The Tomlin Stockholm syndrome

Something has been bothering me about this "one guy isn't doing his job" excuse that the Steeler defensive players have latched on to.

If that's the case, then it is the coach's job to fix it. Like immediately, in-game. Bench him and put the "next man up" as Tomlin is so famous for saying.

These guys act like they are in a cult and some player didn't drink the Tomlin Kool-Aid. Dudes. It's the NFL. These are professionals. They learn and get better. You've gotten worse. Start questioning your cult leader.

 

maybe he's the guy they are talking about. maybe it's austin. does it change play to play? all i know is, this isn't the first season we have had late season meltdowns with a good season going. smoke and mirrors up until now?

 

I believe the one player was Cam Sutton and from what I've read, Tomlin is benching him

 

that's fine but it's not one guy. if you watch the games you can see that. heck minkah gave up TDs two games in a row by not doing his job and letting a guy run right past him with nobody else to cover them. he got sucked in to the run fake.

another thing is the tackling. fine they have been successful at punching the ball out but you have to wrap up the ball carrier too. 3 guys can't just try to punch the ball out as he runs by them. fundamentals are getting slack.

i really wouldn't mind seeing rowe brought up. with the newer players we have in elliott and jackson and beanie, rowe played very well when we had little else last year. he could shore up some tackling, which he does very well.

it also doesn't help when we leave whole area's of the field open. time after time the opposing team just throws to those spots. all these things have been happening during this losing streak.

if austin and his two sided index card would quit trying to make it simple for the defense, don't you think it also makes it simple for the other team?

 

Except it's the QB and the backup is currently injured.

 

it's the guys in front of the qb as well. the line has to do better at pass blocking.

 

I think the player 'they are referring to' is the QB Russell Wilson. Why is he holding the ball so long? Why is he scrambling around looking for the big play every snap. We have an offensive scheme and design. It is my opinion that the only reason Russ has not gotten benched again(as in Denver) is because Fields has been hurt.

 

early in the year austin had minkah playing 40 yards deep. that's like 11 on 10. yes queen had coverage on that play but minkah started forward and then realized likely had run past him and tried to adjust but it was too late. he was the only guy over there. again whole area's of the field left open and that's where they throw the ball. queen shouldn't be used as a safety. they have done that all year. dropping those LB'ers into coverage as far back as they do have left backs out of the backfield on crossers kill us time after time. it's flawed if you are not having your safety cover an extremely athletic TE. queen could have gotten over there for a run by lamar. that would have or should have been the play. we did neither.

 

I really don't understand how one single player can be responsible for the entire D sucking so bad the past 3+ games.

I'd argue the D has sucked all year, it's just that they kept getting the turn-over luck go in their favor.

Now that the turn-over luck is becoming even, the D is showing it's true colors, and it is kind of odd to see they blame one single player.

I agree with the OP that they seem like a brain washed cult all chanting the same hymn and scapegoating "one" player, when the issue is the cult leader.

 

well he tried to change direction and it was pretty obvious he should have gone with likely. he wouldn't have done that if he had help behind him. either way bad play. minkah has not been what he used to be the last two years. it happens to the best of them. he has taken a beating several years. there are many we kept way past their prime. there are many tomlin keeps bringing back that maybe he shouldn't have. sutton may be one. edmunds was another. heck witherspoon made another play for LA. some we maybe should have kept around we didn't and some we should have let go we brought back. not sure why we do this.

these young guys like beanie are going to make mistakes but they are also being aggressive in doing so and making plays as well. i'm OK with growing pains if at other times it helps. i'm looking forward to seeing watts down the road. he seems to have some game about him. we have some talent but they don't seem to trust them. austin plays defense scared. we have talent, let them play and not restrict them. to me it's way more than one guy. it's more like one guy per play.

 

Considering that RoQuan Smith took the Green Dot away from Patrick Queen during his time in Baltimore, perhaps it is time to do the same for Queen. Give the Green Dot to Elandon Roberts. Not the most athletic but easily the most dependable on the team.


... If it were that easy. Have to be mobile in order to be out there as a Tampa 2 ILB. Next option is Payton Wilson but he is still very much learning the game. Beyond Payton?! Not much else.


Now, if someone were to opt for a Safety to wear the Green Dot?! That would break a lot of trends not just from a Tomlin perspective but also from a Steelers perspective. Historically, it has been the ILBs who have QBed the Defense. Maybe having someone like Minkah or DeShon Elliot do so would do some good... except that, attempting to implement that so late in the season is bound to cause more problems than offer solutions.


Long story short?! Queen's communication issues are not new but the entire Defense has more than mere breakdowns in coverage to worry about.