Why does LeBeau ask the DL's to only stop the run?

Combined our D line had 6.5 sacks in the regular season.

Hood 1.5, Mclendon 1, Keisel 3, and Heyward 1.

Ratbirds D line had 15.5 sacks, all by their DE's.

Redding 4.5, McPhee 6, and Ngata 5.

Seems to me that the Ratbirds do just fine against the run (2nd lowest rushing yards allowed) AND they get some pressure from the D line on the QB.

Are those 6.5 sacks just a bonus in LeBeau's system? Yeah I know Blitzburgh, Harrison and Woodley get theirs, but seriously wtf do these guys do on passing downs?

Edit: Made title more clear

 

They open the lanes for the blitzes

 

It's a good question, and you're right that it needs to change. Keisel is pretty good at rushing the passer, Smith was good in his day. Heyward looks promising but hasn't seen much action. Every year I hear about Ziggy being great in one-on-ones in training camp, but that doesn't translate to gameday. Hampton just looks like he counts to two "One guy, two guys... okay I did my job" and sits back.

It really does look like they aren't always trying their hardest to get to the QB, but instead are focusing more on gap control, containing the QB, responsibilities... When they go all out and just try to win their battle, they aren't that bad. I would rather they went all out more often and risk some sort of breakdown and QB escape than just sit back and wait for the QB to throw so they can try and time their jump right. We need more pressure from these guys. I understand responsibilities, but half the time (or more) it looks like they are really doing NOTHING. Ziggy is the poster child for this will-vs.-"responsibility" battle. I think if he went all out every time, he'd come home with 6 sacks per year instead of 1 or 2, and a hell of a lot more pressures. As it is, he looks like he just wants to make sure the QB doesn't run by him.

To answer your question about why, I think it's like the above poster said. It's to orchestrate blitzes. And if we're not blitzing, they might try a little harder... of course then it's way harder to get a sack because it's 3 against 5 or 6 or more. I hope Tomlin and LeBeau notice this too, and release the hounds. That would help their linebackers too, if our DL was an actual threat to rush the passer and offenses had to take them seriously.

 

because there frequently is only three of them. 3-4 the pass rush is all about disguises and LB/DB sacks. The linemen in a nutshell are supposed to mainly take up blockers and be insanely strong. Elite 3-4 linemen can play in the flats sometimes too

 

Quick answer is that that is the way the Steelers defense is designed. Down linemen stop the rush, tie up the linemen to give the linebackers a chance to make the play. And since we're constantly in the top 5 in defense, usually 1 or 2, it seeems kind of silly to me to complain about the scheme and how they use individual players and positions. When we're #15, or 20, then complain.

 

Funny how no other team's 3-4 defense gives their lineman a "pass" on pass rushing responsibilities. Personally, I would rather have 5 guys rushing the quarterback than 2.

 

The 3-4 is designed to turn athletic, fast linebackers loose on the other team. Any sacks that you get from the down lineman are cookies.

They're not told they can't get sacks and often they do. But that's not their primary role in life. I agree with steelersrock151 - when we drop out of the top five on defense it will be time to get concerned about sacks from the dline. We were a great defense again this year (notwithstanding some noteable breakdowns) without consistent presence from a lot of key players like Woodley and Harrison.

I think this year the sacks and turnovers will be better.

 

If you look back a few years, the D Line was always good for at least 10 sacks. Hampton hardly ever sniffed the QB - he was the immovable object. But Smith, Keisel and Kimo each had a few every year, sometimes more. It is true that the D line in a LeBeau scheme don't get as many chances, but I think the dropoff is more to do with the veterans getting older and the new players just aren't as good as the players they replaced.

 

I don't think it's silly at all. I'd trade a top 5 ranking every year for top 10 if it meant more sacks and turnovers. Sacks and turnovers normally lead to better offensive field position which increases your chance to score more points. It's no coincidence that in a year when both sacks and turnovers were down so was offensive scoring. The two go hand in hand. Being ranked top 5 doesn't mean they still don't have problem areas to fix and finding a way to get more sacks is definitely one of those areas.

 

it's because the guys we have at this stage are not smith,keisel and casey in their prime. it's not about the system and all they are for is taking up blockers. they are not as good as what we once had. smith got sacks. keisel got sacks and even casey had alot more qb pressures. ziggy ain't close to what smith was. keisel is aging and misses smith on the other side. casey is nowhere near where he used to be. that's why. it's got nothing to do with DLB's system.

