What are your expectations this year for the Steelers defense?

Graphically what you are describing for all 32 defenses. It is interesting that SEA faced a lot of 3rd & 4th downs but was really good at stopping them. Same with Texans.

The next layer down in the analysis would be what was the average yds to go on those downs?

 

Depending on coaching strategy, we can only hope that players can step up and
understand their responsibilities better than in the past. Must be able to stop the run a whole lot better
NT and ILB must do better than what we have seen in past.

 

Saw where Arkansas leads the nation in Farm Bankruptcies. That's gotta suck. Good thing you are a welder and guitarist.

 

This is great! Thanks.

Looks like I was wrong at us being bottom 3. 4th worst!!!

Again, this seems like the lowest hanging fruit for the new staff to try to fix. Particularly since we were good at stopping 3rd down conversions in 2024 (I didn't look at 4th down).

I agree re: SEA. You'd generally think that being able to stop 3rd + 4th down conversions would mean you'd see less of them. My guess is that this is where we were in the Kenny/Canada years. Good at getting of the field, but seeing lots of 3rd+4th because our offense was awesome at getting off the field . But the Seahawks were good, so I don't get why they also see this trend.

 

I would care about it less if we were around average instead of terrible in yards allowed.

If we were average in yards given up (because we sucked at getting off the field), this could have been a very good defense again.

I don't see how STD can't see the correlation between being terrible at getting off the field (which he apparently doesn't care about) and points allowed (which he lists first in things he cares about).

Seems painfully obvious that if we moved from bottom feeder to somewhere around the median in being able to end opposing team's drives, we'd allow less points.

Then we would have seen more of a benefit from all the turnovers we got. So we could have been above average in points allowed instead of basically average (median).

 

I am having a hard time buying the better coaching narrative that is being spun on this and other Steelers fan comment sites.

By far the most well regarded coach on the Steelers last several defensive staffs was the DB coach that left. As fans, we can see players that progressed and developed under his tutelage. From my seat on my couch, the group on defense that seems to be consistently the most adrift is the ILB room. That was the only holdover coach from the Tomlin era. The guy that helmed whatever it is that Queen has been doing and Payton Wilson's clear regression.

And, while I grant that we have no idea what Graham is going to do as a coach, he is not some NFL newbie. The man has a consistent track record of NFL mediocrity. I can only hope that it has been a roster issue rather than a coaching issue in his multiple previous stops.

I will try to stay positive throughout the summer....but I do not see the reasons for optimism on the defensive side of the ball. I can understand the excited anticipation for "different" but I am not seeing a case for the assumption of "better".

 

I donate my excess land for use to the next door dairy farm just as a small attempt to help keep them in business

I look at it as free landscaping in good faith I could not let them pay me

 

Looking at the stats....Steelers faced a load of third downs, allowed a high % of conversions, but only gave up a middle of the road amount of points overall and points per drive.

They must have been forcing long drives?

 

Key guys on defense are getting old (TJ and Cam) so the young guys Sawyer, Herbig, DB’s are going to have to step up. Overall i expect the D to be about the same or maybe a little worse than last year (i hope im wrong and Graham can make a difference).

to compensate i expect the Offense to be better.