv
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
The run and shoot? The read option? The spread? The wildcat? Never mattered to the Steelers — they stayed loyal to the 3-4 regardless of the NFL flavor of the day, even as offenses sped up and their own personnel slowed down.
But as the Steelers replenish a defense that was one of the NFL's best for a decade but recently isn't generating sacks or takeaways, might they be ready for a defensive cultural change?
“Mike (Tomlin), his strength is a 4-3 team,” NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes said. “They haven't been able to find the personnel that fit the style of defense that Dick (LeBeau) likes to play.”
Some recent Steelers personnel acquisitions — mobile linebacker Ryan Shazier, 330-pounds-plus linemen Cam Thomas and Daniel McCullers, playmaking defensive end Stephon Tuitt, safety Mike Mitchell — all seem just as suited for a 4-3 as they are a 3-4.
Defensive end Cam Heyward said the Steelers already incorporate some 4-3 looks.
“I think our nickel package is more of a four-man line,” Heyward said. “If we have to beef it up, we have some different fronts where we can add another defensive lineman, take a corner or a linebacker out. It all depends on the situation.”
Such a change likely wouldn't occur until LeBeau retires as defensive coordinator, but it would be a natural fit for Tomlin — who worked with 4-3 defenses in Minnesota and Tampa Bay — and linebackers coach Keith Butler, who also has a 4-3 background.
Playing a 4-3 would allow the Steelers to drop their linebackers, including the speedy Shazier, into coverage more often to counter fast-tempo spread offenses. The primary pass-rush responsibilities would shift away from their outside linebackers, whose production has dropped off, and to their interior linemen.
Another argument for the change: Over the past two seasons, the Steelers are only 22nd in sacks and 28th in takeaways.
So are the Steelers silently gearing up to shift away from the 3-4 — the defense that is so intrinsically linked to them that, in 2001, they were the only NFL team playing it?
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/6261503-74/steelers-nfl-4-3#ixzz34vTTmwXv
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook