Defense still among the best

Unfortunately, the Steelers needed a signature game from their defense and got nothing. On their first possession of the game the Ravens drove right down the field and scored a touchdown placing the Steelers in an immediate hole. Time and again the Steelers secondary appeared to be in position to intercept, or at least knock down, the pass and somehow failed to locate or otherwise see the ball resulting in big Ravens gains. Tackling in the secondary appeared to be optional for most of the game especially when Rice had the ball. I am not sure why any team ever punts against the Steelers as third and fourth down conversions are almost automatic no matter how many yards are needed. It is actually a relief when the other team sends its punt team out onto the field. For example, it was a foregone conclusion that Baltimore was going to get the first down late in the game when Harbaugh first sent his punt team on the field and then came to his senses and went for it. As a famous American General once said, "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics." NFL statistics may say that the Steelers have the 3rd best defense in the league, but unfortunately the  eye test says otherwise.

It is true that the defense has yielded conspicuous 4th quarter scoring drives in four different games, this season. In the other seven games, they've mostly been lights out. The Steeler D that snuffed out the Brett Farve show, or derailed the Broncos undefeated streak, can carry us to February. They just need to show up.

As for the most recent disappointment, only allowing two field goals from the second half onwards is ordinarily not a crime. But since we were gouged in the first half for two TD's, the damage was already done. But one thing the naysaying nincompoops overlook is that the Steelers have been blindsided again and again by injuries, this year. Darnell Stapleton was supposed to be a starter. And Aaron Smith WAS a starter. Neither of them are returning. But Ben should be rounding into to shape either by next week, or the following. Hopefully Troy will be following. LaMarr Woodley looks to be finally back on track after two bad ankle injuries. Ryan Clark wasn't injured, but has been in a funk since missing the Denver game. Look for him to resume his stellar play from earlier in the season. Look for Chris Kemoeatu to also return mid-December. Though no longer starting, Willie Parker has regained his zip and stands by the ready.  Folks, if the Steelers can just start playing on the same page, they remain a very talented and formidable team. And a team that could end up peaking at just the right time. Rose colored glasses, you ask? Nah. I've seen the movie for the last two Steeler SB runs. The scripts look quite familiar.

Bob, glad you are seeing the same thing I'm seeing with William Gay. That guy is really hurting us. He is small and can't tackle anyone, which could be forgiven if he could actually cover people. Sadly, he's toast-tastic.

You also mentioned Arians...wow. Whether you call specifically designed runs or not, tell Dixon to run! In the 2nd half, it was obvious that he was not capable of completing a pass. Even in the first half, he completed only (approx.) two passes down the field (the others were WR screens mostly).

People don't realize what a good position Arians is in to succeed. Mendenhall is running very well. He has a group of veteran receivers plus Mike Wallace to stretch the D (and is much better than Nate W. already), he has Ben, and the O-line is even playing well. He has still managed to lead an average attack. I'm not sure how.

I don't think that Dick Lebeau's defensive schemes are outdated or figured out.  I think the problem is that his defensive schemes do not work well when you have a poor secondary. When he has a decent secondary playing, his defense comes to life and shuts down the opposing offense.  

Well researched Bob and it points out what I believe is the real reason for the decline of the Steelers to date this season - the inability of the offense to score enough points.

Yes, they've provided a lead in many games this season, but it's often in  a come from behind position and/or those points ahead are not more than a field goal or a touchdown's worth.

Where's the two touchdown leads they SHOULD be putting up?  We should be cruising with ten and twenty point leads by the 4th quarter?

There's nothing basically wrong with the Steeler defense nor Dick LeBeau.  It's the running game and the offensive line.

Bob.  Can't argue that the Steelers need to score more points. I think a lot of the problem in that regard is always trying for the home run pass.  I saw Drew  Brees make a lot a yards last night on short passes to his back field.  I think a better mix of plays would help the Steelers score more points. Keep Mendenhall in the mix as often as possible. Mendenhall is becoming the second best offensive player we have behind Ben. Lets run HIM until the wheels fall off.

Blaming any defensive woes on Dick LaBeau would be ludicrous. They would probably be playing much worse if he wasn't there. The front seven is more than holding their own without Aaron Smith although Farrior really needs help on receivers out of the backfield.

I think safety Tyrone Carter is playing pretty good considering he is not even a starter.  As far as the other three Taylor, Clark, and especially Gay; none are performing at expected Steeler standards. They can't make a turnover.  They don't challenge receivers well. Now they are starting to miss strait on tackles like Gay did with Ray Rice.

I would probably keep Taylor on the field. I would start DeShea over Gay, and I would alternate Clark and Mundy.  Maybe he or DeShea could get an occasional pick.  Barring that Rod Woodson looks pretty good on the NFL network.  Has anyone made a call?

This morning's Post-Gazette is reporting a statement of unleashed fury in December. Well if I'm an opposing O Coordinator I have one order when the fury strikes. Find out where 22 is and throw it there. Sorry to say that but the opposition is playing that card like Mozart. So until a change is made at corner I see business as usual.

Cowher once had the moxy to bench Taylor (wrongly in my opinion) Well will Tomlin change something in this secondary?

Note that the top-rated 3 offenses are doing much better thus far this year than the 3 top-rated defenses  ..  although that often changes come playoff time. Playoffs!  

But no matter where they are ranked, the number of wins is the ultimate stat ...and if the special teams are faiiing, if the offense isn't putting enought poijts on the board, or if the defense can make the big stop on the key drive ... it really doesn't matter if thedefnse is ranked 1st, 3rd or 26th.

Headline should have read:

Defense still good unless it has a 4th quarter lead to hold........

Lebeau is not at fault at all.

Our D-backs stink w/o Troy to cover their weaknesses

Season is still not lost though

Bernie Madoff must be doing NFL statistics because this is not the number 1 defense at this time. Also, I'm not sure William Gay should play for Pitt let alone the Steelers

Good post Bob.  I'd like to see where the Steelers rank as a defense in the 4th quarter.  My guess is, not too high.  Even in the wins, the 4th quarter has been an adventure.  The Chargers blowout through 3 quarters comes to mind.

