I wish I was notOriginally Posted by GBMelBlount
You know SG, I remember a simple post you made before the season started when everyone was worried about the new rosetta stone offense and you quite simply stated that your concern was actually the defense.
You were right.
Wow. Have'nt been on here in a while and just now seeing this post. The team IS in deep doo-doo...lol. And I'm talking about the kind after a taco dinner !
Array title="GodfatherofSoul is a jewel in the rough">
Soft dfense means some player(s) isn't reliable so youre holding back to cover for them. My guess its Lewis or Mundy.
Hurts to see our D in such a mess after all the years they were our cornerstone.
I can't figure it out. Is it just that people like simple monolithic answers to things? Simple is easy? Or is irrational panic with insufficient data a human trait that we haven't evolved past?
It's not possible for this defense to be old, washed up, untalented and the DC to be used up and tired and the scheme to be bad when we completely shut down the Jets O in the second half last week. Your defense cannot be awful and great at the same time.
A) Oakland got hot and Palmer was in a rythym
B) THEY have an opposing coordinator calling plays, too
C) Regardless of peoples opinions on the absence of Troy and Harrison (opinions I put little stock in), the fact is we were short two starters who have a long history of being not only great players, but GAME CHANGING players.
D) Remember, they were rested for precautionary reasons. Both would have played if it were the playoffs.
This is a broken record. Steelers fans are spoiled rotten babies, and they look for excuses and go on petulant temper-tantrums every time we lose. I heard all these same tired old bullshit responses last year and the year before that and both years we won the Super Bowl. It gets old...
Fire Goodell
My main issue with the defense and LeBeau is that he did not change things up when he clearly saw that the defense was being shredded, and for some reason doesn't adjust the game plan when key starters are out of the game. I understand the "standard is the standard" thing, but how can you not compensate for Troy and Deebo being out? Isn't that the same thing our ex-OC was excoriated for in years past? Why is it different with LeBeau?
I saw that he DID change things up. I saw that they dropped Woodely and Timmons into coverage more. As I pointed out before, they can't both help in coverage AND come up to stop the run AND blitz the QB. Sometimes the gameplan doesn't work, and adjustments are really just shifting to other things you know. The Raiders OL did a fantastic job of blocking and picking up our blitzes, and if you give a vet QB like Palmer time, he'll shred you.
With Harrison and Troy in there, the talent level is IMMENSELY improved at two key positions. Mundy and Carter are a far fall from the apple tree, and the only adjustment you can make for lack of talent is vanilla things out a bit.
Here's all I ask. Two games, JUST TWO GAMES with a healthy defense, before we start firing coaches, changes schemes, switching to 4-3's and the like. That's fair. Right now all these Monday morning armchair QB's assessments are garbage in, garbage out until we have accurate data to draw from.
Fire Goodell
this
"People respect you more if you just play and blow something out than if you take the easier road. That's how we think. You get more respect and people play harder for you. Just play till you blow it. Just play till it goes." Terry Bradshaw
OK, fair enough. If, after those 2 games, nothing changes, then everyone here will have the right to demand changes.
What changes?
New DC?
New players?
4-3?
Or all?
If we're going to overreact, I'd like to know how far overboard we're going to go ahead of time...
Fire Goodell
Oh I don't know...maybe try a few wrinkles? The players all say every summer that there are new "wrinkles" in the defense...how about using them at that point? They would be 5 games in...you try whatever you have in your bag of tricks if the defense is still struggling with everyone healthy. One thing they could try doing is playing more press coverage, like they did against the Jets. Where was that on Sunday? How about giving Steve McLendon some more playing time, because right now, Hampton is not getting the job done. Come on now, you should know me better than to suggest LeBeau be fired, and I know changing schemes is unrealistic. That doesn't mean changes can't be made.
Schemes can't be changed, but adjustments can be made. We have the Defense and the kind of players that can play a pressure Defense. We've done it against New England last year and New York this year. Both Offenses are rendered non-factors. Tom Brady notoriously made a mockery of the Zone Defense. When the Steelers switched to man, he had his worst production of the season. It's sort of pays off when you're not letting receivers run loose through the secondary, giving them enormous cushions and hoping 4-5 guys get there in time, as well as sitting back and hope a QB makes an unforced mistake. Well, the opposing offenses aren't making mistakes anymore. NFL Offenses have become more patient and more than happy to take what's been given. That has been the bane of Lebeau Defenses for years, and was torn apart by only the elite. Now it seems the whole league is caught on to the act. The legends come and go, schemes that were once cutting edge eventually become outdated, and it's what's happening to Lebeau and his Defense. Zone Blocking has rendered the 2 Gap-Defensive Lineman out of commission, Quarterbacks are becoming more patient. The NFL Offensive Landscape is changing for the new Decade, but Lebeau is still stuck in the 90's.
The Classic Zone Defense is designed to stop the big play, well the Steelers have given up long gains of 70, 40, and 60 in consecutive games. So that isn't working out either. Playing the "We Didn't Execute" and "Lack of Talent" card is the easy answer. Many on here made the same excuse for Arians. The Players weren't executing they said, well, the million dollar question is WHY they weren't executing and why our offense was annually mediocre despite being very talented.
It's quite obvious that what Lebeau has cooked up isn't working. This isn't like 2009 where the Defense would play stout for 55 minutes then crumble down the stretch, this Defense is cooked from start to finish. There needs to be a change.
Last edited by Edman; 09-26-2012 at 04:36 PM.
FIERR TOMLIN AND LEBEAU!
HIERR WIZ AND JONNY HORTON BACK FRUM THUH CARDZ SINSE THEIR 3-0!
CUT EVERYBUDDY AND GIT SUM FREE AYGENSE!
(I'm KIDDING!)
"New wrinkles"?
I give up.
Fire Goodell
Hey, go ahead. If you want to be dismissive of my opinion, it's no skin off my back. Not like it's the first time it's happened. The bottom line is that if the defense is still struggling when they are healthy, then they have bigger problems than anyone wants to admit and it will be time to make some adjustments.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
