Steelers' defense will be the catalyst for a Super Bowl run

2018 NFL Bold Predictions: Steelers' defense will be the catalyst for a Super Bowl run
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...se-will-be-the-catalyst-for-a-super-bowl-run/

"The unit ranked 11th in Butler's first two seasons at the helm and improved to 9th in 2017. On the surface, it's hard to argue the defense will be better this season because it will be without inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, one of the league's best young players who suffered a serious spinal injury last December. But there are still reasons for optimism"

 

Big Benny said our secondary was looking good, sure hope he is right. Losing Shazier hurts. He was heart and soul of the D. The SB is huge, I get that but just once, before it's to late I want to beat the Patriots in the playoffs and watch our defense eat Tom Bratty for lunch. That would be, for me, just about as good as winning the SB.

 

I actually think we'll be better than most expect. I'm not saying we won't have issues, but I think we'll have a damn good secondary with an decent-to-solid third-down defense. Short pass coverage will be an issue. Ryan Shazier's injury just hurts so much.

 

I think our ceiling is alight above average. I dont think this defense is good enough to beat ne in a playoff game. They'd have to play the game of their lives in order for that to happen.

 

The defense may not be good enough, but the offense most definitely is.

 

I completely agree. This offense has transcendent talent.

 

Agree - defense doesn't need to be shutdown or one for the ages...they just need to be good enough. If they are a top 12 or 10 defense, then the team has a chance to go deep. Health will play a role in that and they are going to have to tackle a ton better than they did last year. The obvious concern will be the middle of the defense and the ability to stop pounder type backs. Just gotta get ball handlers to the ground quickly as the main priority. Hopefully the re-vamped secondary will add a few picks to the mix as well.

 

I wish Tomlin and Butler would commit to playing a dime or dollar package against the Pats and go man all the time. MAKE Brady beat you, don't let him slice and dice you. We all know Brady wets the bed when pressured so dial that up too.

 

Brady can beat man coverage just as easily as zone. It's up to D-line/LBs to get pressure up the middle. That's the only way to get Brady rattled.

 

I know, that's why I said it. He has torched our zone coverage way worse than our man coverage though, pressure or not.

 

A secondary that can cover man(there’s hope) and a 4 man that can generate pressure(we will see)

It’s funny how patriots makeshift O line keeps Brady clean year after year

 

Dink and dump... he's the best QB ever at getting rid of the ball quick. He rarely holds on to the ball longer than 3 seconds.

 

Yeah, there's that. There's also the fact that the line hasn't been called for offensive holding since 2002....

It's possible that point is a slight exaggeration. I haven't checked real data sources....

 

We did that in the last drive of the game vs them last yr and stupidly left sean Davis on gronk and he ate him up 4 straight times.

 

If we can learn to make a damn tackle, we'll be a top 10 defense.

 

I've seen lines get to him. Ravens when they beat him in the playoffs, giants in both sbs, eagles in first half of SB and the last drive, Broncos in 2016 completely demoralized them they just couldnt stop gronk.

 

You dont even need that great of a secondary. The giants in both sbs had average secondaries but dominant dlines.

 

Because apparently double teaming Gronk is illegal or something, along with pulling a stiff out of the game.

 

We just get too creamed on the X and O level vs Pats to win those games. It's a joke.

 

Yupp the more well coached and disciplined team wins that matchup and it's honestly how the Pats have won most of their rings.

 

Ha, Pats winning rings and honestly don’t often appear in the same sentence.

 

The only reason our defense was a little above avg is because of shazier.......... I still do not think alot of people realize how dynamic he was..........

 

Quite a bit of scenario's has to happen. Some of that has shown fruition. The question remains how soon will the defense gel? What are some of these scenarios? They are as follows:



- Artie Burns has only been targeted twice this entire preseason; both to Aaron Rodgers no less. He has shown exceptional progress since his rookie season doing battle with Antonio Brown. Now is the time he needs to put it together. So far, he has done that.


- Terrell Edmunds was drafted to become the multi role safety the team has longed for since my hero in Troy Polamalu patrolled the secondary during the 2000s. So far, he has had his rookie moments but his successes far outweigh the failures. In fact, the game itself does not seem to quick for him. I was excited about him then and cannot wait for him tonight.



- Stephon Tuitt needed to make a statement last week. An impression; last seasons injury was not something that would carry over. Well... in that vein, he did. Much like Heyward, Tuitt was equally as dominant against the run as he usually was. However, we saw more of his abilites being put on display when rushing Marcus Mariota. Yes, we have seen him do well in that area before. However, it was not like anything many of us had seen like last week. Should this be Tuitt's revenge tour, this defense will be better for certain.



- Seems like Javon Hargrave is back to his usual self. A back injury definitley did not do him any favors last season. However, the sudden resurgence of Daniel McCullers amplified this even more. Given how well "GraveDigger" has played, I think it is safe to say that the Hargrave from 2016 is back and better.



- Sure, the defense has been picked apart by intermediate passes. What about deep passes? How many were given up this preseason? Of 20 yards, the total so far is 10, a decent number but up from 8 a year ago. However, of 40 yards? Only 2; down from one in 2017. Much of that does have to do with the proper communciation. The other half just might be Sean Davis. He has Free Safety range and explosive capabilities; not suffering any serious injury to hamper any of this the same. Could we see the breakout of the former Terrapin? We shall see.



- Bud Dupree, for better or worse, has long been the fanbases favorite target since 2016. Injuries and inconsistency will do that to a former first pick of a franchise that prides itself on its linebackers. However, against botb Tennessee and Green Bay, we did see some glimpses of what could be Dupree's own "Revenge Tour" of sorts. In comparison to playing on the left side, shifting Bud to the right has so far been a success. He has gotten more pressures than he did on the left side within this same timeframe as last preseason. Now, those pressures have to turn into sacks; something that Dupree has to showcase. At worst case, should he even become an eight sack player, the entire defense improves by leaps and bounds.



*** WildCard ***


- Matthew Thomas has done nothing but impress since his arrival at Latrobe. His preseason performance has not surprised me personally at the least due to the fact that, among the current inside corps, his elite athleticism and coverage abilities have been proven to be just what this corps needs. Add his surprising accelerated growth upon being inserted into the first team against Tennessee and the results of his training are beginning to bear fruit. In the event that Bostic goes down, assuming Thomas has done enough to become the primary backup to him, adding him into the mix with Vince Williams will make the Inside Linebacking situation much less concerning. To do this however, one more solid effort must be showcased tonight. Should all go well, he should be line for the primary backup spot.




Should all of these players continue their ascension with the early continuity of the defense, the stairway can be reached come February and Mr. Lombardi's greatest treasure will be ours.

 

The bottom line is this defense cannot disappear when it matters most. I do feel the changes that have been made hopefully solidifies this.