JL, you got a serious case of Chuck Tanner syndrome.  I remember him assuring Pirate fans that George Hendrick, Sixto Lezcano and Steve Kemp would be fine and break out of their season long slumps because they were proven veterans with a track record.

Every team has injuries.  It's the NFL, every team has close games.  At some point you have to admit that you are what your record says you are.

If the key to the season rests on Troy's return, then we need to change the locks because that key ain't working.  If and when he does return, he's given no indication that he can remain healthy.

Sorry, Bob.....this defense has been a PAPER TIGER in the 4th Quarter, where NFL games are won or lost.    It's right there, in black and white, to examine, but you have to look beyond the macro level stats and into micro level information & data.

And when a poster claims "It is true that the defense has yielded conspicuous 4th quarter scoring drives in four different games, this season. In the other seven games, they've mostly been lights out,"  nothing could be further from the truth.  This defense has been FAR from "lights out" in most games this season.

Let's examine EVERY game this season --

Titans:  This "vaunted" defense allowed Tenn to go 71 yards on only 3 plays in 34 seconds at the end of the 1H for a TOUCHDOWN.   There were only 75 seconds on the clock when this TD drive began, so ya knew the Titans wouldn’t be plunging the ball.   Although not a 4th quarter drive, the last minute of the 1H are virtually identical, defensively, as the last min. of the 2H.

Bears:  Facing a QB who'd thrown 4 INTs the week prior, the defense got carved up all day.   They gave up a 97 yard drive in the final minutes of the 1st half, with the TD coming at 0:23 of the 2Q.   (Notice a trend here, anyone?)  Then there was the easy 9-play TD match in the 4Q to tie the game.  And the winning FG march, which Dick's defensesoftly allowed the Bears to crisply march 41 yards in 7 plays.  

Bengals:  Defense gave up a 7-play, 49 yard FG drive LATE in the 2nd qtr (notice a trend here, anyone), with the FG at 0:03.   Then in the 4Q, with the Steelers LEADING, the D allowed a 6 play, 85 yard drive, followed by a marathon 16 play, 71 yard drive with the TD coming at 0:18.   (notice a trend here, anyone?)

Chargers:  for once, no scores given up late in the 1H.   The D, armed with a comfy lead, did give up 2 TD drives in the 4Q, 4 plays, 67 yards and 3 plays, 54 yards.    (Neither drive was of the "gimme" variety, ie, starting on the Steeler 15 yard line after a turnover).

Lions - this was the game that told us all we needed to know about THIS year's defense.  The Stillers had a 15-point lead in the 4Q.  The Lions had to abandon the running game.  Still, the D got  carved & riddled in the 4Q for a long 82-yard TD march and another late march that came up just short, advancing as far as the PIT 21 LATE in regulation in an EIGHT point ballgame.  

The riddlings on 3d & long reached epic proportions in this game.   Detroit, as lowly an offense as can be found in the NFL, managed this on 3d & long --

   - 3d & 11   --  32 yard QB run

  - 3d & 11   -- 16 yard screen pass

  - 3d & 15   -- 19 yard seamer to Pettigrew (covered by Farrior, "Mr. Liability" in 3d & obvious passing downs)

  - 3d & 19   --  22 yards to Northcutt

Clev:   Facing the JUNIOR VARSITY offense of Clev, the Steeler defense played well enough.  Hooray !!   The Steeler D was able to contain the high octane Clev. offense!!     Hip hip hooray !!

Vikes:  Facing a genuine, QUALITY, healthy NFL offense for the 1st time all season, the defense got carved and riddled the ENTIRE game.    Yes, they did.     Late in the 3Q, they allowed a 13-play, 64 yard FG drive.   In the 4Q, the defense couldn't have stopped Keystone Oaks High School.    The Vikes went on an 18 (EIGHTEEN) play drive, starting at their OWN THREE, and scored a TOUDHDOWN that was nullified by a bizarre "tripping" call that wouldn't have been called 999 times out of 1000 by any rational referee employed by the NFL.   Woodley ended this drive a few plays after the nullified TD with a TD of his own, but this was a HORRENDOUS 4Q defense that got pushed from the Vike goal line to the Steeler goal line, including a 3d & 18 conversion.    The Vikes weren't done, however.  With the Steelers leading by 3, the Vikes marched right down the field late in the 4Q (trend, anyone?), starting at their own 26 and getting to the PIT 19 for the easy chippie tying FG.   The play in which Fox got the INT was no clever defense at all; a simple screen pass CLANGED off the hands of a veteran RB and into the lap of Fox.   I would hardly adulate over the defense over ANYTHING that occurred in this horrific 4Q, and I was THERE at this game.

Bye week:  Tomlin gave the entire team (except rookies) the WEEK OFF for a free vacation.  Gee, what a great idea !!

Broncos:  a solid D effort against a joke of an NFL passing offense "led" by QB Kyle Orton.   The Doncos started off 6-0 -- aided by a softee schedule -- and then hit reality and went down the tubes with a losing streak.    Hip hip hooray !!    Forget the '85 Bears.....this defense is the BEST EVER !!   They shut down the vaunted Bronco offense and Kyle Orton !!  

Bengals 2:  Again armed with a 4Q LEAD, the defense faltered badly (trend, anyone??), giving up a 9 play, 50 yd. FG drive, and then an 11 play, 54 yard march that won the game.  

KC:  AGAIN armed with a 4Q LEAD, the D gave up an 8 play, 91 yard TD drive that tied the game LATE, and then a 5 play, 76 yard FG drive that WON the game for KC in OT.  (trend, anyone??)  

Ravens: For those with short memory, the steelers had a 4Q LEAD, but then gave up a long 10 play, 84 yard FG drive that tied the game with 1:56 remaining.  (trend, anyone??)  

So, alas, if one is willing to STUDY the facts and spend the energy to go beyond the 10-second look at the "team defense" rankings in the local newspaper, one will see that this veteran, experienced, deep defense has been an abject failure this season.   There are Def. Coordinators all over the league who would literally sever an arm, or a hand, to have the kind of EXPERIENCE, talent, and depth this defense has.    The defense has vastly under-performed, especially in clutch situations late in the 1st half and late in the 2nd half, and at least a modicum of blame MUST be placed on the Def. Coordinator.  

