Playmakers vs. Caretakers

It seems to me that over the last couple of years our defense has devolved into caretakers instead of playmakers. We are so focused on gap discipline and tackling the catch that we just aren't aggressively going after turnovers and our sack totals are diminishing. WE HAVE ZERO (0) SACKS AND ZERO (0) TURNOVERS IN THE FIRST TWO GAMES!!! It's like our defense is playing not to lose rather than to win. We can cover the right gaps and tackle the catch all the way down the field if we'd like, but what wins games is sacks and turnovers.

I know it's important to play disciplined football, but we've got to start taking away the football and sacking the other team's quarterback. We need some scoring plays on defense and we need to give our offense a short field. I think it's obvious our offense needs the help. I realize that we were the number one defense in the NFL last year but did it really feel like it? We had one of our lowest sack totals and turnover totals in recent memory. Sacks and turnovers are what the Steelers defense is all about!

SteelerJJ posted a video in another thread about the 1976 Steelers defense who shut out 5 of their last 8 opponents and handed win after win to their rookie QB Mike Kruczek. They did it by forcing fumbles, intercepting the ball, scoring defensive touchdowns, giving the offense a short field and SACKING THE QUARTERBACK!!! Our defense is currently doing NONE OF THAT!!! If the 76 Steelers can win with Mike Kruczek at quarterback then we can win with Big Ben at quarterback, BUT...the defense has to step it up BIG TIME!

What's happened to our defense over the last few years? We used to have PLAYMAKERS and now we have CARETAKERS. We protect that number one defensive ranking and look decent at times, except when it counts. When we need a big stop on third down we "tackle the catch" after the FIRST DOWN by playing 10 yards off on a 3rd and 3. We've got our gaps covered on 3rd and 1 right up until the time we're obliterated by one of their offensive linemen who know what our gaps are as well as us and they are there to open up those gaps.

What's happend to all of our PLAYMAKERS? Many of them are gone, I realize, but the ones that are still here seem to be CARETAKERS. If we are going to salvage this season, our defense MUST get sacks and create turnovers, score TDs and give our anemic offense short fields to work with.

PLAYMAKERS vs. CARETAKERS. What happened? Thoughts?

 

The young guys have it right!!! I guess Clark says, "let's tackle the catch!" Hey Ryan, here's a newsflash for you. How about preventing the catch to begin with??!! Better yet, you do know, and please pass this along to Ike, that when the ball is in the air YOU HAVE AS MUCH OF A RIGHT TO CATCH IT (THAT'S CALLED AN INTERCEPTION) AS THE RECEIVER DOES!!!

 

Pretty sure Woodley had a sack in game 1.

However with everything else

 

this defense is always looking for the big hit. thats what Clark lives for. i like Clark, but he has zero ball skills.

DL is what he is and im not sure if thats what hes teaching, but if it is it needs to change. these guys need to start looking to force turnovers. when a ball is deflected they need to go after it. usually these guys arent even looking for the ball.

the sack thing is really strange to me. with all the blitzing they do you would think they would be getting sacks, but they dont. 1 sack in 2 games and i believe they only had 35 last year. thats not getting it done.

the defense does their job as far as not letting the other team score many points, but they do give up some yards and when the offense gets the ball back they are usually pinned back. this offense needs all the help they can get and if they can get the ball in decent field position a little more often it might help them.

 

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but Clark's quote below tells me that they are too focused on the technicalities of the defense and not focused enough on playmaking. I'd rather see words like "turnovers, sacks, pick sixes, giving the offense a short field" instead of words like "techniques, executing, doing what we've been taught".


Ryan Clark is equally realistic about the Steelers' play so far, saying, “If we don't play better, we won't win a game. It's not mystical, not about want-to or focus; it's about executing between the lines, playing your techniques, being good football players, doing what the coaches have taught us to do. We're not doing that right now. Sometimes even when we're doing it, the other team's doing it better.”

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yes..1 sack..and minus 4 turnover ratio......but I got a news flash....this isn't a new thing....I have been complaining about it for years....Troy is the only guy on Defense that consistently has put up INT numbers...and only when he was healthy.

William Gay got 2 int's a few years back.. before AZ....and people went crazy thinking he was a turnover machine.

I have high hopes for Cortez Allen....but this team needs a SUPER STAR corner...someone who not only can tackle...but knows how to play the ball in the air.

I want CB's and S early almost every year...mostly because we just make due with later round guys.....we took Curtis Brown and Allen....but easily could have had Allen and Richard Sherman ( I wanted Sherman in the 3rd...he went in the 5th) Sherman was a former WR...HE HAD BALL SKILLS.....but we took ST CURTIS BROWN.

i think the NFL is full of stable....the Steelers needs some SPLASH

HACK

 

do we practice knocking the ball loose from the ball carrier? we need to cause some fumbles too not just the interceptions. it can get better if you make a point of practicing it.

 

Dude I'm a corner man too and I'm TOTALLY with you that I want a guy that can catch and play shutdown. It seems to me that DL just doesn't put a big premium on corner.

 

Dude only OTHER teams are "offense driven"! LOL!

 

cortez didn't practice again. should we be looking?

 

I WISH! Just think about it. Cortez is where our depth ends. Is Willy Gay the answer going forward? No. Will Ike even be here this time next year? Maybe and maybe not. But I would fall over if we took a corner early and besides that if DL stays on past this year we won't know what we have in the guy for another couple of years at least. Man it's annoying how stubborn this team can be sometimes.

 

I thought for now not next year. LOL

 

Hell, with our injury luck, we never should stop looking (at any position).

 

Me too. But he's got to be able to stay in the field.

 

OH! LOL! I'm just too antsy! I have the patience of a toddler!

 

Hey Jack you need to clear your pm box.