polamalubeast
01-05-2016, 04:38 PM
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers gave Keith Butler a very specific mandate when he replaced Hall of Fame defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau last January.
More sacks. More takeaways. No matter what. No matter who. No matter how.
In that vein, Butler's first season putting together the game plan is an unqualified success. The Steelers finished with 48 sacks and 17 interceptions, up from 33 and 11 last season and the club's most in each category since 2010, when Pittsburgh advanced to the franchise's eighth Super Bowl.
The "splash plays" that coach Mike Tomlin covets have helped overcome mistakes that pop up when the Steelers (10-6) can't get their hands on the ball or the opposing quarterback.
Pittsburgh can be both vicious and vulnerable, often on the same drive. The group that finished third in the league in sacks and turnovers created also wound up 21st in yards allowed, the team's highest ranking in that category since Chuck Noll's final season in 1991. It's not ideal but with one of the NFL's most explosive offenses, Pittsburgh has a little more wiggle room than usual heading into Saturday's wild-card game in Cincinnati (12-4).
"A lot of people talk about the yards we give up in the secondary, but usually when that happens we're getting great red zone stops, we're getting turnovers, we're causing havoc up front with the defensive line, making teams one dimensional," safety Will Allen said.
read more
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2016/01/05/splash-plays-helping-steelers-defense-overcome-inconsistency/78320330/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomnfl-topstories
More sacks. More takeaways. No matter what. No matter who. No matter how.
In that vein, Butler's first season putting together the game plan is an unqualified success. The Steelers finished with 48 sacks and 17 interceptions, up from 33 and 11 last season and the club's most in each category since 2010, when Pittsburgh advanced to the franchise's eighth Super Bowl.
The "splash plays" that coach Mike Tomlin covets have helped overcome mistakes that pop up when the Steelers (10-6) can't get their hands on the ball or the opposing quarterback.
Pittsburgh can be both vicious and vulnerable, often on the same drive. The group that finished third in the league in sacks and turnovers created also wound up 21st in yards allowed, the team's highest ranking in that category since Chuck Noll's final season in 1991. It's not ideal but with one of the NFL's most explosive offenses, Pittsburgh has a little more wiggle room than usual heading into Saturday's wild-card game in Cincinnati (12-4).
"A lot of people talk about the yards we give up in the secondary, but usually when that happens we're getting great red zone stops, we're getting turnovers, we're causing havoc up front with the defensive line, making teams one dimensional," safety Will Allen said.
read more
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2016/01/05/splash-plays-helping-steelers-defense-overcome-inconsistency/78320330/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomnfl-topstories