(Thank you for confirming much of what I wrote:

 [ ``it’s an inability to defend against the pass at crucial points in the game that’s making this group infamous. The Steelers have surrendered fourth-quarter leads four times this season and the pass has mostly been their undoing.''] 

--- Bob Smizik)

Good Recap SteelVa ...We can all chat ad naseum about the Defense's woes this season, but the facts are:

This team is 6-5 with a good chance of making the playoffs.

The defense has played most of the season without #43, and yes, all teams deal with injuries and good teams overcome them, BUT you are talking about possibly the best defensive player in the league.

It still remains to be seen (5 more games to go) if this team will overcome the loss of #43.  

If i was a betting man, I would bet that they do and make the playoffs.  I only hope #43 gets healthy for the final three games.  

With #43, anything is possible for this team in the playoffs.

Don't shoot the messenger on this one:

has anyone other than me thoght that maybe, just maybe Troy Polamolu may be a drag and liablilty on this Steeler defense? As great(and I mean really GREAT,) as he is, his is not a body type that holds up to NFL punishment thorughout a season. Polamolu is a player that seeks out to punish his opponents. Problem is that during most of the season he is the one who ends up being injured and this punishes the entire team.

The Steeler's may have to re-think their defensive secondary come off season and start building from scratch as Polamolu doesn't seem to be a very durable player. (Maybe they'll have to use him in special instances-----i.e., not an every down player or he may retire very soon.) One thing is for certain, not being able to count on Troy has dragged this defensive unit down. Continuity is a must in any team oriented sport.

Not only are Ike Taylor and William Gay just plain BAD at their positions, they also seem to have forgotten how to tackle. An off season overhaul is in order.

Think that is a way off base Chilco.  

43 was hurt on a strange play, not trying to inflict "punishiment" on someone.  

I am not a doctor, but I can't help but believe his two injuries to the same knee this season are related.  Probably needs an off season to heal completely, but I hope that he can make it back play out the season this year.

An overahaul??.... I hope not, its not like there are dependable, NFL ready cornerbacks sitting around waiting to be signed.  Every team is looking for cornerbacks, all the time....

Its a tough position - one bad play/mistake and everyone is blaming you for the loss.  You don't get noticed on the other 65 plays a game where you covered your reciever, made the tackle, etc.

Steelva, that was sublime.

Chilco, I see you working and I get your point.  A lot of people compare Troy with Ed Reed, but the better comparison is really Bob Sanders of the Colts.  Reed is more of a ballhawk.  The Ravens don't really ask him to blow up plays and blitz or run blitz like Troy does.   Sanders and Troy play a very similar game from the offensive backfield to defending the Go route.  They fling their bodies into people. rack up big hits, tackles for loss and create momentum changing splash plays on defense.  They play a high risk high reward type of defense.  Unfortunately the risk that goes along with that is to their own health as much if not more than it is to their opponents.

The year the Colts won the Super Bowl, Sanders was hurt much of the season and the Colts had one of the worst if not  the worst run defense in the regular season.  He got healthy for the playoffs and suddenly the Colts run defense was vastly improved as was the pass defense.

Many people point out that the Steelers have won 2 Super Bowls since Ben became the starter.  That's true.  But you could state the same thing about Troy as well. There is no discounting how important this guy is to this team. He became a starter in 2004.  In 2004, 2005 and 2008 he started all 16 games.  The Steelers are 38-10 in those 48 starts and 9-1 in the post season with 2 Super Bowls and an AFC Championship game appearance.  In 2006 he missed 3 games and was hampered in several others (remember Todd Heap beating him like a drum at Heinz Field?), in 2007 he missed 5 games.  Steelers finished 8-8 in 2006 and limped home to 10-6 and a first round playoff loss in 2007.  This year he's missed 6 games and the Steelers are 6-5.

It would be difficult to find another non quarterback who has such a direct impact on his team's record.

just maybe Troy Polamolu may be a drag and liablilty on this Steeler defense?

------------

We are all now dumber for having read this comment :-)

#21 -  

Agreed - I always knew #43 was great, one of the best in the league, but I had no idea how important he was to this defense.  

When healthy, 43 blows up at 3 plays a game - either a pick, sack, tackle for a loss, etc, etc

Bob, please put your comments in bold type again. I almost missed the last one.

Done

as i've been saying, thsi team is just not that good. they have repeatedly demonstrated that they are not a real top level contender and the very best they could hope for is slipping into the playoffs. thinking they can run the table in the last five games is hopelessly optimistic based on there performance to date. forget the stats, the defense sucks. they can't make an important stop and haven't all year. gay is not the only problem but he is so far over his head that he can't see the surface. maybe ben will be back next week but if his playing style doesn't change, he doesn't have a lot of years left in the nfl.

So Cal...

By your standards, you are saying that no NFL team is a contender (except NO and MINN).

Just this weekend, I watched several teams in situations similar to the Steelers get torched.  

JAX - crushed by SF

MIA - crushed by Buff

NE - torched last night

IND - had to make a comeback vs houston

NYG - crushed by DEN

BAL, CIN, ATL - won in close games.

Its the NFL every week is a tough game, so to say the Steelers are "just not that good" is a title you can apply to 30 of the 32 teams

It was not only the defense that lost the game on Sunday night. The Steelers took additional gambles and did more zone blitzes than usual. This paid off in sacks, but left receivers one on one. However, it was inexcusable that Arians did not run Dixen more. Especially, late in the game and in overtime. It was proven to work on the touchdown play and they should have at least tried it a few more times. Also, what about the play calling on the final Steeler drive to end regulation. With a little over a minute to go, they do not run the ball and allow the Ravens enough time to go the length of the field. Remember the play where the d-back almost intercepted the pass out in the flat. Bad play calling. When you have a good running QB, take advantage of this strength and run some QB draws, roll-outs, etc..

Seems that everyone wants to place the blame for the 5 losses this season on either the D or the O.  

Not that simple...  You can't expect the Defense to shut every team down every week, nor can you expect the Offense to outscore each team every week.

Bottom line, this team has lost 5 games this season.  The defense has given up points (and leads) in each loss (i think, going to look that up) in the 4th quarter....

But, the offense has also left points on the field in each loss.  

