Steelers attempt to address communication issues on defense

[stillers4me]

Receivers running wide open down the field — not just once, but on multiple occasions.


Confused players sprinting onto the field, getting into alignment just before the ball was snapped. Other times, a similar frantic run was stopped as an annoyed teammate shooed him back to the sideline.


Communication issues, by the defensive coordinator’s own admission, not just among the secondary but within the front seven as well.
To put it bluntly: It wasn’t just the final score that was ugly for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in last week’s 42-37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.........

Read more @ https://triblive.com/sports/steelers/14104046-74/steelers-attempt-to-address-communication-issues-on-defense


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Sx9Tovevx6w

[teegre]

Butler has to be able to make a decision within a few seconds, in order to get the right personnel on the field and in order to have all of the players on the same page. He simply cannot do it.

The talent is not what it was in years past, but it’s not as bad as the miscommunications are making it.

There’s a play from the Browns game where Jon Bostic is turned around and yelling the defensive call to the defense right as the ball is being snapped. In turn, the entire defense is basically freelancing (which is not a good thing). I don’t care if you have Troy & Harrison back there, no defense will be successful when they don’t know the playcall.

[AtlantaDan]

Butler has to be able to make a decision within a few seconds, in order to get the right personnel on the field and in order to have all of the players on the same page. He simply cannot do it.

The talent is not what it was in years past, but it’s not as bad as the miscommunications are making it.

There’s a play from the Browns game where Jon Bostic is turned around and yelling the defensive call to the defense right as the ball is being snapped. In turn, the entire defense is basically freelancing (which is not a good thing). I don’t care if you have Troy & Harrison back there, no defense will be successful when they don’t know the playcall.

Agreed - the party line is the cluster last week was due to the special packages put in to confuse Mahomes that only confused the defenders

No explanation how that caused the play you described in the Cleveland game where Bostic had his back turned to the line of scrimmage at the snap as he tried to align the defense

This has been going on since Butler's first regular season game as DC against the Pats in 2015

When Rob Gronkowski scored the first of his three touchdowns Thursday night against a Steelers defense that seemed, to borrow a phrase, generally aware of his whereabouts, NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth was quick to provide an explanation of what went wrong.

“[The Steelers had] issues with communication on the back end,’’ said Collinsworth, in reference to confusion in the defensive backfield regarding who should be where. “[They were] worried about communication on the back end.’’

https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2015/09/11/steelers-failure-to-communicate-wasnt-limited-to-the-sideline-in-patriots-victory

The Steelers' bold move of not covering Gronk didn't work

https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/55f2db86bd86ef18008b9a39-750-375.jpg

https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/55f2dbabbd86ef1e008b99c9-750-375.jpg
https://www.businessinsider.com/patriots-steelers-weakness-defense-2015-9

This does not get fixed until Butler is replaced

AJRII needed to step in to get rid of Arians and probably will need to do it again

[GBMelBlount]

Perhaps they can move him laterally within the organization into a position that better suits him?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOH4gB15qYI

[Mojouw]

Here is the terrifying thing about this problem. I highly doubt it is happening on every play. The Steelers are 34-15-1 since Butler took over. That simple fact alone says to me that the majority of plays are run as a unified defense. As the defensive roster has not been good enough at any point since 2015 to just shut teams down without coordination.

So that means something like 70+% of the plays (I suspect that it is higher than that) by the defense are called, communicated, and executed in a coordinated and efficient manner. And they still stink.

That means that removing Butler is not a "silver bullet" solution to the problem. Who cares if the call comes in quicker if the players being asked to execute it are not very good?

[Born2Steel]

Here is the terrifying thing about this problem. I highly doubt it is happening on every play. The Steelers are 34-15-1 since Butler took over. That simple fact alone says to me that the majority of plays are run as a unified defense. As the defensive roster has not been good enough at any point since 2015 to just shut teams down without coordination.

So that means something like 70+% of the plays (I suspect that it is higher than that) by the defense are called, communicated, and executed in a coordinated and efficient manner. And they still stink.

That means that removing Butler is not a "silver bullet" solution to the problem. Who cares if the call comes in quicker if the players being asked to execute it are not very good?


