Studs and Duds first half of season

Yes stats can fool you, and guess what......the yards you are talking about are stats.
Does our D need to get better???? Yes...of course. There is a reason I keep asking for another CB every year, or has everyone forgotten that???
But to say a D is bad... that is 2nd in turnovers, and number 1 in points allowed by any team that has played 8 games, and over all ,but one that has played 7 games is just plain wrong. Yes can they, and should they play better. Yes.
People keep talking about the games coming up, but We are finally going to be playing teams the Steelers actually know, and know how to stop. Let it play out, and stop worrying about stuff in the future.

 

Who are your four?
I have
Watt
Highsmith
Heyward
Fitzpatrick
Porter Jr.
Queen
Wilson

Wilson is a rookie and Queen has some instinctual issues and Heyward is old but he still brings more than alot of DT’s. Benton is borderline if he gets his act together.

Name a defense that has more talent. I would say maybe Philadelphia. I certainly would not say KC has better talent than us but man they play aggressive. I love the way they play defense. Reminds of the old Lebeau Defenses.

 

Today's NFL is about offense. Offense's will stack up yards, even against KC's newfound Defense.
I'm not a big fan of Austin but he is putting in an order of crow for me.

He seems to be rushing 4 most of the time and getting some good results.
I can't really see a consistent weakness.
They seem to be coming together as a unit, I'd think that should indicate good things to come.

 

Exactly if your going to play him that role you can trade him for a WR or draft pick and get a significantly cheaper option to sit back there and play prevent.

 

This is what I am saying. We are living on the edge here thinking turnovers or forcing field goals are going to be the answer over the second part of our schedule. Those low points are going to go way up and be alot more inline with how are defense has performed in yards allowed. The thing that drives me nuts is we have enough talent to be a much better defense and force three and outs. Its all scheme and philosophy that is holding us back right now. I don’t know if owe will be willing to change that.

 

I think his point is it is the same coin but two different sides. If we are hurting other defenses by passing for more yards and as a result it opens up our run game then on the flip side of the coin if our defense is struggling to limit yards in the passing game we should as a result have trouble to stop the run as well. Obviously his argument doesn’t take into account the ebb and flow of the game and the actual score of the game. Teams may have to pass if they are behind in the score.

The main argument here is allowing alot of yards and long drives is not sustainable over a 16 game season. Its very risky to rely on turnovers and holding teams to field goals. This has played out time and time again over the last four years. Not only that it isn’t good for the defense to be out on the field that long because it only increases the chance of injury and wear and tear on our defensive players the longer they are out there. Haven’t you noticed how injury prone our defense has been over the last few years. By the end of the season we are often a shell of ourselves and not nearly the same defense talent wise because of the injuries. Forcing alot of three outs and spending significantly less time on the field during the season would go along way towards keeping this defense fresh and healthy through a full schedule.

I just believe Tomlins philosophy on Defense is flawed for multiple reasons and I don’t believe he is fully utilizing the talent on the field to the best of its ability. His style of playing defense is counter to what he always preaches ("We don’t blink, cut your eye lids off, we don’t play in our fears”), yet with the vanilla defense, the lowest blitz rate and playing a two high soft zone shell defense you couldn’t get more fearful and conservative in the style of defense we are playing. I understand playing this style in certain situations against certain teams but against Dallas, Indianapolis and New York Giants in particular it was foolish to play that conservative. If Watt and Bishop don’t make the plays they did who knows the outcome. The game shouldn’t be that close.

Cowher and Lebeua played aggressive defense until we were up by 10 and then they would go into prevent and it always drove me crazy. The coach that never let up was Belicheck and that is why he blew teams out.

 

I did not said our defense is bad but they have not been elite in the last 5 games....If the steelers want to do something special in the playoffs this unit need to be better that in the last month and they are able to do this so let's hope it will be the case

 

My friend....I have never said they were elite. People keep saying that, but I haven't....not once.....I said they have given up the league least amount of points for all teams that have played 8 games..., and they are number 2 in turnovers, but Ive never said they were elite.....yet somehow people keep saying, or thinking I have. I said they don't suck, and that they aren't duds. I don't think they have to be elite....as long as the special teams, and offense keeps progressing.

 

My friend. I don't think You are paying close enough attention. We are blitzing at about 36% rate I believe...which is around 7th to the 10th in the NFL. We play Cover 2, Bear front, One high, man, man zone man under, quarters....Yes we play a lot of zone, but it's not just a two high soft coverage zone like some think. Go back, and watch....., and Pittsburgh has played zone of some kind way before Mike Tomlin was even know by any of us.

 

Watt, Old man Heyward, Fitzpatrick, and JPJ(and He need to learn to Hit, and tackle...then He will be complete)
I don't count the others you mentioned....they either aren't alway on, or they are new to the team.

 

Not this year. Austin has been playing it vanilla when it comes to blitzing. Pro Football Reference has them at 19.4%, 27th in the league.

 

I could name many teams with more , or the same amount of talent overall on Defense. Browns, Giants, Jets, Ravens, Detroit need I go one and yet We are still number 1 , and 2 in points allowed, and turnovers.

 

I don't believe anything PFF says. I'm sorry. If You guys do....then stop complaining when they say things that You don't believe. Like T. Edmunds Is a better safety than Fitzpatrick, or Garrett is a better D player than Watt. I don't just pick, and chose when I believe them...., but You can. I'm not saying this to be mean....It's just how I feel

 

He said PFR, not PFF.

 

No, not Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Reference. They compile actual statistics.

 

I didn't read...so I should have lied??? I could have skimmed through it, and lied, and acted like I read it....like many do.....like the people that keep saying I said the Defense is elite, or the people that said I have said yards are more important on offense than points..LoL......yet when I say find me where I said any of that....they can't.....why....because they didn't read what I said....they skimmed it, and took away what they wanted to. I didn't want to do that to him....so I just told Him the truth.....I didn't read it. Sorry that was wrong of me. My bad. I'll learn to lie better. LoL

 

Oh. My bad. Well I just read here on...Steelers Depo is saying 32 %, NFL. Com is say 29%, Stat Muse is saying 36%. So who is right??? I know I counted quite a few in the last two games since everyone has been talking about it

 

He told me that

 

You do understand t

What???
I'm not understanding....I didn't read it....so I should have lied to him, and said I did??? Did You even read what I just wrote back to You??? How many people have said I said the Defense was elite in the last week???, or that I said yards matter more than points on the offense. 2, 3, 4????? Yet I have never wrote any of that.....Yet people say I have, or suggest that I have....therefore....I guess they aren't actually reading what I write, but are skimming it, and taking what they want from it....again. I didn't want to do that to him, and I didn't feel like reading it.....so I told Him the truth. I didn't read it. I didn't know this was a crime. Just like I skimmed @Thor post about pro foot reference, and I got PFF.....I shouldn't have....why....because I then wrote something He didn't even say.....which was stupid on My part....I don't like doing that....so if someone writes something to me , and I don't read it....I tell the truth.....I didn't read it. Hopefully You read all this, and don't skim it, and understand what I'm trying to say.

 

Benton
Queen
Broderick Jones

top 3 disappointments for me.


On a side note when is the last time Minkah had an interception? Guy fell off a cliff in 2 years period of time.

 

He's doing a good job of maintaining the safety position . You will see more out of Him as we play our division. I also believe we will see more out of Queen as he get more, and more use to our system