My thoughts on our roster..... Lbers

The heart and soul of our 3-4 defense has always been the lber crew... these guys are tasked to do nearly everything from rushing the passer, stopping the run and dropping back into coverage..... the crew is rounding out well and depth is looking decent, so let's take a look...


OLB:

TJ Watt ---- any olb conversation for us starts and ends with TJ Watt... when healthy, WATT is the most disruptive defender in the league..
This season, teams dedicated a 2nd, and sometimes a 3rd blocker to chip him... quite often during the 1st half of the season even the chip block wasn't working, as Watt would still find ways to effect the outcome of the game.... opposing coaches found a way around that as the extra blocker would release and catch quick passes uncovered... during the last 6 weeks of the season, Watt appeared to slow down and clearly did not look like the force we were accustomed to seeing..... a sprained ankle sapped his explosiveness and to my eyes, there also appeared to be an upper body issue as well.... with a full offseason to heal physically and mentally, look for the real TJ Watt to return to prominence

Alex Highsmith ---- TJ Watt's bookend... Highsmith has an array of pass rush moves and sets the edge well against the run... what he doesn't have is the closing speed necessary to seal the deal in the rush when teams resort to quicker passing attacks... this season, he appeared to be a little frustrated and played a bit more undisciplined... he got tunnel vision in his pass rush and allowed draw plays and other runs to pass him... he also fell victim to the injury bug and missed a good bit of time... look for Highsmith to re-dedicate himself to his discipline and his pass rush in order to keep the next player on this list from replacing him

Nick Herbig ---- explosive pass rusher that got his chance when Highsmith went down to injury, and clearly made the most of it..... his burst was a major problem for LT's and with teams using extra blockers to neutralize TJ Watt, 1 on 1 blocking could not be avoided... he is good against the run, but still developing in that area... I strongly believe that Herbig may make Highsmith expendable and he could be traded to give Herbig free reign opposite Watt

Preston Smith ---- acquired via trade from green bay and made an immediate impact... Smith doesn't get as much field time due to who is starting in front of him, but provides very important depth and rounds out the rotation... as he is getting up there in age, I look for him to play another yr or 2 and be replaced in the draft


ILB:

Patrick Queen ---- arrived from the Ravens and was considered a major Coup.... Queen's play was uneven, with stretches of brilliant play and stretches where he appeared to be a deer in headlights... part of that, I see as still learning our defense, and the other part is probably his being in charge of defensive play calling, which is something he wasn't accustomed to.... I look for the next player on this list to make it more possible for Queen to roam freely to make plays

Payton Wilson ---- rookie, who was seen as on of the steals of the draft... It didn't take long for Wilson to prove that sentiment correct... Wilson started on the bench and quickly earned increased playing time until becoming the starter.... Wilson brings incredible 3.4 speed and sideline to sideline ability.... he also made arguably the best defensive play of the season league wide with his interception against the Ravens.... there were of course, hiccups as he did a lot of thinking on the field due to his rookie status...
As he begins to play more instinctively, he will eventually switch roles with Patrick Queen... there are no real holes in his game and I see more than a few all pro accolades in his future

Elandon Roberts ---- came back from injury last season and proved that he hadn't lost a step..... Roberts is currently our best blitzer on the inside and is easily our best run stopper at the position... his weakness though, is his pass defense, which is what keeps him out of our starting lineup... a very important part of the rotation and could easily start on 70% of defenses league wide..... i believe he will play out his contract and move on to a starting position elsewhere

Mark Robinson ---- mainly a special teams ace... a converted rb that is still developing at the position... he has had a few impressive moments, but has probably reached his ceiling.... he will stick for another yr as we have too many holes elsewhere, but he will be gone after that


Overview:

Overall, one of our strongest position groups, but will need to be addressed soon due to free agency in order to keep the position as a strength


Next up....... secondary and specialists

 

It's a strong group, but as I've mentioned in a couple of other threads, I'm frustrated with the scheme they run on defense.

If they incorporated more blitzing into their attack - run and pass - I think these guys would stand out even more.

 

You can never have too many quality LBers

 

You missed out Jeremiah Moon

 

How many years now has he been developing? Yes I wanted to see a Harrison type of development, but this guy is not getting it

 

This.



All the more reason why the Steelers standing pat on the current staff is so baffling. As it stands?! The current schematics of what the Defense is running only yields major gains for the IDLs. Yes, the EDGE Players get their opportunities too but far too often, are used to occupy two or more blockers in the run game. Such a philosophy would work over a decade ago. Now, it is antiquated.


It isn't just Coaching Staff that needs an overhaul. The Philosophy also is in dire need of one as well. Takeaways have been a hallmark of this defense. However, in trade, Pittsburgh doesn't blitz or send different four man packages very often; usually having the front four to do so. This has made the Steelers very predictable and, as a result, very easy to beat.

 

My question is with this group, why couldn't we generate more pressure?

 

They don't even play the same position I don't get the comparison.

 

They should re-sign Roberts, and I would like to see Wilson bulk up a little.

 

Until they protect ILB's with a 325 + pd NT that can eat up blockers(OL) Steelers Lb's will struggle.
Why was Ray Lewis such a superstar? He had Holie Knatta sp. eating up blockers so he could run to
the ball and physically destroy the rb. I am still disappointed with our coverage skills of our ILB.

 

When it counted? Against good teams?

 

Unfortunately, our defense doesn't get to play against our O-line.

 

Agree with Wilson bulking up, he could be our best middle linebacker of the bunch.

 

We are not going to get pressure--- until refs stop letting other teams hold our LB--- or until we attack more, which we don't...

 

too much coverage by our ILB ----let them blitz more

 

yes moon at outside and we should get holcomb back in the middle. hopefully they re-sign roberts.

 

Holcomb will likely be a cap casualty with his 6 million salary.