Agreed Butler is not the only problem. There are so many personnel gaps right now. However, those 30% of the snaps you refer to are WAY too many snaps for this. And it basically comes down to this is Butler's job to fix. If he cannot, a change has to be made. Even if it is mid-season. I understand that is not the traditional Steelers way of doing things. And I understand that Butler is a good coach. But I also understand that other coaches are learning how to exploit this and hanging 40 on us more now than they ever have, or seems that way. So what is the answer for this defense this season? I don't know that answer fully but I do know some drastic measure needs to be taken. Question remains just as it does with personnel, if Butler leaves who replaces him, and how well is that move going to work? I have to assume this is who we are for the 2018 season. Hopefully they figure it out soon enough.

[GoSlash27]

Here is the terrifying thing about this problem. I highly doubt it is happening on every play. The Steelers are 34-15-1 since Butler took over. That simple fact alone says to me that the majority of plays are run as a unified defense. As the defensive roster has not been good enough at any point since 2015 to just shut teams down without coordination.

So that means something like 70+% of the plays (I suspect that it is higher than that) by the defense are called, communicated, and executed in a coordinated and efficient manner. And they still stink.

That means that removing Butler is not a "silver bullet" solution to the problem. Who cares if the call comes in quicker if the players being asked to execute it are not very good?

MojoUW,
Not saying that replacing Butler *is* an answer to everything, but this argument makes no sense. If you're using wins vs. losses to define coordination vs. lack of coordination, then the defense clearly doesn't "suck" when properly coordinated, since they're winning. Furthermore, I wouldn't expect an uncoordinated defense to fare well no matter how talented the players may be.
The defense (from Butler on down) needs to simplify and streamline their communication. I think they'll be just fine so long as they all know their assignments and stick to them.

Best,
-Slashy

[Dwinsgames]

bottom line ...................

it will NOT matter who the players are or what the scheme is if the players on the field do not get the defensive call in from the sidelines in a timely manner ....

confusion is caused by 2 things and 2 things only ...

1) the defensive play caller

2) players who do not know /understand the playbook

in either case that all goes back to the defensive playcaller as it is HIS job to make the calls and it is also HIS job to put players on the field who know what they are doing .....

[AtlantaDan]

Here is the terrifying thing about this problem. I highly doubt it is happening on every play. The Steelers are 34-15-1 since Butler took over. That simple fact alone says to me that the majority of plays are run as a unified defense. As the defensive roster has not been good enough at any point since 2015 to just shut teams down without coordination.

So that means something like 70+% of the plays (I suspect that it is higher than that) by the defense are called, communicated, and executed in a coordinated and efficient manner. And they still stink.

That means that removing Butler is not a "silver bullet" solution to the problem. Who cares if the call comes in quicker if the players being asked to execute it are not very good?
It would take breaking down the coaches 22 by someone who knows how to review video to quantify all the blown assignments (including not being in the proper gaps on runs that I admit I do not have the expertise to detect) - the ridiculous pass coverage snafus are what anyone can see.

But based on what I saw at Heinz last week, with the chaos on the sidelines of players running on and off the field that is not usually shown on TV along with literal finger pointing, the Steelers are much more screwed up than your typical team. Someone who does have some expertise about pass coverage apparently agrees

San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman saw it, preparing to face Mahomes on Sunday. Sherman concluded that the Steelers’ defensive schemes were too complex, which explained, at least in part, all of those busted coverages that helped the young quarterback throw for six TDs."He made great plays and great throws," Sherman said of Mahomes during a midweek news conference, "but there were a lot of guys running scot-free, buck-naked, wide open. You’ve got to play more sound than that."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2018/09/22/bell-tolls-mike-tomlin-steelers-drama-toughest-challenge/1388390002/

As far as the admitted personnel shortcomings, if all you have are lemons at least hire a DC who knows how to make lemonade

[Mojouw]

MojoUW,
Not saying that replacing Butler *is* an answer to everything, but this argument makes no sense. If you're using wins vs. losses to define coordination vs. lack of coordination, then the defense clearly doesn't "suck" when properly coordinated, since they're winning. Furthermore, I wouldn't expect an uncoordinated defense to fare well no matter how talented the players may be.
The defense (from Butler on down) needs to simplify and streamline their communication. I think they'll be just fine so long as they all know their assignments and stick to them.

Best,
-Slashy

Yeah. I really made my point clear as mud didn't I?