Its a little of both.

Bottom line the D this year is not up to Steelers standards.

To few sacks, to few turnovers, they've given up to many big plays, and blown to many leads.

(I believe I said that.  --- Bob Smizik)

Have had the lead in the 4th quarter in four of the five losses.

Tied in the 4th quarter with CIN in the 2nd cincy game

Bob:

When the Steelers went up 17-14 against Balt., I would have gone to an elephant backfield comprised of Redman (assuming he was on the roster, Carey Davis and Mendenhall, and eschewed the pass.  This would have eaten up clock, and in the absence of turnovers would have left what you think is still a great defense to hold on for the win.

The Steelers will most likely end up 8-8, after victories over Oakland and Cleveland, and losses to GB, Miami and Baltimore.  Their best strategy at this point would be to rest 43 and Big Ben for the entirety of the season, let them get well, and play some of the back ups.  That way they will actually have some depth at the positions, and will be able to evaluate the players.

Snoel, Redman was not on the roster Sunday night.  Also, immediately after Dennis Dixon scored to make it 17-14, the Steelers kicked off.  On that drive, the Ravens scored the FG which tied the game.  There was no opportunity to go to an "elephant backfield" to run down the time on the clock with a 17-14 lead.

Jilted, I don't even know of a high school team which would employ the tactic which you suggest at this point in the season.

So Steelva is making stuff up again, plus still obsessing about me and my posts. Just look at all the verbiage he spews in his effort to claim " nothing could be further from the truth" about one measly line I typed. To not waste everybody's time, I'll point out just a few of his mischaracterizations:

"The defense allowed Tenn to go 71 yards on only 3 plays in 34 seconds at the end of the 1H for a TOUCHDOWN." So what?. What counts is that  it was the ONLY touchdown they allowed in the entire game. Doesn't matter if the drive took 10 minutes or one minute: you have no point. Only 1 TD!

"Bengals:  Defense gave up a 7-play, 49 yard FG drive LATE in the 2nd qtr." Blah, blah, blah.  It's a field goal, Bub. And this one wasn't in the closing minutes with the game on the line. So now Carson Palmer and his offense aren't even allowed to get a field goal during the course of the game? Surrrrre...

"The defense got carved and riddled the ENTIRE (Minnesota) game.  Yes, they did."  Fact Alert!: The Steeler D only allowed ten points scored "the ENTIRE GAME." And they themselves, outscored the Viking offense. Dick LeBeau famously sets out to limit the opponent's big plays and to hold them to 17 points or less. Do you not know the concept "bend, not break?" Minnesota game:  mission accomplished.

Fact Alert: Though Mr. Madden NFL Player here ridicules it, the Steeler D did, in fact, shut down Denver, holding them to THREE points. That Denver would go on to lose two more games is irrelevant and not the Steelers fault. Denver had already been good enough to beat Cinci, Dallas, New England and San Diego.

Ditto, the ridicule for the Cleveland game.

Basically, if a coach, or a player, Bob Smizik, or I, myself, don't operate with 100% perfection, Steelva thinks he's onto something, and becomes apoplectic with his incessant ALL-CAPS, exclamation points, and poor English (eg. "riddling," "diatribe").

Back to my original post and main point: there are wild swings in the game the Steeler D brings each week. But they are, in fact, capable of taking us all the way to the big game in February.

Jilted -

Give up much?

Are you serious?  

Tomlin to Rooney & Steeler Nation: "If its ok with you all, we're going to bag the rest of the season.  I know we are tied for the final playoff spot with 5 to go, but I think its best if we give up now."  

What Tomlin really said Sunday night:

" 'We will unleash hell here in December"

Thats why we are steeler fans.

Give up?  Please, go root for Cleveland

JayroB,

Good points about how it was that Polamalu actually was injured, and also "every team is looking for cornerbacks, all the time...."

Big Bill,

Don't you think the coaches know exactly how well Dixon runs? They did call that designed run for the TD dash, after all. But what happens if we run Dixon around willy-nilly, and he gets injured too?

JL -

The logic on this board astounds me...

IDefense stinks cause they give up points.

OC stinks cause he doesn't run ever play.

Overhaul the secondary, including 43

Release Gay in his first season as a starter

fire special team coaches mid-season

And the best one yet -

Give up on the season now

JayRoB,

Yes, the "give up on the season now" one takes the cake. I don't even bother, anymore, joining in on the live blog during games, over on the BLOG n GOLD, because the world is always coming to an end, and every Steeler player and coach is the absolute worst. Unfortunately, we get a lot of that childishness over here, too. Keep up the good fight, JayRob. You're posts are a breath of fresh air.

Bob;  I think just about everyone on here sees the pass defense liability. Question is what are the options and will Tomlin do anything other than continue o stick Willie Gay out there?

I s there any talk about at all about benching him? We all want Troy back but without him in there I for one don't see Oakland or Cleveland as sure victories.

Always been curious about something:

If given the opportunity to attend game planning meetings, read the steeler play book, read the chart the coordinators have on the sidelines, etc, etc.

Do you think you would understand any of it?

I doubt if i would.  

I have watched the steelers all my life, think I know the game as much as the average guy, but I bet I could not understand a word of the playbook or game plan.  

Anyone else?

NAVY -

Bench Gay for who?  

Obviously, he is the best they have based on games and practices or else they would make a change.  

Now, if the recently signed Corey Ivy is still on the roster and shows the coaches something in practice then maybe, but at this point -

Don't you think the coaching staff is putting the best 11 players available to them on the field?

Hmmm….let’s see Defense has been without their best player against pass i.e.Troy Polamalu and their best player against rush i.e. Aaron Smith for the most part. They’re an aging group and will most likely go into rebuilding within a couple of years. But what’s the excuse for the offense? Young O Line, Young QB, Some good young receivers (2 Super Bowl MVPs), a good TE, an emerging running back Mendenhall who is complimented by speedy Parker and third down specialist Moore?

Anybody out there sick of seeing Steeler DB's play off the line 10-12 yards? Not one has ever jumped a route and a good QB will take the 5-8 yards they give them every down. Tihat is usualkly a sign that the safetys are not too reliable and LB coverage poor. We can NOT possibly be ranked that high in D, can we? What game are we watching??

