A little love to the coaches

[Steelman]

After the clock finally hit zeroes I just laid on my living room floor in shocked exhaustion trying to calm cardiac palpitations and process what had just happened. An hour later I'm finally off the floor and head to a local burger joint to get some grease and protein in my frazzled system. The store manager happens to be near the door and seeing my Steelers hat and shirt, thrusts a closed fist toward me. Nerves fried, I flinch a bit, unsure of what he's doing. "Hell of a game," he exclaims. I return the fist bump but all I can do is shake my head and grimace. "Yeah, that was insane," I finally mutter.

Really though, it was insane.

Mike Tomlin, obviously, was emphatic that nothing was changed and that the difference was all about execution. Sorry, I don't fully buy that. But I do think it illustrates a trend with this 2015 version of the Steelers coaching staff. I've seen improvement. I harp on Tomlin as much as any, but there's a good many folks here on the board who genuinely dislike Tomlin and that's fine, but even the most diehard would have to admit that this was a hell of a game. I've said it before that Tomlin's coaching style gets him blasted for losses and discredited for big wins. Throw in the reports of Peezy's thunderous halftime speech and people still want to believe that this team wins in spite of Tomlin. I don't think that's possible at this point. Does he have warts? Yes. But ships don't take torpedoes to the belly and survive without the men in charge keeping the sailors together.

So yeah, it's all about execution. There was a putrid lack of it in the first half on all fronts. But somebody has to call the shots, see what's happening and call plays accordingly. I think Mike Tomlin and Co. deserve a ton of credit for this game. Everyone's talking about the defense, but I really thought Todd Haley had a good game plan and quietly called an excellent game. When we got down a couple scores, he was able to improve on it even more and see the offense shred that vaunted Denver defense in the second half. Keith Butler's unit obviously had the most drastic turnaround I've seen in a long time. And again, despite Tomlin's insistence otherwise, I saw adjustments, dammit!

Really though, I just wanted to acknowledge that one of the main issues we've had with this coaching staff and Mike Tomlin in particular was, at least for one game, put to bed and conquered in truly glorious fashion.

[stillers4me]

:applaudit:

[fansince'76]

I've said it before that Tomlin's coaching style gets him blasted for losses and discredited for big wins. Throw in the reports of Peezy's thunderous halftime speech and people still want to believe that this team wins in spite of Tomlin.

Tomlin can't win without Cowher's old players as assistant coaches!

:chuckle:

[polamalubeast]

The Steelers now have 10 straight wins in December!

[fansince'76]

The Steelers now have 10 straight wins in December!

Not bad for the "2nd-best coach of the AFC North." :chuckle:

[tube517]

After the disastrous 0-4 start in 2013, Tomlin is 28-14 since (regular season only)

[steelreserve]

It was good to see them making the adjustments. Wasn't long ago that we would've been treated to the same old shit, stick to the plan no matter what.

I don't know who exactly was responsible for the two big changes of benching Blake and playing closer coverage - Tomlin? Butler? Lake? Someone else? - but that person deserves a freaking medal. At the same time, it was poor planning that got us into that mess in the first place, so they only get half a pass.

I heard Tomlin say after the game that we "really didn't do much different on defense" in the second half. If you actually believe that, you have to be either drunk or on cocaine, or just not watching the game at all.

[Psycho Ward 86]

It was good to see them making the adjustments. Wasn't long ago that we would've been treated to the same old shit, stick to the plan no matter what.

I don't know who exactly was responsible for the two big changes of benching Blake and playing closer coverage - Tomlin? Butler? Lake? Someone else? - but that person deserves a freaking medal. At the same time, it was poor planning that got us into that mess in the first place, so they only get half a pass.

I heard Tomlin say after the game that we "really didn't do much different on defense" in the second half. If you actually believe that, you have to be either drunk or on cocaine, or just not watching the game at all.

Cam Heyward said in an interview after that they played tighter coverage in the 2nd half

[NCSteeler]

After the clock finally hit zeroes I just laid on my living room floor in shocked exhaustion trying to calm cardiac palpitations and process what had just happened. An hour later I'm finally off the floor and head to a local burger joint to get some grease and protein in my frazzled system. The store manager happens to be near the door and seeing my Steelers hat and shirt, thrusts a closed fist toward me. Nerves fried, I flinch a bit, unsure of what he's doing. "Hell of a game," he exclaims. I return the fist bump but all I can do is shake my head and grimace. "Yeah, that was insane," I finally mutter.

Really though, it was insane.