Basically I think that Butler or no Butler this defense has the ceiling of being exactly what it looks like with giving up about 2 big plays less per game. That leaves a defense that is weak right down the middle of the field. Pretty decent at generating sacks by rushing 4-5 guys. Solid but not spectacular against the run. And really poor at generating turnovers. On top of that the OLB position is a bit of question mark, no matter who is in charge. I love TJ Watt, but let's be honest he does his best against below par O lines. Dupree, same idea to a bigger degree.

So say we can wave a magic "better coordination wand" and the problem is solved. I kinda think the team is left with a defense that will grade out well on paper by really clamping down on some teams and the offense just strafing a few squads so bad that they are forced to be one dimensional and easy to defend. But in reality, it will be an "average at best" defense with inflated numbers. I do not see a way that changes until the Steelers find a way to get far far more out of Dupree, Burns, and Davis. Those guys were drafted to be playmakers. They are not.

Honestly, when I watch games I find myself hoping that the UDFA slot CB or the 6th round ILB makes a play to bail the defense out because I have no confidence in the more highly touted players in the LB or DB corps to do anything positive on a consistent basis.

Maybe I'm just being a pessimist and some schematic and communication refinements will "unlock" all that highly drafted potential. But at this point...

[Born2Steel]

Yeah. I really made my point clear as mud didn't I?

Basically I think that Butler or no Butler this defense has the ceiling of being exactly what it looks like with giving up about 2 big plays less per game. That leaves a defense that is weak right down the middle of the field. Pretty decent at generating sacks by rushing 4-5 guys. Solid but not spectacular against the run. And really poor at generating turnovers. On top of that the OLB position is a bit of question mark, no matter who is in charge. I love TJ Watt, but let's be honest he does his best against below par O lines. Dupree, same idea to a bigger degree.

So say we can wave a magic "better coordination wand" and the problem is solved. I kinda think the team is left with a defense that will grade out well on paper by really clamping down on some teams and the offense just strafing a few squads so bad that they are forced to be one dimensional and easy to defend. But in reality, it will be an "average at best" defense with inflated numbers. I do not see a way that changes until the Steelers find a way to get far far more out of Dupree, Burns, and Davis. Those guys were drafted to be playmakers. They are not.

Honestly, when I watch games I find myself hoping that the UDFA slot CB or the 6th round ILB makes a play to bail the defense out because I have no confidence in the more highly touted players in the LB or DB corps to do anything positive on a consistent basis.

Maybe I'm just being a pessimist and some schematic and communication refinements will "unlock" all that highly drafted potential. But at this point...

Believe it or not I am actually feeling better about Burns. Although he does give up the big play he IS playing his role. I simply cannot say that about other defenders. I have to look to see if Davis is even on the field on a lot of plays. He looks like he learned from Mitchell how to get there way late. When Bud rushes the QB it tends to look like some version of Dance Party with him trying to get around his blocker. I don't know why he has no 'bull rush' capability at all, or refuses to use it.

[GoSlash27]

MojoUW,
I pretty much agree with all of this, but I'd argue that 'average at best' is good enough to win with our offense. Of course we always want to get more out of our players and (when feasible) find better players. But first and foremost is getting them into positions where they can make plays. No amount of talent can ever overcome busted coverages.

Best,
-Slashy

[GoSlash27]

bottom line ...................

it will NOT matter who the players are or what the scheme is if the players on the field do not get the defensive call in from the sidelines in a timely manner ....

confusion is caused by 2 things and 2 things only ...

1) the defensive play caller

2) players who do not know /understand the playbook

in either case that all goes back to the defensive playcaller as it is HIS job to make the calls and it is also HIS job to put players on the field who know what they are doing .....

DWins,
I would add a 3rd cause: inefficient or confusing communication scheme. But yeah, that's the DC's job as well.
A classic example of a confusing playcalling scheme where the coach doesn't recognize the danger: Jon Gruden berating his QB over his inability to relay the "simple" call. (starts at 8:14)

https://youtu.be/yfCyfiL1FTs?t=495

This sort of confusion is deadly in a real game.
Best,
-Slashy

[Mojouw]

Believe it or not I am actually feeling better about Burns. Although he does give up the big play he IS playing his role. I simply cannot say that about other defenders. I have to look to see if Davis is even on the field on a lot of plays. He looks like he learned from Mitchell how to get there way late. When Bud rushes the QB it tends to look like some version of Dance Party with him trying to get around his blocker. I don't know why he has no 'bull rush' capability at all, or refuses to use it.

