Butler is a idiot and heard him talking stupid on SNR radio before the game.
Butler is a idiot and heard him talking stupid on SNR radio before the game.
I would have accepted a loss even a blowout loss much better today if we blitzed 2-3 guys every down instead of rushing 3-4 guys and sitting in a COVER NONE zone.
There was one game against the Pats several years ago (2011 I think) where LeBeau did change the game plan and the Steelers played predominantly man coverage and lined the DBs up at the line against the Pats receivers, and blitzed more often. The Steelers convincingly beat the Pats that day. That was the only time I remember this team doing that though against the Pats. Why they have never tried that again when facing them is something I do not understand.
Last edited by dislocatedday; 01-23-2017 at 09:19 AM. Reason: typo
The ideology behind playing zone is that you do not give up big plays (whereas, in man coverage, there is a legitimate possibility of giving up a big play if the CBs get burned).
Well... the Steelers have up at least 6 big plays.
So, they might as well have been in man coverage.
Add in a dash of Shazier & Timmons NOT pass rushing up the middle.
Sprinkle in the inopportune time for the young DBs to forget how to tackle/wrap up.
Voila!!! ...a blowout loss.
The Steelers also had a 40-20 Time of possession advantage and kept the ball away from Brady. Ben dinked and dunked all day. Also, Woodley had the game of his life and then injured himself and pretty much ended his career that day.
And yes, they had more man to man that day as well. So, Arians and LeBeau made adjustments that day and won.
I'm not going to argue and point/counter point on this thread. If you want to discuss real change at the DC position, come up with some names, a plan, something besides just change for the sake of change. A young defense, like the one we have, will not grow and improve by changing DCs every year or every other year. So come with a plan or this is just another stupid 'fire somebody' thread with zero merit. "You don't live in Cleveland...."
Butler will get a long-term extension this offseason for the marked improvement of the young defense. He will be a fixture for the next 7-8 years. Get used to it folks.
Why? He is the biggest over-rated blowhard in the league. The brothers Ryan are long on promise/expectation and short on any kind of delivery.
He had some good seasons on a loaded Ravens side and then like two good seasons on a similarly loaded Jets team. Then middle of the pack. http://www.pro-football-reference.co...es/RyanRe0.htm
Ryan represents what many here say they don't want. The face of a once ferocious defensive scheme that has been figured out and rendered useless.
He's a big mouth that always wants to be the dominant voice in the room, and has not shown any results on the field in years. Add to that the circus that follows him with his outlandish remarks and the various jokes about his personal life. I see no positives with having him as a defensive coordinator and it may be a large step backward from Butler.
We need a Wade Phillips is he still avaliable?
I bet Butler has the AFC defense in the Pro Bowl play man-to-man and rushes 5 every down. Will pitch a shutout on the NFC.
Guaranteed.
Butler and Lebeau are blood brother Pats fans. That's the only explanation that makes any sense these days.
I don't think many on here like the Rex Ryan suggestion. Anyone else? Throw these names out there....Jeff Fisher as DC? Rex/Rob Ryan as ST coach? Thoughts on Ray Horton as DC? It was thrown out there that Kevin Greene was interested in returning to Pittsburgh. ST? DC? LBs? I always liked Greene, how is he as a coach?
Fuck it, Mike Munchak could've called a better defensive game than Butler yesterday. We don't need an all-world DC, just someone who can make it through the season OK and then not do THAT.
Fire Butler now, worry about finding a replacement after. Just ask one question: "What would have been your plan to stop the Patriots?" First one to get it right gets the job. I only worry there's no one on the current staff or front office that knows the right answer either, which is sad.
See you Space Cowboy ...
The idea of the Lebeau Zone is to tackle the catch and not give up "big plays".
Well the Pats don't care about big plays, and they still got big plays anyway.
Fail.
They take what you give them and if there's a big okay to be had, they find the weakness and exploit it. They RARELY just chuck a ball up for a receiver to catch...although against the Texans, Brady was pressured and still able to heave quite a few balls up for the receivers to make plays.
No surprise a writer from the Boston Globe is going to gloat, but this is a good takedown of the defensive game plan
Steelers’ defensive game plan was atrocious
Let’s start with the most head-scratching decision — the usage of Bud Dupree and James Harrison. They are your two best pass rushers, and the Texans showed you in the divisional round with Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus that the Patriots are susceptible to inside pressure.
Yet the Steelers didn’t bring either player up the middle on a twist or inside blitz. In fact, you didn’t use either player nearly enough as a pass rusher. On Brady’s 44 real drop-backs (excluding a clock spike), Harrison and Dupree each dropped into coverage 15 times. Not only were you not attacking Brady with your best rushers, but neither player is exactly proficient in pass coverage or playing in space....
And the Steelers acted like they’ve never seen a flea-flicker before. In fact, veteran safety Mike Mitchell said the Steelers hadn’t seen it on film from the Patriots — which is incredible, because the Patriots ran a flea-flicker against the Ravens on Dec. 12, two weeks before the Ravens faced the Steelers....
Let’s call this what it was — arguably the worst defensive performance against the Patriots all season.
Link to full article
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/p...UcJ/story.html
FWIW the article also includes video to illustrate the text, something that many sportswriters are now incorporating into their articles but which apparently is beyond the capability of the Post-Gazette writers
It's true.
Everyone, all over the world watching that game was left scratching their heads at the Steelers Defensive Scheme. Nantz and Simms were commenting on it.
Tom Brady has never beaten anyone with such regularity and such frequency as the Steelers Zone Defense. He has the second-highest career passing statistics against any opponent against the Steelers. He hasn't thrown an interception against the Steelers in twelve years. That is amazing, yet sickening and embarrassing.
Someone in the Steelers coaching booth before Sunday thought it was a good idea. They said "This defensive scheme has historically failed against Tom Brady. Lets do it again." In the Championship game.
What we need to do is raid the Patriots defensive staff. They obviously know how to put a game plan together.
See you Space Cowboy ...