Mr. Smizik, I love your optimism, but I side with those commentors who think you're wearing rose colored glasses regarding the Steelers defensive problems.  Polamolu's absence certainly hurts, but his return will not solve the many and obvious deficiencies.  Neither Gay nor Taylor would start for most playoff quality teams.  The defensive line is old and porous.  The LBs, especially Farrior, are slow in short coverage.  Our open field tackling is atrocious.  Our rushing defense statistics are misleadingly good because opponents find it even easier to pass against us.  Our passing TDs allowed is good because teams can now run it into the end zone against our defensive line.  LeBeau simply lacks the talent to make his rushing or pass coverage schemes work consistently; give the guy credit: he's had to make do with smoke and mirrors on defense this year.  In fact, these problems began to surface late last year.  And there is no quick fix.  The old reliable defense that used to bail out our mistakes on offense and special teams is gone, exposing the underlying flaws in all three units.  Do we give up on the season?  Of course not.  The Steelers could still struggle to a 9-7 record; they may even make the playoffs this year.  But this is no longer a Super Bowl caliber team.  With the loss of so many key veterans at the end of this year on both sides of the ball, the need to upgrade both lines,  questions about the salary cap (if any) under the new labor agreement, and Ben's susceptibility to concussion, it will realistically take at least two years, maybe three, before the Steelers become a serious contender again.  Our 6-5 record (.545) accurately reflects the quality of play to date, and it won't get better any time soon.  That's reality.

(You downgraded just about the entire defense. How do you account for the fact the ``old and porout'' defensive line leads a unit that's No. 1 against the rush? How do you account for the fact they've given up fewer touchdowns than any defense in the NFL?  I said the defense has its shortcomings. But it does not have the long list that you maintain.  --  Bob Smizik)

JayRob,

Not only would I, and probably everybody else, flunk your test, but all the big talkers here would wet their pants if suddenly thrust into a live game, where the opponents' every last individual plan and action is a coordinated effort *against you,* to *destroy you.* Not to mention that we'd only have 5 to 10 seconds to decipher all the cacophony of various signals whizzing about, before having to make a decision. Then, shorten this decision-making time by a hundred times, and you have what the players themselves, must do live.

SteelBlitz56 quite aptly labeled the know-it-alls we're dealing with as Madden NFL players who know exactly how to run a team! I've appropriated his term. And I'll add to it this occasional observation I also make: some posters are only about getting attention for themselves and telling the world how smart they think they are. They Steelers are merely the platform they use. But they need dragons to slay in order to demonstrate their heroism. So Bruce Arians, Dick LeBeau, James Farrior, etc., etc., all have to become evil dragons, in order to validate these "heroes."

the stats don't lie - this is a highly rated defense statistically speaking.  

It has given up some big plays on 3rd and 4th down this season at keys moments - which, I think is why so many fans are questioning the defense's performance this year.  

Good statistically, had a few big plays go against them so far this year.

jayroB--I've never been a fan of Cleveland, but if you look at the numbers even the Browns *could* still make the play offs if they win the rest of their games and get some breaks.  When you say that the logic astounds you, I would simplify it to say that this year the Steelers just aren't getting the job done, on all 3 sides (Offense, defense, special teams). Statistically, offense and defense perform well.  Special teams is just bad, with Reed's two missed field goals in Chicago and all of the kick offs returned for touchdowns.  The offense can't get it done--look at the KC game--the Steelers dominated time of possession and yards gained, but they can't score any points.  They give up critical turnovers which are returned for touchdowns.  They settle for field goals far too often (remember both Cincinnati games).  Then, after the Steelers score 3 points, they kick off and the other team runs it back for 6.  So each time the Steelers score it's really a negative 3.  The defense is statistically ok, but they can't stop critical drives and they collapse in the fourth quarter.  Baltimore's average offense was able to turn a 3d and 18 into a 4th and 5. Not only did they convert the 4th down, but they went for 50 yards.  The Steelers were lucky to hold them to a FG and still have a chance.  It's not really logic, it seems more like motivation.  And no matter what, they should consider themselves fortunate if they finish 8-8.

Bennett8111,

Like it or not, that's how LeBeau wants his defense played. He trades the shorter stuff so that the "big play" is not given up. Mostly, we don't give up the 60 yard bombs. Teams are limited to dinks and dunks. Of course, if a short pass to the running back becomes a 44 yard gain, the end result is the same. Gotta make those tackles.

But that's LeBeau's stated theory. As Bob Smizik oft writes however, the players have to "execute" it.

Jilted -

First, Cleveland has been eliminated - 5 games back, with 5 to go.  They need PGH, BAL and JAX to lose every game, as they win every game.  And since BAL plays PGH - one of them will win at least one game.  

Second - show me anyone that agrees with you that the Steelers should can the rest of the season to rest 43, 7 and evaluate players.  

Do you remember 2005?

So JL is making up stuff again and rationalizing away FACTS.  No surprise there whatsoever.

He himself clearly and explicitly WROTE:  "In the other seven games, they've mostly been lights out" .   I debunked this baloney with FACTS, yet the bozo (his iavatar) insists on quibbling over FACTS.  

says JL --

"The defense allowed Tenn to go 71 yards on only 3 plays in 34 seconds at the end of the 1H for a TOUCHDOWN." So what?. What counts is that  it was the ONLY touchdown they allowed in the entire game."   ha ha !!    What feeble rationalization!!    The point and FACT was, there were 75  SECONDS remaining in the half, and this "vaunted" defense allowed a weak passing offense to march SEVENTY FIVE yards in THREE plays for a critical TOUCHDOWN.    That is BAD defense, and it's happened (late scores at the end of the 2Q or 4Q) in almost every game this year.  

"Bengals:  Defense gave up a 7-play, 49 yard FG drive LATE in the 2nd qtr."    Says THE EXPERT, JL -- "Blah, blah, blah.  It's a field goal, Bub. And this one wasn't in the closing minutes with the game on the line."   No, it was in the CLOSING MINUTE of the 1st half of a TIGHT game against a division rival.    The TREND is there --  soft, mindless defense at the end of the half.  