Burns coverages and even his run support have looked better of late - going back to late last season as well. I wouldn't call him a bust or anything, but he just doesn't seem to make plays. The only time his name is called is when he screws up. That's when I see him on TV - maybe that really colors my perception of him. But a first round CB needs to make a play here or there. I can't remember a single "big" play that Burns made. Again, I'm feeling pretty grumpy this morning so I may just be intentionally not remembering!

[Mojouw]

MojoUW,
I pretty much agree with all of this, but I'd argue that 'average at best' is good enough to win with our offense. Of course we always want to get more out of our players and (when feasible) find better players. But first and foremost is getting them into positions where they can make plays. No amount of talent can ever overcome busted coverages.

Best,
-Slashy

Certainly, they can win games. That was the point of my posting the record and then I muddled the rest all together. But replacing Butler likely just gets us this defense with less big plays surrendered. While that would be great, that really isn't what most people truly want.

Most Steelers fans would be fine with the big plays if they had a defense that ran around and knocked the snot out of people. As well as made some actual big time plays themselves. OLBs that bullied their way to the QB, ILBs that met RBs in the hole with violence and bad intent. DBs that closed quickly and decisively on the ball and occasionally made a play. I do not see those players on this roster. Unless Butler has them so confused they have totally forgotten how to play football...

I was extremely high on the potential of this defensive roster as recently as last year. But I just don't see it now.

[Steeler-in-west]

Here is the terrifying thing about this problem. I highly doubt it is happening on every play. The Steelers are 34-15-1 since Butler took over. That simple fact alone says to me that the majority of plays are run as a unified defense. As the defensive roster has not been good enough at any point since 2015 to just shut teams down without coordination.

So that means something like 70+% of the plays (I suspect that it is higher than that) by the defense are called, communicated, and executed in a coordinated and efficient manner. And they still stink.

That means that removing Butler is not a "silver bullet" solution to the problem. Who cares if the call comes in quicker if the players being asked to execute it are not very good?

so whoever is selecting those high draft picks on defense is screwing up?

[Mojouw]

so whoever is selecting those high draft picks on defense is screwing up?

Either it is a failure of scouting, of player development, the capabilities of the players to learn and implement what is being taught, or a combination of the three.

Heyward, Tuitt, and Hargrave are meeting expectations. Prior to injury so was Shazier.

Dupree, Burns, and Davis are falling short.

Watt, Sutton, and Edmunds are TBD.

So between 30 and 60 percent of your Round 1-3 draft picks on defense are not up to the mark. Something has to be wrong somewhere.

[st33lersguy]

Isn't this their 4th year attempting this?

[stillers4me]

1043545517001728000

[Born2Steel]

Taking 'freak athlete' is a double edged sword. On one hand they make those jaw dropping plays that make the highlights and get everyone excited. On the other hand this is the NFL where every player has exceptional talent. Simply cannot get by on athleticism alone. This is the level where you must be more complete as a football player. Great athletic ability with limited mental understanding gives you Martavis Bryant. Great athletic ability with football IQ gives you AB.

[Mojouw]

Taking 'freak athlete' is a double edged sword. On one hand they make those jaw dropping plays that make the highlights and get everyone excited. On the other hand this is the NFL where every player has exceptional talent. Simply cannot get by on athleticism alone. This is the level where you must be more complete as a football player. Great athletic ability with limited mental understanding gives you Martavis Bryant. Great athletic ability with football IQ gives you AB.

I think that Jarvis Jones got the front office folks to recalibrate how they looked at prospects. They have certainly elevated athletic traits in their prioritization since then.

But maybe they better take a second look at the Wonderlic scores or something. Because some of these guys seem incapable of learning.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

1043545517001728000

Burns isn't on the official injury list as of today. If Sensabum is getting the reps, then Burns must be making a lot of mistakes in coverage. I thought Burns warranted a 3rd round grade in his draft year, but if this is the trend then I was wrong....he should have been a 5th rounder.

Gilbert has a hamstring, so Feiler is getting the reps and Burnett groin injury resurfaced, so could be with Edmunds getting the start. Not looking good when we have to roll out a rookie safety and the #5 CB on Monday. Never mind Finney and Feiler should be the RT side of the O line.

