mccullers

I'm excited for our defense next year. I think Tuitt with a year removed from ND will make huge progress this offseason (no "stinkin" classes to attend!) His sole purpose now is to get bigger/faster/stronger, and he has the frame and time to do it.

McCullers has me excited as well. I would like to see him add a yoga/pilates/dance class into his training plan so he has better control over what his body is doing. I think that would help him more than strength, since he's already so large.

 

Hard to make any definitive statements concerning Pat's fronts because they mix up so much but Seymour played almost exclusively as a 3 technique DE in the 3-4.

 

I just hope we go more man or man/zone on the back end. I would like to see more of the front guys moving forward and less of them dropping into coverage . I think we have some power up front if we take away the quick throws.

That power and size is negated a bunch when allowing large cushions in zone coverage . This has always been my take on pressure , basically if you intend to play soft on the back then more speed is needed up front .If you intend to play tight coverage then I think Power is more effective up front.

I prefer tight and power as it wears down OL more and pounds the WR'S at the same time . From my point of view it is just a more physical brand of Football.

 

Tuitt is one of the guys I'm most looking forward to watching next year.

 

True, BUT, in his younger years, Levon was much bigger than your typical ILB but he still had good speed at his huge size. With this situation, we fear that not having a low center of gravity may make McCullers not get the job done. Do I don't know if this is an apple to apples comparison. And, Kirkland ended up too slow as he continued to add weight, eventually making him too slow to get the job done.

 

So, how is our 3-4 different than the Jets/Pats and old Bills, where even in a 3-4 Bruce Smith was a monster as a pass rushing DE in a 3-4?

 

The one NT that comes to mind is Dave Butz who played for the Cardinals and Redskins in the 70's and 80's at 6 ft 7 in, 291 lbs.

 

The difference is the coverage and the scheme behind it . Bruce was a big powerful guy who had a great swim move . The move starts with powering up field then a jab over and a hack swim stroke across this takes time.

Time is what our guys don't have . I think we have some solid pass rushers on the roster we need to help them by creating some time . Was a nice article on near miss sacks by the Steelers this past season . If we can gain a half second in coverage then we could see our sack total go out the roof .

 

Yes. They go hand in hand. Last season the DB's, because of lack of talent, had to play way back. This prevented the half second needed to get the sack. With their lack of skill, if they had played tight, the would regularly get beat for long TDs. DL was accused of playing too soft, but with what he had, it was the lesser of two evils. As all agree, an infusion of talent is needed.

 

unleash the big dude I say.

 

Did it seem to you like this year there were always people around the qb but we just weren't able to get him to the ground like we once did? Also did it seem like guys were taking a lot of bad angles? It seemed to me like every game guys just looked like they were going too wide to seal the deal. Maybe it was just me.

 

Yea!!!! The D line is a strength going into 2015 season. As long as they get rid of Cam Thomas

 

are we still allowed to speak that name?

 

I did see it. And my take was the QB and the OL just knew the blitzes or felt the pressure . It seemed that QB'S just knew someone was open they would slide just a bit and fire the ball to the quick next option in the rare case the #1 option was not open.

I didn't see QB'S do a lot of double clutching or start doing the happy feet dance. IMO when you start seeing that is when your D is covering and the QB is confused as to who could be open. This is when that second move comes or the QB steps right into the pressure.

 

There's a lot of healthy and intelligent (mostly) debate on this message board about various players and coaches on this team, but Cam't Thomas is the ONE GUY who unites us all in our vitriol, lol.

 

Wasn't he a 4-3 DT?

 

no he was an interior lineman but didn't realize he was that tall

 

I realize he was an interior lineman but he was a 4-3 DT. The Skins and most teams played a 4-3 in the 70s and early 80s. If you'll look up their starting defensive lineup in the 70s Butz is listed as a LDT.

 

I am more of a casual fan, than a detailed "X`s and O`s", kinda guy, but one thing I`m surprised has not been mentioned in this thread is...

How much are the responsibilities of our defensive players gonna change, now that Dick Lebeau, no longer is in charge of our "scheme"?

I have been out of the loop, and I haven`t seen any threads, about whether we hired Keith Butler as our new Defensive co-ordinater yet.

I am assuming that is the case...

Maybe our "noseguard", won`t just have to "eat up blocks", anymore?

Maybe our corners, will play more "press-man coveage", than sitting 10 yards or more off the recivers, almost all the time?

Actually, sorry, that was a brain-fart...

I DID hear that Keith is gonna take over LeBeau`s job..

And if I remember right, he said he wasn`t gonna make "RADICAL" changes..

But he wasn`t gonna stick to a "STRICT" 3-4, or 4-3, either...

I`m just hoping he gets more aggressive, about getting after the qb`s, and harrassing the recievers...

If he does... that kinda takes the handcuffs off McClendon, having to be a "blocker eater", `ala Hampton, and having McCullers as depth, could rush the passer, as well, instead of being told to "stand his ground", which is not his strong suit, given his heigth...

Just sayin... I think we have players that can do some damage to an offense, when we let them play to their strengths, instead of forcing them to fit to a "scheme" we have always had...

I love LeBeau, but, change isn`t always a bad thing...

GO STEELERS!!!