Two-year extension for Jaylen Warren

I think we maybe talked about this before.

The D was bad at getting off the field "normally".

But they generated lots of turnovers.

So when they got turnovers (especially more than one), my guess is that we mostly won.

But when they didn't get turnovers, my guess is that we mostly lost because they weren't good at stopping teams on 3rd. Both when compared to the rest of the league. And when compared to last year.

So my guess is that the D was a big part of a bunch of the wins.

And also a bunch of the losses.

I also think if you look at raw stats (instead of rates), you'd expect us to look good. We averaged 65.4 plays against per game. This was 2nd worst in the league (Indy @ 65.5). But that 0.1 plays per game is basically 2 plays across the season. Median plays per game was ~ 61.7. SO our defense played 63 more snaps across the season vs. the average team. Which is a little more than an average game.
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-plays-per-game

It is still impressive that we were still essentially average in points allowed given all the plays the D spent on the field IMO.

 

On the advice of my legal council I have nothing further to say on this subject

 

Now think of how much longer they would have spent on the field without the turnovers.

 

Actually what I just thought is it’s not hard to tell when you break for lunch

I logged on and had 12 alerts between 1:36 and 2:16 and most of them came from you

 

Yep.

If they were bad at generating turnovers in addition to bad at stopping teams get yards (on 3rd down in particular), it would have been much worse.

And last year was still a team that was supposed to lead through defense. I get that the D was probably tired from carrying the O for the previous 5 years or whatever...but I don't think they were necessarily the better unit last year.

Being bad at drafting (particularly on the offensive side of the ball) has really put the Steelers in a bind IMO. Because now we're not above average on either side of the ball IMO. Hopefully some fresh systems change that up.

 

I would say if you can only think of one game that the Steelers won that didn't involve the Defense doing the most for wins those games, then they were leading the team.
Only the Jets game is the only game I can think of out of the 10 wins that the Offense was the main reason.
Hell they were 5th in sacks, and only one sack away from being 4th.
They were also 4th in turnovers.
They were like 17th in points allowed. That was their downfall. Only 3 things really matter on D in today's game.
Points allowed: We were 17th.
Sacks: we were 5th, and only one sack from 4th.
Turnovers: We were 4th.

 

LoL. It's different every day, because I don't have a certain time. It when I get done with enough for Lunch. LoL

 

If I wanted to stir things up, I would point to the Steelers signing Dowdle, who will likely get more touches on first and second down than Warren in the upcoming season.

Oh wait. I just did.

 

Or that they drafted another RB. LoL

 

I can't really go there. I have repeatedly written that I don't think Heidenreich will be a running back in the pros. I think he will be a receiver who occasionally lines up in the backfield.

I did bring it up last year with Johnson. One of the downfalls of letting Harris go was that they had to spend a third-round pick on a back instead of addressing other needs.

 

Is there a point to this

 

I would tell you to look up, but it already sailed right on by.

 

Let me repeat

 

Steelers loss

 

I think the defense on 3rd down is an important stat. Pittsburgh Steelers' defense ranked 26th in the NFL for third-down conversion percentage allowed. They were also ranked 20th for rushing yards allowed per game. They were ranked 18th for yards per carry allowed at 4.3 YPC. Among other things, the Steelers did have a good red zone defense, but unfortunately they allowed teams in the red zone slightly more than the NFL average. The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense struggled significantly with allowing big plays, finishing near the bottom of the league in several explosive-play categories. The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense allowed a total of 73 plays of 20 or more yards(25th in NFL).

They did well in sacks, but were in the middle of the league in hurries.

While the Steelers were not the worst defense last season, they do have a lot of room for improvement. That being said, the Steelers' defense didn't get much help from their offense. It was in the middle of the NFL for points scored. The team was the epitome of mediocrity: a Tomlin staple.

 

I think it will be interesting to see the usage.

Before the draft, I thought the plan would be to get them both something like 200 - 250 touches.

But after drafting some interesting gadget type guys...maybe it's a little less?

Hoping we can flip Johnson if everyone stays healthy in camp / preseason. I just don't think there will be any opportunity to see if he can play (again).