Steelers Sticking with Zone Coverage

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/12929106-74/steelers-defense-sticking-with-zone-coverage-for-now

 

Are we really surprised?

 

Maybe we will be using more man coverage by the time we play the Patsies.

 

If he has any protection at all expect Tom Brady to Dink and Dunk us for 400 yds per game. I will even predict
his stats 33 0f 40.

 

"According to Pro Football Focus rankings, the Steelers this season deployed zone coverage on 89 percent of their defensive snaps through the first six weeks."

Wow...that seems pretty high. Let's see what Joe Haden thinks about that.

“That's the good thing about our defense is you never really know what we are going to be in.”

Really, Joe? I think I can guess what you're going to be in AT LEAST 89% of the time.

So, I'm sure Carnell Lake will have something to say about all this.

"It helps to have Joe, someone who has man-to-man coverage ability....If you have guys that can cover man-to-man, you feel more comfortable about playing man-to-man.”

Finally!! Someone speaking the truth. We have ONE corner that can cover man-to-man. Carnell said that if you have "guys" that can cover man-to-man, THEN you feel more comfortable about playing it. And since we only have one, they don't feel comfortable.

Apparently Keith Butler is playing the only defense we have personnel for. But don't tell anyone. Because Joe Haden says that no one knows this yet and doesn't want any other team to figure out that we play man about 11% of the time.

 

Right. Except right before that, Lake says:

“I'm comfortable with it, I really am,” defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said. “We'll continue to evolve in that area. The thing about it is we have a full playbook at our disposal now."


The article basically backs up what the Steelers were saying in preseason: they want to expand the defensive options and throw in different looks when it's needed. And so far, they're suggesting, it hasn't been needed.

I'll get my old record player out to play my normal tune on this: a good QB will rip apart man coverage as well as zone coverage. "Playing man" is not the magic ingredient to winning football games. "Playing well" is.

 

I agree with your thoughts on man verses zone. I really do not see the problem with what we are doing now. Yes of course Brady is the one QB that can pick apart our defense however he does it whether they play man or zone. I believe last year they used a combination of the two and well we know how that turned out. Bottom line is regardless the team or QB going up and down the field matters not if the defense keeps them out of the end zone and judging by what we saw in the Lions game they are more then just good at keeping offense out of the end zone.

As you say " playing well " is by far more important.

 

The Steelers have the #2 ranked pass defense. I see no reason to change to man from zone. The big difference is that we are getting more pressure on the QB's.

Will elite QB's like Brady shred us? Absolutely, given our track record of letting him by not pressuring him. There are really only 2 ways to beat Brady. Blitz him by every angle possible and applying instant pressure while shutting down the run also and parking him on the bench with long sustaining drives on offense.

 

yup simply "changing to man" is not guaranteed success vs brady. He eats up man as well.

1. keep him off the field
2. SCORE Points
3. hit him

 

We had a corner years ago who could play man-to-man... his name was Ike Taylor. Problem was... he was the only one who could play man consistently without getting burned. Haden is the new Ike Taylor. Another problem is... Ike Taylor got burned by Brady, too... except in 2011.

Several things need to go right to limit Brady...

1. Pressure up the middle
2. Successful man coverage by DBs of Patriots WRs
3. Successful coverage of TEs and RBs by LBs
4. The offense has to score TDs... NOT FGs... or 3 and outs and punts. The offense is usually way too inconsistent against the Patriots defense.

 

The league is overall a zone-heavy league. All 32 teams combined to run zone coverage on 59.0 percent of snaps with just 34.9 percent man coverage:

https://www.profootballfocus.com/ne...examining-the-nfls-coverage-scheme-tendencies

 

I'm about 90% in agreement with that. Playing man isn't foolproof. Neither is zone. But playing well isn't enough either if you're not countering correctly.

Why do defenses try to disguise coverages if all they have to do is execute the play originally called? Because they know the offense will check out of a certain play if the matchups/design aren't favorable. How well the defense is going to play is rarely a consideration.

There are times when overall play is considered, like late in a game when the D is gassed and they can barely get out of their stances because they've been on the field for 40 minutes. But that's not what we're talking about here.

Elite qb's can and will shred a zone, and how well you execute it doesn't really matter. Look back at the Lions game. We executed well. I don't think we could have played much better. And maybe, MAYBE, man wouldn't have been successful. Hell, maybe we would have guessed wrong and jumped a route or got rubbed or gave up too much separation when they stacked.

Playing man might have lost us the game.

But playing zone close to 90% of the time? Why not at least bring an extra guy over and go with one high safety when they lined up in trips? The Lions don't have a run game to speak of. It's not like you're that worried about the weak side being open.