Says JL, "Fact Alert!: The Steeler D only allowed ten points scored "the ENTIRE GAME."    Uh, no they did not.   They allowed ANOTHER SEVEN points in the FOURTH quarter, but 7 points were taken off the board by a ref who saw a PHANTOM "tripping" call on a play that resulted in a TOUCHDOWN.   The "trip" never occured, and worse, it had NOTHING to do with the actual SCORE.    Furthermore, there was the long, lenghty game-tying drive that was stopped at the Steeler 21 ONLY by Viking bumbling; it had absolutely nothing to do with LeBeau or the scheme.   This was a disgraceful display of 4th qtr. defense, and hardly something to be proud of......unless one is totally ignorant on football.    Of course, ya can't try to use logic and facts when discussing with an ignoramus, as it does not compute.

Of course, don't take my word for it.  READ Gene Collier's brilliant article in the PG, entitled, "A troubling trend besets Steelers' defense".    

By the way, a buddy of mine works in maintenance at M&T Stadium in Baltimore.  He sent me a text a short while ago.   It seems he and his crew, during their routine stadium cleanup this afternoon, found a pair of shackles sitting on the Steeler sideline.  Arians apparently left them there, after the game, when Dixon was presumably allowed to remove them.  

He's wondering where they should ship the shackles to?

Very interesting blog and also a very interesting post by SteelVa.  My thoughts on the defense are that they are very good at stopping the run, which is job #1 in the NFL, and also that they are very physical and tough. If you look around the NFL, you will see very few teams that play with the leverage, strength and intensity of the Steelers D, and this is worth a lot in many situations.  

This year's Steelers D plays great when their backs are against the end zone - look at the goal-line stand vs  the Vikings, or holding the Ravens to a field goal on their last regulation-time drive on Sunday night (thus extending the game and giving the Steelers the chance to win, even though it didn't happen).  They can play very tough at the point of attack.

But the problem seems to be when they go into a nickel or dime package with lots of field behind them.  For example, they held the Ravens on the goal-line, but they couldn't stop them on a 3rd-and-22 or a 4th-and-5 earlier in the same drive with the game on the line.  Really really disappointing....

In some sense, the D reminds me of the Steelers in the early 2000's, who played fearsomely against the run and against teams that tried to play them straight-up, but really struggled with pass-first teams and West Coast style offenses like Philly and New England.  This year's team also seems to get carved up on the underneath routes like those teams did, but I think there is more to it than that.  They are also giving up long plays down the field on a consistent basis, and almost always with Troy on the lineup.

I agree to some extent with SteelVa that this is a coaching issue - I think the scheme is not working to some extent, and opposing teams have caught on and are able to exploit mismatchs, like James Farrior against Ray Rice on the 4th-and-5.  However, it seems to me that there even bigger problems, which are shown by the games where teams go into passing-only mode (San Diego, Detroit, KC) and carve up the defense for multiple scores.  In these games, I have seen three very bad trends, all to do with the secondary:  (1) very poor ability to play the ball when it is in the air (Troy and TC being the only exceptions); (2) safeties biting on fakes and leaving deep routes open, again and again and again; and (3) very poor tackling by DBs.

I think it may be time to go to the bench and see who can play, especially regarding Willian Gay.  Joe Burnett is small, but seemed to have good ball skills in the preseason.  Can he do any worse than Gay has been doing?  What about Keenan Lewis?  I also have not seen Deshea Townsend (a great player in his day, but maybe all done?) make a play in weeks, and he is the nickel back.  I am not sure about Ryan Mundy, my sense is that he has done well when called upon, but he is hard to pick out in games sometiems (this probably means he's doing well!!).  I think they need to try something fairly drastic to get the secondary back on track.

As for Farrior, I am not sure if he is a little slower or if he is being asked to do the impossible?  I just don't see him covering Ray Rice ever, even in his prime, I think it is a bad scheme/matchup and the coahces should see that.  Timmons is much faster but is more of a straight-ahead player, and I don't think his speed necessarily translates into good coverage skills yet.

I also think that there is one person on the D who has consistently brought it the entire year, and should be recognized as this year's defensive MVP (at least so far), and that's Brett Keisel.

JL

Tom Brady will take one step drop and gain those 5-8 yards with Welker all day. He is patient and, if they try to jump the route, he will throw long. As Dr.George commented, LeBeau knows he has pus back there and Farrior is ready for pasture. I'd kill for a cover corner....

Oh, and Pllamalo is not the answer as every hard hit or int he has also means he is out of position with his wild runs through the line, Watch how many times he is in the wrong place and those will counterbalnce the good plays............hard hitter though. Sacriligeous, I know.

(Not sacrilegious but pretty much without any basis in fact. How do you account for his all-pro status if he is so out of control? How do you account for the team's No. 1-ranked defense last year if he was so awful?  Better still, if he were that bad, how did they win the Super Bowl? -- Bob Smizik

sorry, I mis-stated something - I meant to say "with Troy NOT in the lineup!"

DrGeorge: "Our passing TDs allowed is good because teams can now run it into the end zone against our defensive line."

Umm, no they can't.  According to NFL stats, the Steeler defense has allowed 3 rushing TDs vs 12 Passing TDs.

Bennett -

How did Brady/Welker/Moss do last night?  

One thing many steeler fans forget - there are two teams on the field, and both teams want to win and have talented players.

very few LB in the NFL can cover ray rice every play...Rice is going to make plays against anybody...

What team wouldn't love a cover corner?  

for that matter - 31 other teams would love to have 43, but only one can

To Retire 21:

You are quite right.  My premise was based on the assumption that the defense would have prevented a game tying Field Goal.

You can spin this all you want but the fact remains that last year's Steeler "D" gave up one 300 yard game all season long.  They gave up what, 2 or 3 plays of more than 40 yards all season long last year?

And that was against a much more difficult schedule than what this year's team is playing.  They took on top offenses almost every week last year in non divisional games.

This year the Chiefs torched them with big plays.  The Chiefs.  The freaking Chiefs.  

Steelva,

You tried the dopey "shackles" joke yesterday, too. You're the only one who thinks it's funny. Now, you wanna play "blame the refs" as if that will help you? Then also take points off the opponents score every time Troy Polamalu gets a bogus call against him, or James Harrison gets clotheslined and the ref looks the other way. And put Santonio Holme's TD back onto the scoreboard in that very game, because the call against Heath Miller was more bogus than your "PHANTOM (all caps yours, as usual)" tripping call.

