Post Game Loss Complaint Thread

If you all are going to trot out the greatest hits complaints at least get it right.

Steelers message boards back in the day told us that Cowher teams started slow, couldn't develop young talent, and LeBeau's ideas were totally outdated and needed to change.

Now, Steelers message boards tell us the same thing about Tomlin. Weird. How shocking and unpredictable.

Last season the Steelers played one of the lowest percentages of man coverages and highest of zone coverages while blitzing at a low rate. From what I saw against the Seahawks, they were in man a bunch and brought pressure. Due to lack of execution and/or ability from Ramsey, Queen, and Wilson -- Seattle made them pay with big conversions on third downs and touchdowns. Almost all those "big plays" were victimizing one of those three in single man coverages -- at least from my inconsistent and probably incorrect diagnoses from my couch.

Bottom line -- Steelers changed everything about the defense that 2024 Steelers fan internet shouted about....and now Steelers fan internet is still shouting the same things. At least update it...

As to the run defense...no one set the edge on Highsmith's side once he got hurt. Benton ended up on his butt too much again. Black got turned out of far too many gaps. And both the ILBs got mauled. Not sure that is scheme. More of guys just getting their ass kicked. I suspect the starting defense just overestimated their ability from kicking the absolute snot out of the Steelers crap OL in training camp. Now, they are facing actually competent NLF OL and they are not ready.

 

Cowher and Noll never started a season 11-0

 

Tomlin sucks donkeys @#$% s

 

My post was sarcasm

 

Extending Watt was not a great idea in hindsight. Steelers need to switch to a True 4-3... with big fast DEs... not OLBs and DTs that don't get ran over by any average OL.

 

very fortunate to win the jets game. tomlin plays way too close to the vest. he is always thinking - "how can I get Chris to 60 yards or closer" with time expiring. He has no idea how to annihilate a team

 

well.......we should not be talking about hindsight 3 weeks later. it was a decent move. they are not switching to a 4-3 any time soon. Watt will be and is just fine.

he is not a one man show. Highsmith out will hurt, again. Watt was injured all of DEC last year, let's not forget. And this DLINE has sucked AGAIN the early part of the year.

Watt is GREAT

 

As I said in another thread... Watt would still be a beast as a 4-3 OLB.

 

https://steelersdepot.com/2025/09/film-room-one-play-sums-up-pittsburghs-defensive-woes/

That looks a lot like Queen failed to finish the play, and Wilson got caught in no man's land between the QB and his coverage responsibility on the TE. Honestly, if Queen puts Darnold on the ground there, we aren't talking about the defense today. We are talking about how the Steelers gritted out another win.

Seems like execution rather than coaching? Or am I missing something?

 

Same problems as in years past... OL can't run block or pass protect. DL can't hold up in the trenches.....ILB's are overwhelmed no matter who we plug and play.

Rinse and repeat.

 

What is so magical about a 4-3 that changes anything? There are base 4-3 teams getting run over every week in the NFL. The seemingly best defense in the league this season based on early returns (Packers) is running a 3-4.

Also, does your argument not basically require this new 4-3 defense to have incredible star players (DEs instead of OLBs) to make it work? Isn't this the big knock on the current Steelers defense?

I am new to posting here and could be bringing in points of view from other places that are not active here - so apologies -- but this seems like the same circular and logically inconsistent argument that the Steelers fan internet has been trotting out since the late 1990s.

 

It was a big play,no doubt but the steelers were also awful in the other 3rd down and long in this game

 

Name a 4-3 defense who has given up more yards than the Steelers on the ground in weeks 1-2.

 

Yeah, I don’t really get this current defense, they want quicker rushing DT’s…I wouldn’t be surprised if they had asked Benton to drop weight to get faster… Might be why he is getting pushed around. You give something up in the run game?

NT might be an extinct position, but we need an anchor on that line.

 

Buffalo Bills - 39 more yards
Chicago Bears - 2 less yards

 

OK... you got me on the Bills, but didn't the Bills have to defend LJ and Henry? Sorry... but the Jets and Seahawks RBs aren't nearly as good.

 

Ok. So it is a quality of opponent thing not a scheme thing?

 

Weird so man coverage isn't a magical answer? I thought that was the key to everything based on Steelers fan 2024 arguments.

Also, Ledyard may want to consider that they Steelers were playing back-up CBs and were down to a third safety that had like one practice and walkthrough. Hard to do a lot of complex stuff when most of the secondary is still learning each other's names.

Additionally, and this is where I DO put blame on the coaches, this kind of early season "vanilla" is what happens when you do NOT play your starting defense together for more than a handful of snaps. It is the way of the modern NFL. Put everyone in bubble wrap until the regular season. But then the first month is what preseason used to be.

If they are still doing this in Week 5 or 6....then it will be a real concern.

 

Reasonable explanation. Do you have one for the last month of last season? Cause it sure looked the same porous secondary.

 

Yeah. Most of those guys stunk and several are no longer playing significant snaps anywhere in the NFL.

Cam Sutton is not on anyone's roster. Hard to do in a league desperate for viable DBs.
Beanie Bishop is nailed to the bench - where he belongs.
Admittedly Donte Jackson is finally healthy and is playing well for the Chargers so far in 2025. Jackson has given multiple interviews discussing how he struggled to physically move properly much less play CB at a high level for large stretches of his season with the Steelers.
Rumored that Fitzpatrick got shipped out because he couldn't play well with others and follow his assignment. Is that true? We will never know.

But, overall, it is just about a totally different group of dudes in 2025 than in 2024. They also seem to be playing different coverage responsibilities than they did in 2024. I know that Beanie Bishop wouldn't have been asked to follow the slot WR 40 yards downfield.

Results might be similar but the players and methods are different.

 

Vince Williams would have blown that up.