I just think that you have to properly counter what the offense is doing on each and every play. Playing well won't make up for being out of position by design. If we can't counter Stafford effectively, we have 0% chance of countering Brady.

Because Brady won't fail in the red zone. Give him 6 entries and our offense is going to have to score more than 40.

 

I'm pretty sure the success of any coverage greatly depends on the pass rush. If you can get pressure with out blitzing doesn't that make the zone defense 1000X more effective? Brady will pick apart any defense that does not pressure him. He dumps the ball off quickly better than any QB in the league...they also run screens better than anyone in the league. So blitzing is a big gamble against NE. You have to pressure him with out blitzing.

 

Elite fronts with corners that play well. Basically elite defenses. Coaches have to adjust because bellicheck will. Not sure if we are up to the task

 

True and any defense will be hard pressed to put any signfiicant pressure on Brady considering he gets the ball out as you say very quickly.

 

Agreed. When we had the personnel to do it, we still didn't get it done. Now we don't have the personnel OR the coaching.

But maybe there's another way to beat them. Luck. (Not Andrew)

Sometimes the football gods just have to smile on you. Sometimes you get to win in spite of yourselves. Sometimes you conquer goliath with a sling shot.

I have had this feeling since training camp that this simply is not the Pats' year. I don't know if it ends up being ours all the way to a ring, but I'm hopeful.

I guess that's why I keep bitching about coaching. This is my first season here. If I had been here last season, I wouldn't have complained about it nearly as much. I just truly believe this is the year that NE can be dethroned and we have all the weapons to do it. If we squander it, I'm going to be grumpy.

 

There are so many variables that need to happen in order for us to win. Got to stay healthy, got to win enough games to get 1st seed, got to get hot right at the end of the season, and have to hope we dethrone pats. NOT ONLY THAT, but how much would it suck to beat NE then lose in the SB lol. That's not a win for me.

it's 7 or bust. I am a spoiled Steeler fan just like NE fanbase is spoiled. Both franchises have had success for the past 17 years, just NE has had a little more.

 

I'm actually a little worried about beating the Pats in the regular season. I don't think there's my way we beat them twice, at home, in the same season.

And that would be a real kick in the teeth to end up 1st seed and have the Pats knock us out in our house.

What am I saying? Everything worries me. Nevermind.

 

I think for the first time in a long time we can get quick pressure on Brady when we play them. The thing is, when he makes that 3 yard pass completion under that quick pressure, we have to get the receiver to the ground immediately. Do that consistently and we have a great chance to win when we play them.

 

That and scoring more than they do. Usually works.

 

Well we are 6-2, but it’s all about the playoffs. There’s a great chance we’ll see the Pats, and we will have to switch it up or we’ll have a game like last year. Tom Brady eats up zone coverage as we know very well, and is the reason he lites us up every time we play them. Hopefully Butler has something up his sleeve when we play them. If we can beat them in week 15 we should have a good chance to beat them in the playoffs. Our defense has improved a lot this year. We need to play man and zone just disguise it well. If we do that I think we can beat the Pats. It also comes down to how Ben plays to.

 

and sometimes you play well enough to beat them and your kicker misses 2 field goals

 

Actually, he eats blitzes alive; that is not the key. The key is pressure without needing blitzes, like NYG in both Super Bowls. They got pressure with just the 4 D-linemen.

 

This is quite astonishing to say the least.



Why do people believe that man coverage is simply the ultimate elixir to beating Tom Brady and the Patriots? I personally do not understand but am still, to this day, fascinated by this level of thinking. It does not matter what coverage one is running against Tom Brady. Man, zone, pattern, hybrid or otherwise. There really is no "perfect coverage scheme" to beat Brady like so many football fans are lead to believe. He has bested them all and has a winning record against them.



The absoulte way to defeat Brady is not that far away; the six Super Bowl Victories being the guide. An elite front seven is the best and most effective way to defeat any Quarterback; Brady or otherwise. The more that player is pressured, the more erratic that player becomes.



Steelers fans in general, for reasons unbeknownst to me, masquerade the point that this draft class called 2013 happened. Much like Thigpen82 but in my own personal words;



"In the alternate reality where Jarvis Jones pans out, the defense would have been better sooner rather than later."



Sadly this was not the case. It did take four years but I am glad we finally got a linebacker and not just a one trick pony of a pass rusher as said form of linebacking is quickly becoming a hot commodity.



In short? Beat him up physcially. That is it. The 2015 variant of the "No Fly Zone" illustrates this message to the tee.