Steelers Defense - Is it Coaching, Scheme or Players?

Edelman mentioned that Steelers insisted on covering the slot receiver with linebacker even though he caught passes at will. Steelers didn’t learn from their mistakes and they continue to do this in game after game. This has Tomlin’s low IQ stamp all over it.

 

if you think we have the players we need--- then it is the coaching but what will they do about it

 

Interesting. Take a look at SF’s and Baltimores coaching staffs. They have significantly more coaches than we do. I would argue those are two of the most well coached teams in the NFL.

 

Exactly. We are too stubborn to change even when things don’t work.

I have often said what we require of our ILB’s in this scheme requires a guy with a S on his chest to fulfill the duties of the position. Our DT’s and Edges get to tee off all game and the poor ILB’s have to read RPO, read the pass or the run, get off the blocker and then tackle running back. I would at least like to see them protect the ILB’s a little and get some bigger DT’s in front of them and ask them to gap contain and occupy multiple blockers to allow the ILB’s a clear lane to the rb.

We are feast or famine with smaller athletic DT’s asking them to gap penetrate which often causes over pursuit and great cut backs for the RB’s especially in wide and inside zone blocking. Would love for us to take Grant but I don’t think we will do that.

 

Nothing and that is the problem. There is no accountability from Rooney towards Tomlin and from Tomlin towards his assistant or positional coaches.

 

Yes

 

I would rather lose being aggressive than watch us play the same standard football that we have
seen for the last 10-12 years. Change is needed from the owner and coach and assistants coaches.

 

Tomlin.

 

D. All of the above.

Everything starts with the coaches. I don't think they cater or just to the strengths and weaknesses of the team. I don't think that some of the areas are very good at developing new players, specifically the quarterback and offensive line.

I think that on the player side, we have some good players and some not so good players. Overall I think we have a lot of individuals that don't necessarily play well as a team together.

As far as the scheme goes, I think that that really loops back onto the coaches as well.

There's plenty of blame to go around for our lack of success over the last 20 years. It's kind of disheartening when you say 20 years. I'm hopeful that we're on a better trajectory now thanks to Kahn's improved drafting and deal making. But a lot of us still rests it tomlin's feet in my opinion.

 

Anyone who has ever watched the steelers since 2016 knows we count on players to make plays and not put players in better situation with coaching.

 

Right and when they don't make the plays like we seen from our outside linebackers and deep safeties we do not adapt and too stubborn to change schemes and do the same things over and over again.

 

how many times will TJ be held--- before someone thinks of a better way for him to blitz

 

1)Coaching
2)Scheme
3)Scheme

 

Scheme are outdated since 2011 and this is obvious since 2016....The packers had this same problem with Dom Capers,they were awful in the playoffs almost everytime after 2010.Same for the steelers right now

 

coaching / scheme

had talent ALL OVER THE PLACE LAST YEAR

and when push came to shove, they were just good, FAR from GREAT

Tomlin is the continued PROBLEM here.....

 

This is mean , but half the people commenting couldn't tell You one scheme from another with someone pointing it out.
Also every team gets caught with a LB on a wr. It's called scheme.....we do it to other teams.....just watch the game day threads, and I point it out all the time, but some crazy reason people think it just happens to us. LoL.

 

I will say that we have had an above average defense, but the personnel is too good for us to be just above average. We have had the best pass rusher in the league in the prime of his career, a high end FS that only recently has begun to fall off (for whatever reason), a potential HOF DE that is nothing but the model of consistency and longevity. Not to mention having players like Tuitt, Dupree, Hargrave, Shazier, Haden, Nelson, etc. along the way. We've had quite a bit of talent on that side of the ball, and we should have a top 10 defense simply because we have a top 10 roster. That isn't to say that we had schlubs in LeBeau's time, but I think his defense (and tutelage) helped develop players and we always had guys that were just great fits in our system. Guys like Farrior and Clark blossomed in LeBeau's system, and relative unknowns like Keisel and Foote became really good players. He got exploited later in his career with the emergence of the big athletic TE that played like a WR, but overall the results show that his defenses were just great all around. Tomlin's defense seems to rely on bending and not breaking (which Lebeau's did as well to an extent), but heavily relies on the star players to break the game. We line up and play super vanilla with the idea that we are more talented than the opposition, so our players will just make more plays than yours, and win that way. Its a bit safe (and a bit arrogant), but being ultra risk averse is kinda the calling card of Tomlin's coaching mentality. It fits with the image that he is trying to employ.

 

Coaching namely. More specifically, Tomlin's questionable decisions when it came to specific Offensive Personnel Decisions to even hiring and keeping Matt Canada; leaving his Defense out to dry from 2021 to 2023. Leaving any Defense out for 65 or more snaps a game is a recipe for disaster. 2021 to 2023 were excellent examples of this; 2023 being the tipping point. Fatigue alone though wasn't always the issue.


Letting go of Gerald Alexander for Grady Brown wasn't the best idea either; JPJ's development taking a bit of a hit. Thankfully he is back but that shouldn't have happened in the first place. Communication issues were also a problem... though Patrick Peterson, Cameron Sutton and Donte Jackson all were not blameless here. Biggest issue remains in both Austin and Tomlin. Vanilla; very much so at times. The defense was, is and will likely remain to be far too dependent on "Jimmies and Joes" as opposed to "Xs and Os." Today's NFL is a much different beast all together. Even someone as revered as Vic Fangio had to change up his Defense for his usual 3-4 approaches from the past; usually opting to use more DBs than his usual front seven success he had with San Fran in the early 2010s. Neither Austin nor Tomlin seem to want to.


Long story short?! Coaching was and still is a problem; too much football being played by one side and not enough complimentary football as a whole.

 

Defense died when Lebeau was sent packing.

 

It was time to move on from LeBeau at that time but the problem,they make no major change and they hired a yes man to Tomlin in Butler and now Austin

 

No scheme is perfect. It's a matter of choices and strengths and weaknesses. I'm no expert, but google is my friend when I don't know.

Nice writeup in plain English on two sub schemes the Steelers like to run. Note the strengths and weaknesses. Games are a chess match to gain the advantage. Unfortunately Tomlin might be playing checkers half the time:

https://www.nfiniteplay.com/post/the-3-3-5-vs-the-4-2-5-defense-a-showdown-for-the-ages

 

I have been hearing good things about the new DB coach Gerald Alexander he's very vocal with his coaching.

 

NFL Network is showing a replay of Steelers/Broncos playoff game in 2011, Ike Taylor was getting torched by DeMaryius Thomas gave up two long plays in the first half.