I've got news for you, the calls go both ways. Don't cherry pick the ones you don't like. It's dishonest.

Now, how about answering JayRob's pop quiz about whether or not you'd know the Steelers' playbook from a matchbook?

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Retire,

I don't know to whom your last post was addressed, but you're hardly making an acute observation by pointing out that this year's D is not on par with last year's. It's sort of like your observation "every team has injuries."  Nice platitude, but everybody knows that. You may join the line at the rear.

Seriously though, I will repeat my assertion that I do believe this defense has it in them to take us to the Super Bowl again. Done deal? Of course not. Still well within the realm of possibility, though. Yeah, they've been erratic, this year. But when they bring their A-game, how many defenses are better?

Impossible to compare a defense from one season to the next, unless you enjoy comparing apples to oranges.  

These next two weeks will go along way to determining how good this year's version is - games against the #31 and #32 ranked offenses.

Defense needs to play their best these next two weeks and cannot afford another performance like KC two weeks ago.

Also, you are comparing a finished product to one that is still in progress.

@jaroB

The stats do not lie.  They best teams have the most turnovers. Our secondary  minus Troy has zero. That's  horrible.  I'd put old DeShea out there full time and move Gay into a situational player. I would also get Mundy out in coverage more. He showed good hands in the preseason.  Maybe it would not help the situation at all but at least DeShea has a track record of snagging an occasional pick. The Dallas game last year comes to mind very quickly. AT this point maybe Ivy would be an improvement. One thing is sure.  Business as usual isn't cutting it.

Navy....

First - yes, more turnovers would be great.  

Second - in your post, you mentioned two things YOU would do.  

1.  YOU would replace Gay with Deshea

2.  YOU would get Mundy into coverage more (based on him having good hands in the pre-season)

Do you not think the coaching staff has thought of these options?  Do you think you know more than them?

If so, please come back tomorrow and let us all know how practice went, since none of us are invited to watch.

You are insinuating that you know more than the coaching staff.

Please don't take this personally - it's not

I enjoy debating/chatting about the Steelers, I'm on vacation till jan. 4th and already bored to tears....Keep the debate rolling.

So the Steelers are going to "unleash hell" in December... If they can "unleash hell" why wait till December? Why not unleash it in September and secure home field for the playoffs? Or is the an expiration date on "unleashing hell" and that's only good for like 2 months so you don't want to "unleash" it early and have it peter out when you really need it?

Or is this more Coach speak? from a head coach in over his head, trying again to say the right things. Like he did in the interview to get the job...

Release the Hounds!!!

JL -

I really hope you are making that comment just to get a rise out of people.  

"In over his head"???

That head coach has a SB Ring after two seasons...

As far as an expiration date on "unleashing hell" i would argue that there is...

While NFL teams must show up and play their best week and week out - you cannot expect any team to play "must win" style of football for 16 weeks plus playoffs - you will burn out....

The best teams reach their peak in Dec/Jan...not Sept.  

We'll see over the next 5 weeks if this team has SB caliber football left in it

@jaroB

Nothing states a fan can't be right. I lobbied on here and other places for Garrette Jones this summer to come up to the Pirates. The fact that he did well when he got here didn't  mean I know more about baseball than the coaches. It just means that I made an intelligent guess. The fact is that the Steelers although limited in their options in the secondary do have a few things they can try. They could have DeShea possibly giving up long pass receptions or have Willie Gay continue to give up long pass receptions. But at least try something to stop the bleeding. Not that a coaching staff could ever get hard headed about making changes. They always do the right thing. That's why James Harrison got cut how many times?

I'm not just saying that to get a rise out of people.  I have serious doubts about this coaching staff, and wonder if the Superbowl is more of what coaching was left over from Bill Cowher, than what this staff has brought to the table.

Navy - good points - coaches do make mistakes and can be hard headed with things at times...

Harrison was cut so many times, becuase he had a reputation early in his career of giving up on plays...he has obviously corrected that..

I give Gay the benefit of the doubt, because this is his first year as a starter .....

I don't know much about Ivey - hopefully he can help - they do need help back there w/o 43

from what i remember, Cowher left an 8-8 team on the table for Tomlin

majority of the parts were still there from a championship team, but Tomlin did head coach this team back to the playoffs and to a SB

JL,

You can continue to use my catch phrases as you see fit.  Look Ray Charles can see that this year's model of Steelers D is not as good as last years! We all hoped it would be but every year is different. Plus injuries are part of the problem too, but no excuses allowed because all teams deal with them. And yes the offense needs to pick it up to. The facts are right there they are blowing leads in the 4th quarter. OK  think of the 4th quarter defense as a reliever say M Rivera. When they call him you know it's about a sure thing as possible right? That was last years D. Now what happens if he continues to blow saves changes might need to be made. I don't pretend to have the answers, but will say what I feel. Fans need to blame someone and the usual suspect is BA. The problem is all phases of play need to improve of course some (ST) more than others.

I cant run like I use to 20 years ago time catches up. If we look closely this includes you Mr. Smizik we can see Farrior is not the same. His skills in covering RB in open space are declining. I'm not saying cut him or he's a dog, but he's becoming a liability in that phase and needs to be protected in those situation. Palmer, Flakco(sp?) went right after him they see the tape. Gay is learning on the job so he gets a by, but right now he's a downgrade to B Mac. Hopefully he gets better this is when you have faith in what the coaching staff sees. Ike and Clark need to get it together Carter is the best DB back there now. I'm not here to trash the defense they are good, but are not consistent IMOP. Like I stated in an earlier post I'd rather have the 10th, 20th or 30th ranked defenses if they close teams out in the 4th quarter. What good are rankings when they are not producing wins. Really like Al Davis say's "just win baby"!  By the way, if they make the playoffs and are healthy they will be the team no one wants to face!  

JL, it was aimed at you sunshine.  I stand by what I wrote, you don't have to agree.  Feel free to just continue commenting in your passive agressive attack style and condescending ways.  It amuses me.

