Steelers Football/NASTY

Remember not too long ago when our team was MEAN and NASTY?...People knew if the were playing us you were in for 60 mins. of punch you in the mouth Football .
I get this is a different Steelers offense and we don't pound the run and brake other teams will.(We can and Should)
But,Our Defense has lost that too..Some years we gave up yards but people feared us...Now we hear "statistically the Steelers are a decent defense".
Why? Is it cause we don't pressure the qb? The zone blitz scheme is designed to confuse who's blitzing and get pressure on the qb right? Seems to me in base we are getting very little pressure and when we blitz it's getting picked up most of the time.... I watch most of the games on Sundays. it's seems like we dont have those plays where we have that unblocked guy getting a shot at the qb. So what gives?

 

I wouldn't put a WHOLE lot of stock in the fact that we rushed well last week. Cincy has the 21st ranked rushing D. The great thing about it to me is that Haley understands situational football and how to exploit the other teams weakness. As far as the D I've been saying for a while that we've lost the "mystique". People don't FEAR and RESPECT us like they should and once did.

 

I agree. It was the situational playcalling and execution that improved last week. The past few weeks, we have tried to run it down people's throats. We've got as far as just before their front teeth and then fallen over. Improved execution in the run game, against a fairly soft run D, allowed us to open up different situational calls during the Bengals game.

As for the D... I dunno. I agree we're not the fearsome blitzburgh we were a few seasons back. I'm not sure that we haven't continuously had as fearsome a defense as we might like to remember. Continuously taken seriously? Yes. But we weren't consistently the blitzburgh team of the mid'90's or the Steel Curtain of the 70's. Otherwise, we wouldn't pick out Blitzburgh and the Steel Curtain in the way we do. Why were those teams special? A combination of talent, spirit and execution. Our current team currently has a number of high profile injuries, has parted ways with some older leaders, and is basically in something of a transitional stage. I think it's unrealistic to expect the D to just be a solid, fearsome unit when there is that much inconsistency in personell, both game to game and in terms of the stages of career players are currently at.

That's not to say I don't wish they would be a little more feared and respected. We do seem, for some reason, to be lacking in the blitz department this season.

 

I feel your frustration...
Unfortunately, the rules in place today, and Rodger`s penchant for handing out fines and/or suspensions, make it VERY difficult, if not impossible, to truly INTIMIDATE anyone, anymore!
Even clean, hard hits seem to get flagged as if they are "dirty"...
I miss the old days, but I just don`t see much of a way of bringing that hard hitting style back...
Much to the detriment of the game, IMHO...

 

We are just another team on a schedule of an opposing team.
It didn't use to be that way. The games and times have changed, I liked it better
in the dynasty years.We are pretty boring to watch anymore. Save for about a handful
of players that we have that are exciting, all the rest are pretty avg. Name me one
defensive player This year we have that excites you other than Ryan Clark?

 

Cant do it....Clark is it.

 

We haven't been a bad team in a long time. Every so often this happens to all teams. We may still get in the playoffs. If so we could get number 7. Flash back to 2005 BUT, they got some work to do in the off season. In other words, never give up. Even if you guys see me cussing out the team for a loss. They're still my team.

 

Troy, and Silverback, when either is healthy...
Had high hopes for Keisel, but he hasn`t really validated them...
Other than that, I`m with ya... Keenan had ONE great pass breakup, and, ummm... well... Hood, Timmons, Woodley, ummm... yeah... One of the lb`s , I think, Woodley, had ONE game, where he was a one man wrecking crew, other than that...
NOT playing up to the standard that has been set for them!!!
C`mon Cameron... C`mon Defense, in general!

 

Bleedsteel, you touched on it earlier. The rules don't allow any team's defense to be "feared" anymore. When people discuss scary teams, now days, it is because of their offense or QB/RB/Receiver not because of their defenses. I know there are teams that have good defenses and they should be respected, but feared...no so much. The rules and the changes to the game favor the offense, however, football and life are cyclic and I hope that we see the day defenses rule. I love football and enjoy a shut-down defense or a high-scoring offense but more than anything I like hard-nosed, beat you senseless football which is usually provided by the defense.