Steelers Defense - Is it Coaching, Scheme or Players?

S.T.D · Jul 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM

Steelresolve said: ↑

I think they did. Tomlin gets enamored with pedigree and big names too much. The defense is very very vanilla in both our blitzes or lack there of and our coverages. We primarily play a cover 3 to prevent the deep pass and tackle the throw in front of us. Thats why you see a ton of completions against our defense and a bend but don’t break philosophy. We give up a ton of yards and long drives and the hope is somewhere along the way we create a turnover or hold them to a field goal.

The issue with this style of play is against better teams they don’t make the mistake in turning the ball over and those field goals often turn into Touchdowns. Not only that but as the game progresses are defense often gets tired from being on the field so much. IN addition as the season progresses our defense gets worn down and often succumbs to alot of injuries. You ever notice how our defense seems to be a shell of itself late in the season and we usually have multiple injuries we are dealing with. The way we play our coverage it really does not fit well with a four man rush it is counter effective to it. We basically play prevent coverage with four man rush. If the offense max protects against us or they double Watt it essentially gives the Qb all day to dink and dunk his way down field on underneath crossing routes.

I don’t mind playing cover 3 but not all the time like we do. Mix it up with man to man or quarters etc. Disguise your coverages pre play and certainly disguise the blitzes and rush the ILB or NB more. Utilize a five man rush more or at least disguise like your going to rush five and drop an ILB back into coverage. We don’t seem to do any of that. You see teams with inferior talent to ours like Minnesota or KC and they are way more innovative on Defense and as a result they are more effective.

It would be very interesting to compare the Steelers first half of the season defensively verse the second half of the season defensively over the last five years. Something tells me there is a big difference in the stats.
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Dude. Lebeaus whole philosophy was make them March down the field, and see if they can actually do it, and it was also Cowhers philosophy, they have both stated this many many times, but now because it's Tomlins philosophy, it's stupid??
Also You can't do things You don't have the horses for. We blitzed more than any team in 2020, or 2021, I can't remember which.

strummerfan · Jul 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM

S.T.D said: ↑

Different situations
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Makes no difference. You’re saying it doesn’t happen when in fact it does

steelersrule6 · Jul 18, 2025 at 7:51 PM

Bubbahotep said: ↑

They should not have let Flores get out the door. I put that on Tomlin who wants to run the defense alone. But you also have to have smart players that know the playbook and can actually execute the plays. Last season was a mess of communication problems.
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Flores got a promotion and you expected him to stay with the Steelers? Even people in the media knew Flores wasn't going to stick around for the long term.

S.T.D · Jul 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM

strummerfan said: ↑

Makes no difference. You’re saying it doesn’t happen when in fact it does
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Yes it makes a difference. We were running the ball down their throat, and they couldn't stop it, is way different than a team saying they know what we are doing every play, and yet they can't stop it, and then bragging they know what we are doing every play. Think about that, and if You don't see the difference...well

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Steelers Defense - Is it Coaching, Scheme or Players?

S.T.D Well-Known Member

strummerfan Well-Known Member

steelersrule6 Well-Known Member

S.T.D Well-Known Member

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