LeBeau wants to come back in 2014

Dead serious.

It is, TTF. You can always say that the players are ultimately to blame for the downfall of any coach. Why did Gary Kubiak get fired in Houston? Because his players didn't perform. They had injury issues too. My point is that somebody has to be held accountable and if we're going to give DL all if these grandiose accolades when the defense is playing lights out then why should he be blameless when the defense is sucking it up out there and giving up 50+ yard pays at a record setting pace? It's a double standard.

Like I said, I've always supported DL but there comes a time to move on. DL needs to do that before he wears out his welcome completely.

 

The D has been lousy for several years in a row. Time to move on.

 

Because he's missing tackles and blowing coverages left and right, thats why.

 

And when Blitzburgh was in full force and dominating opposing offenses, it was DL out there stuffing the run up the middle, sacking the quarterback and returning INTs for pick sixes, I'm sure of it! That's why he got all the credit for being a defensive genius but deserves none of the blame now, right?

 

How many times has it been said on this board that it's not LeBeau that plays? The implication with this statement is that it couldn't be DL's fault. There is some truth to this, but all I'm saying is you can't have it both ways. If he gets the credit for being a defensive genius when things are going well, he must be held accountable for a defense that's one of the most porous and ineffective that the Steelers have had in recent memory. I used to expect our defense to make a big play every time they game onto the field. Now I expect them to get torched every time they come out and unfortunately, they haven't disappointed for most of this season.

Let's face it, opposing offenses are on to DL. His schemes don't seem to fool anybody anymore. It's time to let Keith Butler (or whoever) take the reins and pump new life into the same old tired schemes. DL's code has been cracked and he doesn't seem to understand that. If I were Butler and DL decided to stick around for yet another season, I'd bolt. He deserves an opportunity and I'm sure DL's unwillingness to retire with some dignity has to be frustrating for him.

 

I can buy that, but DL is approaching 80. I realize that for his age, he's still got a sharp mind and that's great. I just think OCs have caught up with him and have his schemes pretty much figured out. He needs to gracefully step aside and give the next Dick LeBeau an opportunity to coach this defense. I'd be all for keeping him aboard as a defensive consultant. He's earned that opportunity but doesn't deserve to be named the Steelers DC for life!

 

My argument was that it took players 3 years to get on the field due to the caliber of player starting ahead of them (for the past decade over half our defense was pro bowl caliber), not because the system was too hard for them to figure out.

But I'm in the "time to move on" camp for what it's worth... less to do with DL, and more to do with the status of this team, and the direction it should take in the future if it wants to be successful in the long term.

 

Ok, I can see your point. But when those behind those pro bowl caliber players get an opportunity they look lost. Ziggy Hood, Jason Worilds, Cameron Heyward, Carter, even as far back as Deshea Townsend sat on the bench before he got an opportunity and when he did he was too old. Keenan Lewis took all 4 years (I believe) before we had no choice but to let him walk. James Farrior was under performing his last couple of years but had to force Larry Foote to over after he was in the system for years.

My point is DL needs a condense system or we need a system that doesn't take that long to learn and we get our bank for our buck or we will continue to let talent walk out the door.

 

I think it has more to do with a certain few sucking up all the money as the reason lewis was not kept. we are still in this mess, not because it takes them so long to get on the field but we just have no money to keep them once we lose a guy we held on to to long. like Bryant McFadden at the time. if you remember gay played pretty well in his rookie year. ike was the other cb. where was lewis going to play pryor to his last year? it wasn't that the scheme was to hard for him to learn, we just had guys on the depth chart playing well in front of him.

 

Your're loons. I would hang onto DL until he can no make it into the facility. H3ll, even then I would have someone wheel him in for a while just to see if he can still coach. Mentally, he's there.

I would have kept BA too. Foolish silly me...

 

I wonder how much thought the fire Arians, Tomlin, DL et al crew has given to our success over the last 10+ years and how it affects the talent available in the draft?

 

Forget it. Let's just have status quo forever. Let's go ahead and name DL the DC for life. It doesn't matter that opposing offenses seem to have his number, that we're giving up 50+ yard plays at a record pace, that offenses have set multiple records against us this year, that our defense can't get off the field to save their lives and JUST when it seems that our offense has gotten us back into games this year our defense ONCE AGAIN turns to Swiss cheese. WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT ANY OF THAT STUFF?! In fact, we're looney for thinking that the Steelers should even consider a change. This is the GREAT DL we're talking about here. He's earned the right to be our DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOR LIFE!!!! In fact, let's see if we can coax Chuck Noll out of retirement. He won 4 Super Bowls so that ought to GIVE HIM THE RIGHT TO BE NAMED HEAD COACH OF THIS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR LIFE!!! Don't you agree??!!

 

Don Capers is running the same defense and he's getting no results.

I think the NFL has caught on to our defense just like the "46", "flex defense", "running shoot" and our beloved "trap offense" of yester year.

It's still tough but only against rookie quarterbacks.

 

we need fresh air , rooney has to open the doors

 

Why is nobody talking about how poorly the defenders have played this year? How can you fault DL for the failures of the D when players like Troy and Clark and Taylor are constantly out of position and missing their assignments, and better yet, missing tackles? If the players aren't following the scheme, how is it the schemes fault?

Also, nobody is talking about how we have had no pass rush this year. Defenses are built around getting to the QB. If you can't and allow the QB to have 5-8 seconds to throw the ball, even if it is Geno Smith, they will pick a defense apart.

Why don't we talk about how Woodley has done nothing this year. Or how Jarvis Jones has been putrid this year. Or how our entire defensive line for the exception of Heyward during the last 4 games have done abolutely nothing all year. Or how we don't have a second real middle linebacker. Or how slow and awful Clark has been all year. Or how we have absolutely zero depth on the defensive side.

Folks, it really is the players, not the play caller.