GDT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Tomlin takes 1 quarter to embarrass us

[MrBurghundy]

The most important function of any defense is being able to get penetration/pressure the QB. You could have prime Rod Woodson, Champ Bailey, John Lynch, and Troy Polamalu in your secondary and they’d still give up yards if your front 7 aren’t getting it done.

I think this team has talent in the front 7 with Bud being a huge weak link.

You literally can't reach the QB if he's releasing the ball as quickly as Brady did in week 1 and Wilson did in the second half yesterday.

You need your secondary to actually cover somebody long enough to allow your pass rush to get there.

Sometimes you'll have guys go unblocked and it disrupts a play within 2 seconds. Those are few and far between though.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Well the Steelers in their infinite wisdom decided to can their DC and immediately hire his longtime understudy. You’d figure if the team wasn’t impressed with that defense anymore they’d have looked for someone with new ideas. Makes one wonder if LeBeau was scapegoated or if the people making the hires are dumb. Maybe both?

It was time to move on from LeBeau.... dude was old. But they messed up hiring from within. What you are seeing is a very watered down version of the Defense that Cowher brought to the organization.

They need fresh eyes and a fresh start from a DC brought in from outside of the organization. Sadly we will have to wait at least an entire year for that to happen.

 

[Coastal Kev]

The top priority needs to be on the secondary. Our defensive front doesn't mean dick when you cant cover for at least 2 seconds.

I feel like I've been making this argument for years.

Again, you can't accurately judge the talent on Defense until you get a legit coach.

 

[USMC607]

Yeah Ben's going to be out a while. If they're trying to determine if he needs surgery, that means he ****ed up his elbow badly.

I dont think the UCL rumors are inaccurate.

The way he grabbed it looks like Tommy John is in his future and at his age that is basically worst case scenario.

 

[DanielPlainview]

You literally can't reach the QB if he's releasing the ball as quickly as Brady did in week 1 and Wilson did in the second half yesterday.

You need your secondary to actually cover somebody long enough to allow your pass rush to get there.

Sometimes you'll have guys go unblocked and it disrupts a play within 2 seconds. Those are few and far between though.

That’s a problem with scheme and boneheaded coaching. The only time they’ve had success against Brady was when they played man press coverage and blitzed like hell.

 

[DanielPlainview]

What you don't realize is the refs are doing what they are told. You really think a billion dollar corporation is letting goofs in zebra shirts run their company? I have a bridge to sell you.

The refs don’t run the league and their decisions are not sent down from the league office.

 

[MrBurghundy]

That’s a problem with scheme and boneheaded coaching. The only time they’ve had success against Brady was when they played man press coverage and blitzed like hell.

But they don't. Is that because they don't trust the guys they have to press? I have no idea. But getting another OLB isn't going to solve anything as we currently play defense.

Either way, our secondary has too may breakdowns in coverage as it is. Too may people wide open deep down the field. No ball hawks at all back there. You're pass rush isn't going to reach the QB on every play regardless of how good it is. You need to be able to cover when that doesn't happen, and our guys can't do it.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I dont think the UCL rumors are inaccurate.

The way he grabbed it looks like Tommy John is in his future and at his age that is basically worst case scenario.

Anything throwing elbow that could require surgery is very bad, but at his age it’s pretty much the beginning of the end. Not writing Ben off, or saying he’s completely done but if it’s as severe as speculated he doesn’t have much good football left even with a full recovery. Elbow is like a ticking time bomb in my experience.

To be fair to the team, this is why they drafted Rudolph over an “immediate contributor” like Ben was whining about last season.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

It was time to move on from LeBeau.... dude was old. But they messed up hiring from within. What you are seeing is a very watered down version of the Defense that Cowher brought to the organization.

They need fresh eyes and a fresh start from a DC brought in from outside of the organization. Sadly we will have to wait at least an entire year for that to happen.

I know no one likes Tomlin and his history as a DC isn't good despite him getting the head gig in Pittsburgh, but...

It feels like the team has been drafting guys who fit the scheme Tomlin ran as a DC, while still playing them in the Lebeau/Butler system. I'm not an expert, so I may well be off base, but there have been questions about scheme since day 1 with Tomlin and his DC.

Now, Butler isn't good and I don't trust him, but I just get this feel of a disconnect on that side of the ball that players like Polamalu and Shazier were expected to compensate for.

But yeah, it's time for all of them to go.