Welcome to the Steelers Jamel Dean

Hopefully we get what we wanted to get last season.

Seems like that last couple years, every week we hear about how whatever team we just faced had their fastest snap to throw time of the year.

Which means our edge players (who are good) can't get home.

If we can get good coverage for 3 seconds, then our guys will get home more.

Hopefully that's what this signing means.

 

You are being demoted to the assistant statistician of this message board with the commensurate reduction in pay.

 

btw, one of my all-time favorite movies, especially Kathryn Hahn's character.

 

It is a good movie. I had almost totally forgotten about it.

 

Last season's DB FAs were a huge miss. We can blame it on the FA class or poor scouting. But this year, on paper, looks far more promising to deploy press man coverage:

Jamel Dean's first Steelers comments reveal dramatic shift coming for the defense
His signing left no doubt about their plans in 2026.
By
Shayne Kubas

The Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of major needs heading into the start of free agency. Wide receiver was at the very top of the list, and they quickly addressed it with their trade for Michael Pittman Jr. via a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. Shortly thereafter, they came to an agreement with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean on a three-year contract.

Dean spoke with the Pittsburgh media at his introductory press conference on Friday, and it didn't take long before he dropped a nugget about why the Steelers targeted him to pair with Joey Porter Jr.

Among the many questions he answered from the reporters present, his answer to one about how he expects to be used in Pittsburgh was very telling. "They want us up in the receiver's faces," Dean said, referring to himself and Porter Jr.

That mentality of playing a lot of press man and getting physical with opposing receivers was what the defense wanted to do last season, but it quickly became obvious that nobody in the corner room besides Porter was capable of doing so. With Dean now in the fold, they may be able to succeed this time.

Jamel Dean made the Pittsburgh Steelers' plan for their secondary known at his press conference
It's not a surprise that Dean divulged the Steelers' plan for him and Porter this season. Anyone familiar with Dean's career in Tampa knows that he is a press-man corner at his core. With long arms, electric speed, and a physical demeanor, it's hard to find a player better suited for the technique.

Porter is among the best in the NFL at press coverage himself, giving Pittsburgh two corners who can disrupt receivers at the line. It feels less and less common that teams have even one defensive back that they are comfortable with playing press, let alone two of them. Modern defenses have shifted towards heavier doses of zone coverage, specifically zone-match, to help prevent offenses from finding easy passing lanes.

Maybe I am just a sucker for watching man-to-man corners get after opposing receivers, but I think it can still be an effective way to play in the secondary with the right pieces.

The Steelers secondary still has question marks, namely the role Jalen Ramsey will play and the health of box safety DeShon Elliott, but they may have the required personnel to make it work this time around.

 

It was being billed as promising on paper this time last season. Gonna play all the man coverage. All that. Then they got cooked.

I’m cautiously optimistic. But not willing to believe any of it until they do it on Sundays.

FAs are available for a variety of reasons. Most of them are not pleasant.

 

The problem last season is they put those hopes on Slay and Ramsey. Slay was a great player 5 years ago, but was just an old man looking to cash in one more time. That was as bad a signing as you're going to see. Ramsey was also unable to play that style anymore.

Dean just put up a phenomenal season last year and he did it while still being able to play press man coverage. It's what he does.

Samuel is back. Add Brisker into the mix, and suddenly they don't have to rely on Elliot and Ramsey as much. As I said in another thread, I really think they are going to draft a free safety with speed and the secondary will be much more talented.

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, but I have to say that I feel much better that the players they have to play in the secondary this season are still playing at a high level.

 

If they are going to play tight with the CBs and got a SS who can support at the line then they better have a FS who can catch the escapees

 

I think the idea that you play man behind a strong pass rush is the correct approach. The Steelers have been trying to pull it off through FA and the draft for a long time now. For some reason or the other it falls apart each season.

I like the signings. Certainly better than I did Slay and Ramsey. I am hoping it actually works. Some combination of Porter, Dean, Samuel, Brisket, Elliot, and Ramsey would seem to be able to pull it off.

But I’m not counting on it until we get to see it happen.

 

this has been said every year about the secondary after FA and going into the season they always suckedass
I really hope better results with new regime.