Moats to start at ilb

stop the run first and foremost, worry about the rest. At least with passing there are chances of drops, interceptions, sacks, holding calls, etc. Allowing the team to run on you just means TOP and defense will be gassed.

 

Should put Bud at ILB, all he does is bullrush straight forward anyway ,, maybe he can push a lineman back into Flakeco

 

Hearing a lot of rotation options - one that does not come up but I feel has logic - is to move Dupree inside. He has the speed and coverage skills that don't match - but are most comparable to Shazier. He is not necessarily getting it done on the edge, but has the skill set to handle the duties in the middle. This opens the outside spot for more Chickillo. We need more Harrison as well - especially when teams start to run.

 

chickillo sucks lol, Harrison died... at least to the coaches

 

Put James and Vince on the outside,, Bud and Watt inside

 

The more I think about it, the more I REALLY dislike the idea of Moats at ILB.

LJ Fort seemed to fill in nicely. He even played better than the #2 guy. And if Spence hasn't regressed since he left here, I would consider him as well.

 

Agree about the coverage, but we may actually better against the run with Moats?

 

What do you think of James H and Vince on the inside for running plays(1 and 2 downs) with Bud and Watt on the outside.

On pass plays swing Watt to the inside where he has been playing some on Pass plays, bring Spence also on the inside.
On the outside move Harrison to the outside for blitzing only on pass plays, keep Bud on the outside to rush also. Could also use Gay as an outside linebacker if your going you use your outside linebackers to go into coverage like they do often.

 

We should all hope Spence gets up to speed quickly. He is the closest thing we have that can actually sort of replace the speed we had in Shazier compared to the others,with Fort being second. Spence isn't what he was after the knee but he has great instincts. He was projected to be a star prior to his injury,let's hope he has some left in the tank.
We should probably expect to see a lot of dime on passing downs. They are probably working on quite a few different packages. The Ravens love to check it down so we are gonna need effective guys in coverage...

 

Concerns about Moats getting smothered in the middle runs, but we could of said the same with Ryan Z. With Ryan though he had the quickness and speed to get around blockers at times. Moats will have to take on blockers head on, which is why I like Harrison there on running plays.

 

I hope I am wrong but if we are banking on Spence to help us we are more screwed then we thought. This kid was a great story but to many injuries and to much time on the couch, I am not to sure he has anything left. I am not sure what we are going to or not going to get from him but to expect anything is imo very optimistic.

Isn't Kelsey on our practice squad, why wasn't he moved up he at least is in game shape and have been around this team and should know a lot more than Spence no?

 

Agree with Spence, thats why I think dont use him on base defense, just on passing downs, but they might have others in the dime and nichole defense.

As far as running defense Harrison takes on blockers better then anyone we have. Ravens love to run up the middle. Against Patriots this is a different story.

Not sure on Kelsey and what he beings.

 

That's a lot of change late in the season to cover for an athletic LB when you could play a more basic 3-4 defense with the guys you have

 

I think Moats will provide that calm veteran presence and he's probably slow enough his "pursuit" will put him in a good position for any cutbacks . I think we all know Fort will be in there quite a bit for rotations.

VW98 will call the defense just like I thought he would. Like I posted in that other thread, he did it as a rookie filling in for Larry Foote. He didn't call them after the Shazier injury because you can only have 2 helmets with the headset in there and only 1 can be on the field at a time. So you couldn't have Shazier and VW98 with headsets to start the game, so they probably give it to Shazier's backup or a backup at another position. Not sure how easy it is to change them to another helmet in game.

 

I think we are in for an ugly week on defense. My hope is that as bad as it may be we will use the Ravens game to get stuff sorted out in time to beat the Pats.

 

Like Thorn pointed out that feels like a lot of change this late in the season, not sure these guys are just plug and play especially when you hear how complicated this D is to learn. jmo

 

I agree about the change, lots of people here are suggesting move guys inside and that may be a great idea but imo not this late in the season. One idea I can see is them going more to a 4-3 now, thoughts? Also another problem now with this is Hilton has blitzed more than an other DB this season, was he able to do that cause RS was dropping back into coverage and I am sure that will change now no?

 

time for vince to step up. i think spence will prove invaluable this year down the stretch. we could do a lot worse. we actually got very lucky he was available to us. he's no shazier but who is. i expect by next week sean spence will be taking more reps than moats at that spot.

 

With so many advanced tech stuff out there you would think the Steelers would have a back up helmet for VW in the locker room no? I bet this will be something not just the Steelers look at but also other teams. We saw how confusing it was with Tyler out there and also after he was gone...just a thought.

 

I just don't see it, imo there was a reason he was sitting on the couch......sitting on the couch, not on someones practice squad.....ON THE COUCH! I am sure as heck rooting I am wrong but all the surgeries and now not playing has me scared. I just can't see this kid helping right now but if he does that will be a great story......

 

I actually like the move a lot and called for it before it was announced. Moats has played inside, is a smart vet, and I think he can do a decent job. I also like our other OLB options more. I'll always lament not getting Mosley... but wish Shaz all the best and believe this D can still get it done, especially once Haden is back.

 

i'm not sure he's eligible for the PS. he's got 3 full seasons and this is his 4th. his 54 tackles last year would rank 4th on our team at this point. i think he has more upside than moats at the inside spot. fort next week may be the better option against the pats with his better coverage ability. i just think it was to short of a week to get spence fully up to speed so he will alternate in. i think all 3 will see some time in this game.

 

Like I said hope your right but I don't see it. I agree about coverage and yeah we will be facing a tough test next week but the one thing about this that I am very hopeful about is the fact that right now Tuitt and Heyward are both on the field. I hope we can get some major push from these two and that may be our best fix for the ILB position......

 

I must have missed it, but what is the injury to Shazier's backup?

 

I must have missed it, but what is the injury to Shazier's backup?