Mike Tomlin, obviously, was emphatic that nothing was changed and that the difference was all about execution. Sorry, I don't fully buy that. But I do think it illustrates a trend with this 2015 version of the Steelers coaching staff. I've seen improvement. I harp on Tomlin as much as any, but there's a good many folks here on the board who genuinely dislike Tomlin and that's fine, but even the most diehard would have to admit that this was a hell of a game. I've said it before that Tomlin's coaching style gets him blasted for losses and discredited for big wins. Throw in the reports of Peezy's thunderous halftime speech and people still want to believe that this team wins in spite of Tomlin. I don't think that's possible at this point. Does he have warts? Yes. But ships don't take torpedoes to the belly and survive without the men in charge keeping the sailors together.

So yeah, it's all about execution. There was a putrid lack of it in the first half on all fronts. But somebody has to call the shots, see what's happening and call plays accordingly. I think Mike Tomlin and Co. deserve a ton of credit for this game. Everyone's talking about the defense, but I really thought Todd Haley had a good game plan and quietly called an excellent game. When we got down a couple scores, he was able to improve on it even more and see the offense shred that vaunted Denver defense in the second half. Keith Butler's unit obviously had the most drastic turnaround I've seen in a long time. And again, despite Tomlin's insistence otherwise, I saw adjustments, dammit!

Really though, I just wanted to acknowledge that one of the main issues we've had with this coaching staff and Mike Tomlin in particular was, at least for one game, put to bed and conquered in truly glorious fashion.

Nice post. I saw good planning on offense, definitely taking what they could against a goo defense. I saw halftime adjustments to the plan on defense and it worked great. Hard to comp[lain about that

[Rotorhead]

I agree, the offense didnt play bad the first half for sure. The defense won that game, short fields for the offense most of the second half helped a lot. Tighter coverages in the second half was the kicker, if we can continue that through the playoffs we should do well. Disruption of the timing routes is key against today's offenses especially the Cheats. We contested every pass the second half, no blown assignments like the first half and Blake not giving up scores helped.

[BnG_Hevn]

They must have used the Oakland game as a template. My guess is that they went in using "their method" and decided pre-game that if things go to hell in a hand basket, at half-time go the way of the Raiders.

The good part is that, hopefully, the Broncos wake up for the Bengals.

[86WARD]

Tale of two different coaching staffs. Maybe they listened to Porters speech as well...

[lipps83]

Cam Heyward said in an interview after that they played tighter coverage in the 2nd half

It is completely bewildering that they keep going out there initially playing the garbage schemes that they have been for years. More than 10 yards off the receiver, even on 3rd and short situations.

That has like, maybe a 10% success rate yet each week they roll it out there and continue to get carved up and giving opposing QB's career days.

It's such an easy concept to change too, you just stop doing it and you are immediately better. Nothing controversial there.

It's the ghost of Lebeau. He loved that garbage.

[Shoes]

Cam Heyward said in an interview after that they played tighter coverage in the 2nd half

Blake only played 4-5 plays in the 2nd half. I'm sure that tightened things up nicely.

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/12/steelers-cornerback-rotation-broncos-week-15-antwon-blake/

[fansince'76]

It is completely bewildering that they keep going out there initially playing the garbage schemes that they have been for years. More than 10 yards off the receiver, even on 3rd and short situations.

That has like, maybe a 10% success rate yet each week they roll it out there and continue to get carved up and giving opposing QB's career days.

It's such an easy concept to change too, you just stop doing it and you are immediately better. Nothing controversial there.

It's the ghost of Lebeau. He loved that garbage.

Agreed. It made me sick to watch the Patriots absolutely shred it EVERY FREAKING TIME we played them. The one time he actually mixed it up and they played press man (2011), Brady didn't wind up having a career day for once and we won the game.

"Tackle the catch!" really doesn't work so well with a team that is patient enough and perfectly content to dink and dunk you to death all over the field all day long...

[ALLD]

They should have made adjustments after the second TD and not a second later.

[Drazo85]

They should have made adjustments after the second TD and not a second later.
Better late than never.

[86WARD]

Tomlin can't start Blake this coming week...right?!?

[polamalubeast]

678810368345571329

[Hawkman]

678810368345571329

It ain't perfect til it's over.

[hawaiiansteeler]

http://i.imgur.com/C6jfVl2.gif

[86WARD]

http://i.imgur.com/C6jfVl2.gif

might be one of my new favorite Gifs.

[zoneblitzerII]

Kudos to Tomlin for getting the veterans together on D to work things out. If they do get into the tourney, they need to come out better prepared and they cannot have these mental lapses in the post season for an entire half of football.