OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Week One

[Shockmaster]

Like watching the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NFL. Peyton Manning starring as our Crosby!!

Unfortunately, yes. That's what it's felt like after 2009.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Was that when the Pats lined up in the spread and threw - like - 25 passes in a row to start the game?

Yep. They talked smack on Brady all offseason and how they were going to get him, then he lit them up.

Then the Raiders spread them out and Gannon ate them alive with over 400 yards passing I think.

The season ended with them giving up 300 yards to Jeff Blake, then in the playoffs, I forget the Browns QB that hung over 400 yards on them... Holcomb? Then McNair put up another 300.

That pass defense was putrid. Lewis could never find the answer to stop the bleeding, just smoke and mirrors agt the weaker teams. However, this defense has always been quite susceptible to the spread when playing upper echelon QBs, even under DL. The difference is they could always stop the run and make teams one dimensional. Now they are getting gashed so badly on the ground, that their DBs are biting on play action and getting caught looking in the backfield.

The thing that bothers me is that a team missing it's best WR and starting back, with a journeyman QB, just pissed all over their defense using the spread and they had no answers.

They have to stop the bleeding and it starts with getting an anchor at NT and scrapping the 2-4-5.