Our CBs over the last decade

I have posed this question for nearly a decade on this site, and the original board (RIP) yet I still don't understand it. DL is the master of a containing D, and to some point I get that. However, the people responsible for evaluating DB talent, who IMO should've been fired years ago, have not had an actual CB that has been a threat for INT's since the 90's. you can not tell me at when these scouts watch possible draft picks they say " guy can't catch, average speed, but he can tackle" and those scouts then suggest the team select them? Are bad hands a requirement to play in Pittsburgh? Seriously, we don't have one CB that is an actual threat to man up and cover another player. NONE! How does this happen? Look at all the CBs we have drafted in a decade plus, awful! Zone cushions, no pressing, and not even close to an INT. Yes, if DL calls it, you play, but there is not one CB on this team that can catch a ball. To add to this, all teams miss on picks, and talent drafted high doesn't always pan out, and low draft picks sometimes become pro bowlers, but how is it that this team has not had ONE actual lock down, pro bowl CB since the 90's? The Seahawks CBs Sherman and BB were a 5 th round pick and an UDFA! WTH do our scouts watch? This is one of the most failed positions we have, and its been a disgrace for far too long.

 

That's the type of Cornerbacks Dick Lebeau likes. He wants a zone coverage tackling corner. If you can tackle and can't catch it's ok. If we were playing man-to-man defense we need CB that can catch because the opportunity will be there to get an interception.

I don't agree with it but that's what DL wants in his scheme.

 

which is exactly why we have a problem. he guys we have can't make plays, and will not be in a position to get an INT ( unless a bad throw comes their way) and if they are they can't catch it ( see Ike T squared the last 11 years) which further begs the question for fans " what are we drafting we when draft a CB ?" because what we have are speed bumps to the end zone! Our CBs are soft and can't cover. Woodson was the last ballhawk we had. If Clark looked for the ball more he would have 10 INTs a year. It's truly sad, but its a huge factor as to our lack of turnovers.

 

The Seahawks CBs are big and will hit you, yet they can pick off a pass, so these players do exist, so how have we not drafted one since the 90's?

 

This team is just stuck in the past. The steelers way is no longer able to keep up. The nfl has changed drastically the last couple years and will continue to change exponentially and we REFUSE to adapt. We have no impact players and are boring to watch and we make no interesting moves because Colbert and co have ruined the cap...not that they would anyways. We need a regime change and then prob a few years of retooling and adapting to become a fierce competitor. We field the most out dated schemes out there and its not working.

 

David Amerson, and Richard Sherman....both my guys from previous drafts. .... had pick sixes yesterday. That is the difference between 0-4 and 3-1


Hack

 

Remember, Tomlin comes from an aggressive style D. In Tamps they played Cover 2, and they had some CBs that played for the ball. Just my opinion....I just don't understand how it has gone unchanged for all these years?

 

I've been pounding the drum to get Seattle's DC here. I will chip in to help pay his salary. Whatever it takes. I would take Richard Sherman in a heartbeat. He's an absolute beast and he can man up and play physical too. The fact that he's not on our team actually infuriates me. We've not had a truly great corner since Rod Woodson. Period. Ike has been solid but he's no Hall of Famer.

 

Because he has zero influence on the defense he just lets lebeau do his thing. I wonder if he can talk Dungy out of retirement to call the defense and bring back the steel curtain. Highly doubtful but they do go way back

 

Dungy is a 4-3. So is Tomlin. I don't think we have enough guys to do that.

 

Sad part is, if this team had any CBs that could really man up and were ballhawks, Troy would be even better as he wouldn't have to play the line so much allowing even more chances for INTs

 

The NFL is now a passing league. We need some ballers at CB to remain competitive. Not making him the scapegoat, but Willie Gay is not the answer, and was resigned out of desperation. I worry that Geno Smith will post some gawdy numbers against our porous DEF. Sigh...

 

i had hope on terry hawtorne , but ....

 

The defense has always been about the LBers for Lebeau. The job of the d-line was to create room for the LB blitzes. The job of the DBs was to cover well enough to give the blitz time to develop; OR to step up as impromptu LBers.

Our high draft picks have addressed the LB position, and more recently the DL (due to age more than anything). We simply haven't invested high picks in DBs, and in this case we get what we pitch for.

It's also the case that, a bit like our o-line, the weak links are bringing down the stronger players. In fact, both o-line and the defensive backfield have suffered from regular line up changes and injuries. I don't think I'd ever expect a huge number of turnovers and shut-down games, but I do expect better of them right now.

 

As others stated. CB's willing to tackle is priority #1.

Also I think the Steelers success over the years has hurt them because we draft so low every year. They haven't been able to go after the blue chippers who have natural ball skills, so they have decided to try to "coach up" guys who are not as polished. Every once in a while you will get a diamond in the rough, but more often than not you get serviceable guys, but not elite talent level.

Also, when Rod Woodson was here the CB's did press 50% of the time, all of the rules changes over the years messed DL's scheme up so he had to adapt to what it is now.

 

I agree that drafting CB higher in the draft has not been our priority, but if you start looking around you find CB talent in mid to lower rounds, and that is what baffles me, in that we haven't had a great CB in 15-20 years! Am I supposed to believe that on draft day a player is available, and the staff declines the pick because they can actually pick off passes? I've never seen the awful allotment of CBs before. Ike was a project, and he worked out, but when he leave in the next year or so what happens then?

 

I think it is not a priority for them to have a CB on the team that is going to command BIG money since all they are doing is tackling guys and not doing much else. They wold rather put all their money into the front 7 who are the real heroes of this defense. So for a scheme and money perspective it is not essential to draft a CB early.

SOme great CB's who pick off passes are not always great tacklers and that would rule them out right away being good fits with the Steeler too.

Yeah I'm baffled when I see rookies start on other teams and have great years, or other teams low round CB's are really solid. Not sure what to say really? Bad scouting and coaching I guess? We drafted a young corner this year and he got cut. Lake seems to be doing a good job than previous coaches though?

Once IKE is done Cortez will be the man, and we'll be in the same position we are now... 1 good corner the rest mediocre. That is of course if COrtez live up to his potential. He seems to get hurt a lot. If he doesn't pan out we may suffer at the position for a while...

 

hack, my friend we've ruled out one thing about you, your not kevin Colbert coming on this site.

 

The rule changes hurt us, we always had physical DBs that beat receivers up but the 5 yard chuck rule made it hard for us to compete against a passing team. In order to cover receivers with CBs that were mediocre in coverage the DB coach along with DL came up with the cushion and the game plan of keeping it in front and making teams drive 5 yards at a time with the hope of a mental mistake or a sack stopping the drive. For the most part it worked but teams that can throw the short pass have killed us on a regular basis or made us struggle, even back up QBs have been able to pad their stats against that scheme but with so many teams now having competent QBs it is hard to maintain weak defenders in the secondary.

 

This is so true. In Superbowl XL the Seahawks game plan was to take advantage of the cushion, and The Steeler Motto is you are not consistent enough to do that to us all game long. It worked for the Seahawks in the first half, but it started to unravel. Most teams are not good enough to take this approach, but many QB's today are becoming good enough where they can.

Steelers D needs to take that next step in evolution. Not sure what the answer is though?