 

Good point. And considering how much time Suggs DOESN'T spend in pass coverage, he's basically another lineman. I saw him listed somewhere pretty official (during a game or on their webside or something) as their "rush" linebacker (as opposed to outside linebacker). The Ravens basically run a 4-3 or 4-2 in passing situations, with Suggs as a DE and the other three as linemen. We run a 2-4 in passing situations.

That can explain away part of the gap, but the fact is our guys just don't go for it. Probably by design.

 

I acknowledge your point. However, the Ratbirds LB corps as a group had 26.5 sacks. Pitt LB corps as a group also had 26.5 sacks. So you say the Ratbirds only have 1 rushing LB but their production is the same. My points in general were articulated nicely by Huge and DieHard in that IMO, on many passing downs, they don't seem to be trying that hard to win that one on one battle with their OL opponent and that LeBeau doesn't seem to ask them to do more in that aspect.

 

If you take out Smith's first year and the last three years (where he was mostly injured) he averaged 4.8 sacks per year. Very good but helped by the two years he had 8 sacks. Keisel averaged 3 sacks a year if you eliminate the first two years where he seldom played. Casey may have generated some pressure but he had less than a sack a year. So, on a team that averages about 43 sacks a year for the last 10 years the were about 9 sacks. That's about 10% - I'm sure there were some other defensive lineman with sacks but eliminating their down years in the average minimizes the need to look at some of the others' contribution. Hoke for example has 2 career sacks.

Hood's getting about 2.5 sacks per year and Heyward had 1 but, they both played a lot of the year without Harrison and Woodley and that can't make life much easier for them.

I'd like to see what a full year and healthy outside linebackers does before passing judgement on Hood and the young Heyward. Still Hampton, Keisel, and especially Smith are some big shoes (literally and figuratively) to fill. Living up to that won't be easy.

 

why take out smiths first year? he had 4 sacks. he had 17.5 in his first 3 years. keisel had 10.5 in his first 3 years starting. KVO had 15 in his first 3 years at DE after he moved from the nose. kirschke had 9 in 6 years playing partime. baily had 9.5 in 3 years. none of those guys were 1st rounders. ziggy has had 5.5 in 3 years.

after casey got hurt the first time and started eating himself out of shape. the sack totals for the DE's started dropping every year. they were getting older too, but for the next 6 years they fell and are still down.

smith had 44 sacks from 2000-2009. he always was much more than just a run stuffer. those guys collapsed the pocket around qb's causing pressure and batting down balls. we don't have that kind of push now. qb's have all day when the starting lb'ers are out. ziggy isn't in the same class as the guys we've had in the past at DE.

this is why i think casey needs to go and ziggy needs to move inside. i'll bet cam and keisel will pick up the DE rush with that setup. if ziggy can make teams have to commit a guard to help the center like casey used to do it should pick back up.

 

This is very good question that will have to be answered, we need pressure from
all places not just the linebackers. All qb's will panic and unload if they are afraid of getting hit
It is called happy feet, this will be a must for the Steelers to compete with the top
playoff caliber teams is to GENERATE a pass rush. other wise it is pitch and catch because our Db's can't cover.

 

Yes they had the same but we never had wood and harrison healthy together and worilds and carter missed time as well. Timmons showed he is not a olb so the fact that they tied says a lot to me.

 

Good points. Our DL should be able to do MORE in the pass rush.

 

And the guy next to ziggy is on pace to destroy the steelers sack record. Woodley has played mext to zig more then smith so hood is doing his job and freeing up woodley.

 

why wasen't timmons burning it up last year with ziggy keeping the heat off of him?

 

Timmons is an ilb just becuese brown made the move doesnt mean everybody can and timmons played next to kiesel more then hood.

 

Also two years ago farrior had eight sacks playing behind him.

 

It's simply because of the scheme....We run a Zone Blitz Gap control Defense as most of you guys know...This means these guys don't get to slant the gaps,push the pocket,or rip and swim or bull rush the QB off the snap....This makes it basically Impossible for those guys to get sacks...

Then when we do get Teams in long yardage /obvious passing downs we have different package's and most of those guys are not even on the field...

 

if you really look, woodleys sacks have been down from previous years, in the years ziggy was with him. he got more sacks in the years where smith,eason and kirschke were next him then when ziggy was in.

 

bull!