going to state the obvious

Need a better secondary. Countless times I see our pass rush so close to hitting home but can't get there. Our guys can't cover anything for our pass rush to hit home... yet they are still sacking the qb. If we would actually get 1 decent corner, and 1 decent safety, our defense would probably be the best.

Jarvis would also have a couple more sacks too.

 

Wash, Rinse, Repeat...........................frustrating that it's still a mess.

 

I think our secondary will continue to suck lol but that's just me.

 

Well, if it would suck a little better than it doees right now that would at least be nice.

I think the FO needs to do a more efficient job of evaluating and developing talent to fit areas of need. If you look at the overhaul they did on the OL, they have 2 R1 and 2 R2 picks invested there since 2010. And even with that, they had to bring in a new OC and OL coach for it to fully become what it is now.

Along the defensive front they have spent 5 R1 and 2 R2 on the front seven since 2009. We started all first rounders at LB against the Seahawks Sunday. We all know the battle of the trenches is vital, but that's a lot of early round talent to pour into those areas, and that - along with the mid-round misses they've had trying to draft the occasional DB - has led to the state we're now in. Really, if you discount Lewis and Allen, they haven't had a DB stick since they drafted Gay in R5 of 2007.

 

That's pretty lame. An 8 year record of futility tells me there's something a little wrong with whatever process they're using. Either talent evaluation, coaching, or scheme needs to change.

 

I wonder where the secondary would be if Golson didn't get hurt

 

I would like to think we'd be in a better place, but you never know, he may only be viewed as a slot-only guy and, well, that's where Gay plays.

I have high hopes for Golson as he was one of my favorites in the draft. Not tall but comes to play and has some ball skills. I think he would've been an immediate upgrade over both Cockrell and Blake in pass coverage, and mentioned along with Darby and Peters as the better rookie CB's.

 

Our defense gave the best opportunity to win that game Sunday, turnovers kept them on the field entirely to long and to frequent. The fake fg on alot of team s would have gotten someone fired. If you gonna go for it on 4th and 2 shouldn't we run the play with the first team heavy jumbo instead of a pass from our second string qb to our lt who use to be a tight end. Oh yeah I forgot, we're playing in Seattle, that was the dummest call this year and we have more nominees like that one choose from. Put points on the board when u have opportunity on the road. It has always been most difficult to win there for us.

 

Wont matter if we cant get pressure on the qb, . All starting lbs are 1st rounders, we've been waiting to to see this for a while, shazior can't stay healthy.

 

I think it is a matter of the corners ability to grasp "the scheme" more than it is their inability to cover receivers.

 

Whoah...how about a better pass rush first?

Secondary looked a lot better earlier this year when the front 7 was making more plays.

 

I think this can be a two-way street. Sure, a primo pass rush helps the secondary, but the reverse works as well. I think while the current front seven may be considered above average, they are still a way off from being great. But what else can really be done from a talent acquisition standpoint? We've got 4 R1 linebackers and an R1 and an R2 on the DL. This doesn't account for the R1 (Hood) and R2 (Worilds) no long with us.

At some point you've got to be accountable to the talent you choose to select and develop. The only real question marks left on the front seven are at NT long term, the health of Shazier, and development of Jones and Dupree. Time will play those out, but at least in the short term, there's not much that can be done in acquisition via the draft.

 

One of two things win the majority of the time... Talent/scheme. Seems we don't have the talent in th secondary, but I'll go a little further and say the scheme isn't helping. A good coach puts what he has in the best possible position to help the team, win or lose... It's the best option. We can't even get that right at this juncture and haven't in a bit. Obviously (ergh) we don't have the talent so maybe adjust the scheme? Maybe try different personnel?

I don't know but the scheme either way is off

 

Totally Agree! We have 2 or 3 guys in the Secondary who are back ups at best. But this year, though, there is no fix for it. If Steelers are to make a deep run the front 7 will be the ones that need to step up because the talent is there with them.

 

My friends, this group of talent evaluators which could & should
include the scouts, GM, position coach , HC, DC have failed miserebly.

Same can be said for evaluating OL I think Munch knows how to coach
and evaluate that position. Which in turn the OL is at least competent.

Art Rooney should demand that the scouting department of the Steeler organization be looked at.
They need to work harder, leave no stone uncovered. These scouts should be
hitting the pavement, LOOKING AT TAPE OVER & OVER again trying to find these future football players. Find the answers why we are failing so terribly.

 

When the pass rush is neutralized you need the secondary to step up. Even with a solid pass rush this patchwork is giving up 300 plus yard games. The dam broke in Seattle. 5 TD's. Mitchell had a horrible game. I hope that Blake sees the sideline only to be put out there on dime. But Cockrell is struggling as well, but not as bad as Blake. This is what they have. Patchwork.

 

I disagree about the O-line they have drafted good at that position, DeCastro, Gilbert, Beachum, and Pouncey.

 

Every now and then, they show a replay where everyone was covered. With this secondary that isn't being put on film. There seems to be at least one guy who is always wide open.

 

Well, I'll say that even in the Blitzburgh days the defense was always better against the run than the pass. When you play zone coverage you allow there to be seams and misreads on top of plain blown coverage. When things work well, the front seven get good penetration and pressure in the backfield quickly, such that the cushions can be an advantage. If that doesn't happen, things can get dicey - even with a capable secondary, which we obviously don't possess.

The current front seven, while having strengths, still need to improve as a unit. We have an inconsistent pass rush, and it is certainly exascerbating the issue with a poor secondary in this scheme. But I don't really see what kind of patch could be applied to the scheme.. bump 'n run? Blake would probably whiff his bump. Bringing the DB's up would also allow for the CB/S blitz on occasion, but their speed and tackling skills have not been a strong suit.. don't know that that would be any improvement. Playing back more I think would cancel itself out - less pressure on the QB would result in more time to find an open man; it would be reminiscent of when we tried max protect scheme to mask an awful OL.

 

Blaming the pass rush for not getting sacks is a little misleading, a lot of sacks in the NFL are coverage sacks, and just how many coverage sacks do you think we get, not many if any, so if an opposing QB has open receivers on every down he will beat the best pass rush in the league; so the teams with the best pass rush usually has a top secondary to compliment them.....

 

Here is the thing I don't care who you have there rushing the qb ig your going to have a 10 yard cushion with your db's your never gonna get a sack. I have said this in the other few threads we have about the secondary I feel it is more scheme then players.

 

I agree, but both can be upgraded (Tomlins obviously lol). The current talent does not have what it takes to be worth changing the scheme in the coaches eyes imo. Until they invest on some top notch cover corners, the cushion will remain. Not sure why they preach such a large cushion. WRs often are the only players in the picture it seems. You can tackle the catch much easier with a smaller cushion.

 

My problem isn't the cushion. It's the complete holes in the secondary where tight ends and receivers are at least 3 yards open.

Pass rush is one thing. Playing a scheme that leaves guys open, or our players simply not knowing who should cover who for each situation....that ish is unacceptable.

Clean it up Mike!

Carnell Lake...love u dude...but I'm looking at you too.

 

A below-par corner playing man coverage will not lead to more sacks. An excellent corner playing man coverage with weak safety support will not lead to more sacks.

The cushion can create sacks by confusing the QB, but our DBs need to be better at selling fakes and reacting to the receiver better.

 

I disagree. The cushion is there partly to confuse the QB into not knowing who is blitzing and from where. If you have good, quick corners who know how to react and to where it can be very effective.

On the other hand, if they are sub-par, and/or the rush has problems getting to the QB quickly, it can lead to problems.