[Steeler-in-west]

Yeah, the Steelers should examine the way they scout and select players on defense. At the same time when you have a lot of guys (not just one or two) missing assignments and not communicating, have to look at the coaching and the way the team prepares as well. Haden goes down and the pass defense goes to major crap, just shouldn’t happen.

[Mojouw]

Burns isn't on the official injury list as of today. If Sensabum is getting the reps, then Burns must be making a lot of mistakes in coverage. I thought Burns warranted a 3rd round grade in his draft year, but if this is the trend then I was wrong....he should have been a 5th rounder.

Gilbert has a hamstring, so Feiler is getting the reps and Burnett groin injury resurfaced, so could be with Edmunds getting the start. Not looking good when we have to roll out a rookie safety and the #5 CB on Monday. Never mind Finney and Feiler should be the RT side of the O line.

This team just can't determine a depth chart and stick to it.

Sutton was intended to be the 4th CB. Now he stinks? Sensabaugh, whatever. Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, not to mention Goodwin, are gonna beat him like he stole something.

Edmunds, fine you wanted him to get that job anyways. But did anyone see what Hilton said? He says that if there were another safety injury, he is next up. So what is the point of Berhe and Dangerfield if you can't or won't play them in your base or nickel defenses? I understand that special teams is valuable but the Steelers are basically saying that 2 out of their 5 safeties on the roster are not good enough to even think of putting on the field. Someone needs to explain to me how that makes sense.

And Feiler. This also makes no sense. Chuks listed as the swing tackle. But now we see that he isn't? So he is just a big OT with a bit of movement skills that has been masquerading as the 3rd TE in jumbo packages? Okay. Fine. You are basically admitting that he is your most agile back-up OL. But he isn't good enough to be the first OT off the bench? I guess Munchak has more than earned the benefit of the doubt on these things. But it seems goofy.

Also, I said this over the summer and I remain convinced now - the Steelers rostered all these safeties and they don't have a clue what to do with them all. Berhe, Dangerfield, and Allen are all basically different versions of the same guy. A guy that the Steelers seem determined to put on the roster but equally determined to NEVER put on the field to play defense. So what purpose do they serve?

[DesertSteel]

Either it is a failure of scouting, of player development, the capabilities of the players to learn and implement what is being taught, or a combination of the three.

Heyward, Tuitt, and Hargrave are meeting expectations. Prior to injury so was Shazier.

Dupree, Burns, and Davis are falling short.

Watt, Sutton, and Edmunds are TBD.

So between 30 and 60 percent of your Round 1-3 draft picks on defense are not up to the mark. Something has to be wrong somewhere.
I think lumping Watt with Sutton and Edmonds is a wrong evaluation. Watt is a football player - he's shown that. No one looked good on defense last week, including the guys you say are meeting expectations.

- - - Updated - - -


Burns isn't on the official injury list as of today. If Sensabum is getting the reps, then Burns must be making a lot of mistakes in coverage. I thought Burns warranted a 3rd round grade in his draft year, but if this is the trend then I was wrong....he should have been a 5th rounder.

Gilbert has a hamstring, so Feiler is getting the reps and Burnett groin injury resurfaced, so could be with Edmunds getting the start. Not looking good when we have to roll out a rookie safety and the #5 CB on Monday. Never mind Finney and Feiler should be the RT side of the O line.
I can verify that you graded him that way. You were definitely not on his bandwagon.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

This team just can't determine a depth chart and stick to it.

Sutton was intended to be the 4th CB. Now he stinks? Sensabaugh, whatever. Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, not to mention Goodwin, are gonna beat him like he stole something.

Edmunds, fine you wanted him to get that job anyways. But did anyone see what Hilton said? He says that if there were another safety injury, he is next up. So what is the point of Berhe and Dangerfield if you can't or won't play them in your base or nickel defenses? I understand that special teams is valuable but the Steelers are basically saying that 2 out of their 5 safeties on the roster are not good enough to even think of putting on the field. Someone needs to explain to me how that makes sense.

And Feiler. This also makes no sense. Chuks listed as the swing tackle. But now we see that he isn't? So he is just a big OT with a bit of movement skills that has been masquerading as the 3rd TE in jumbo packages? Okay. Fine. You are basically admitting that he is your most agile back-up OL. But he isn't good enough to be the first OT off the bench? I guess Munchak has more than earned the benefit of the doubt on these things. But it seems goofy.

Also, I said this over the summer and I remain convinced now - the Steelers rostered all these safeties and they don't have a clue what to do with them all. Berhe, Dangerfield, and Allen are all basically different versions of the same guy. A guy that the Steelers seem determined to put on the roster but equally determined to NEVER put on the field to play defense. So what purpose do they serve?

Yeah, I like Sutton over Sensabaugh, but he's obviously missing something.

Feiler at RT is good IMO. Chukks is raw and has some lapses, while Feiler has an extra year in the league and likely is better equipped at RT currently from a technique and strength standpoint.

Edmunds scares me as he is hesitant in decision making, but he is the better athlete than the rest of the guys. Maybe we see Marcus Allen in the box in dollar coverage. Behre is a teamer and Dangerfield is too, but should be ahead of Hilton at safety IMO.

[FrancoLambert]

I don’t know how anybody can feel good about the play of Artie Burns.

[Edman]

Yeah, the Steelers should examine the way they scout and select players on defense. At the same time when you have a lot of guys (not just one or two) missing assignments and not communicating, have to look at the coaching and the way the team prepares as well. Haden goes down and the pass defense goes to major crap, just shouldn’t happen.

This isn't a new thing. This has been an issue with Steelers Defenses for YEARS now going all the way back to Lebeau. One guy goes down and the Defense falls to trash.

For instance, all the times Troy Polamalu went down, and the Defense stopped being less impressive. In 2009, after Troy got injured, the Defense went from elite in 2008, to just painfully average. Troy was the lynchpin holding Lebeau's Defenses together. If you ask me, that doesn't make a great Defense, or makes Lebeau a good coordinator.

It should be no surprise that the guy who was tutored under Lebeau (Butler), creates/keeps the same Defensive system that is all held together by one guy. A great coordinator maximizes the talent of all of his players no matter the situation. I wouldn't say this is an indictment on the players like Burns, Davis and Sensabaugh, it the lackluster coaching by Tomlin and especially Keith Butler.

So go ahead and condemn the secondary as much as you like. We all thought Mike Mitchell was the problem with the Defense, but it turns out that wasn't the case at all. So lets cut Burns and everyone and hope the D gets better. I don't believe so.

Keith Butler just fucking sucks.

[Steeldude]

Haha. So now they are going to do something that has been known for quite awhile? Truly amazing.

[hawaiiansteeler]

but I thought we worked on communicating defensively on defense in pre-season?

[86WARD]

Major problem in 2017 carries over to be major problem in 2018. You have a whole off season to fix a problem that you admitted was a major downfall,to the Steelers Playoff Run in 2017 and it’s still occurring in Weeks One and Two of 2018. Who does that fall on?

Even if that was fixed, the talent level isn’t there to be a great defense. Other than Heyward, Tuitt, Watt and maybe Hargrave, there’s nothing else. The LBs and DBs on this team are depth players at best...

[DesertSteel]

Major problem in 2017 carries over to be major problem in 2018. You have a whole off season to fix a problem that you admitted was a major downfall,to the Steelers Playoff Run in 2017 and it’s still occurring in Weeks One and Two of 2018. Who does that fall on?

Even if that was fixed, the talent level isn’t there to be a great defense. Other than Heyward, Tuitt, Watt and maybe Hargrave, there’s nothing else. The LBs and DBs on this team are depth players at best...
Tomlin

[AtlantaDan]

Major problem in 2017 carries over to be major problem in 2018. You have a whole off season to fix a problem that you admitted was a major downfall,to the Steelers Playoff Run in 2017 and it’s still occurring in Weeks One and Two of 2018. Who does that fall on?

Even if that was fixed, the talent level isn’t there to be a great defense. Other than Heyward, Tuitt, Watt and maybe Hargrave, there’s nothing else. The LBs and DBs on this team are depth players at best...

Tomlin

Of course Tomlin isn’t the only one calling the shots on personnel decisions

Colbert is not setting up the defensive alignments but has accountability for the sketchy first round picks such as Jarvis Jones, Dupree and Burns along with trying to fill holes with marginal FA signings

AJRII made it clear the LeBeau model of players not starting for much of their rookie contracts was done but if you are going to start high draft picks ASAP they need to be bright enough to pick up what defense is being played