This defense as currently constituted cannot win a Super Bowl.  What you are seeing that leads you to believe that is more in your hopes than in reality.

Jayro, comparing this year's defense to last year's is like comparing apples to oranges?  Really. That is baffling.  I thought it would be more like comparing mangos to pomegranates.

You and JL can continue your mutual admiration society fan club on this blog.  The rest of us are humbled just to be able to read along and blush.

Yes,

Of course, points scored earlier in the game add up too. But surrendering three or seven in the 2nd period is no cardinal sin. Blowing a lead in the 4th quarter is.

JayRob,

One teeny weeny favor, por favor. When addressing JL58, please don't omit the "58", lest somebody think t'was I who said Tomlin was "in over his head."

JL58,

The "why not unleash (hell) in September..." line has already been used by Bleacher Report, and probably other message boards too, by now.

Which of the following has the least likelihood of occurring?

1.  Rush Limbaugh complimenting the Clintons

2.  Bruce Arians calling 3 straight running plays

3.  The Pirates finishing above .500

4.  UC getting an at-large BCS berth after losing to Pitt

5.. A post starting with   "Mr. Smizik, I love your optimism ..."

Thanks for the hypocrisy and the dime-store psychology, Retire. It hardly bothers me when you fawn all over Steelva, but I guess you felt threatened by more than one person rejecting YOUR arguments. I'm out for the rest of the afternoon because work beckons, though. So you can take comfort in that.

SteelBlitz and Ret-21,

well stated by both of you.  Nail, meet hammer.    Yunz hit the nail squarely on the head.   I encourage both of yunz to keep up your astute contributions here.

The answer to College's quiz question above?   Choice #2.   Arians would sooner crawl naked down Forbes Ave. thru shards of broken glass.    Or call a running play for Dennis Dixon.    

(He will, however, call a running play for Roethlisberger, bum ankle and all, to his LEFT, with no WR available as a passing option, late in a playoff game on 3d & 6. )  

JL, did you get a scrabble game for your birthday or a new Thesaurus?  

Your challenge to any and all of us to prove we can read and understand the Bruce Arians playbook is lacking in rationale.  I cannot read Spanish, yet somehow I know when the meal that I just bought from Taco Bell is bad.

Regardless, as you probably no doubt know from your experience, playbooks are written in a language which is often unique to a coordinator.  On the football team which I currently coach we number our holes 0-9, left to right.  In high school our holes were numbered odds to the left and even to the right.  In  college our holes were numbered odd to the right and even to the left.  What we called a "Flow" in high school was called a "Power" in college.   What we called a crossbuck in high school was called a counter in college.   The passing system in college had entirely different nomenclature than the one we used in high school and is not even close to the one the team I coach on now uses.  I won't even get started on the differences in how the plays are called.

So weather any of use could currently understand the Arians playbook at this moment is totally irrelevant.  Given time and exposure to it I'm relatively confident that I could understand it as well as a 21 year old kid who majored in "Recreation and Coaching" at Florida State.

Retire,

It wasn't my challenge. But I thought it a good one, so I seconded it. "Regardless, as you probably no doubt know from your experience..." Ahhh. I can see you've been rattled under your supercilious affectations (didn't even need the thesaurus for that...), because, you're completely lost in the headlights on that last remark of yours. The truth is, I admitted right away that I'd "flunk" the test, myself. I still maintain that everyone else around here would wet his pants if suddenly thrust into BA's shoes, though. And I cite your most recent post as further evidence of posters who are really all about coming here to draw attention to themselves. But after all your prolixity about the numbering of the running holes, you've told us nothing anyone with a year of Pop Warner football doesn't already know. In fact, with the way you couch your terms, I suspect that is what you are, a neighborhood Pop Warner assistant coach. Nothing wrong with that. I coach as an assistant in Little League. But I don't try and drop that into discussions, thinking I can't trump others with it.

Anyway, you also missed the point as to why JayRob's question about Arians' playbook WAS relevant. "Given time and exposure to it I'm relatively confident that I could understand it." The point is, you DON'T understand it now. There is probably MUCH about the pro game that is over your head. Sure, given a few seasons, you could become conversant. Still probably couldn't hold down an NFL OC, job. But no one is asking you to.  Yet, you make proclamations about what Arians should, or should not, be doing. Fine. That is what this sports blog is all about. But if you -or anyone- gratuitously attacks Arians, don't be so thin-skinned when I vigorously defend him. And I do so by giving Arians the benefit of the doubt that HE does understand all the various factors HE has to deal with. I give him the benefit of the doubt because it's empirical that he has nurtured an offense that couldn't do *anything*, last year. Now it can throw very well. And the ground game is emerging. The latest Arians triumph was the tidy little game plan he came up with for Dennis Dixon. I doubt many here among us figured DD and the offense would have us in the lead with six minutes remaining in the ball game.

Anyway, I'm probably making your new BFF go all apoplectic again. Wouldn't want to do that. He actually made me chuckle with his last post. So maybe we should leave it at that. Or with this: Taco Bell is not Mexican food.

"The latest Arians triumph was the tidy little game plan he came up with for Dennis Dixon."

Yes, indeed, some "tidy little game plan".   It was little allright.....little sense and little brains.  Here you had an athletic QB whose LEGS -- not his arm -- are his best asset (a la a young Vick, and a young Young), and Arians, the clueless idiot that he is, had him shackled in the backfield the ENTIRE evening.    Bootlegs ?   NONE.    Waggles?    NONE.    QB draws?   NONE.    Rollouts??   ONE, which produced a touchdown.    Designed QB runs out wide??    One, which produced a touchdown.   In the 2H, in a decision devoid of ANY sense, Dixon was ordered to take a vast majority of snaps under center, rather than the shotgun, despite the shotgun being an easier READ for a QB and despite the fact that Dixon's college career was in a SG system.  

And yes, we've already heard JL's babble and utterly absurd rationalization about "the coaches not wanting Dixon to 'recklessly' run around and get injured".     This just in -- this past Sunday, Coach Tomlin ordered the following:  

a.   the LS, Warren, was not permitted to run hard downfield on punts and help with coverage.  Too risky.   He could either get injured by a block, or while making a tackle.    Being that we have no backup LS (aside from Harrison, and we know how that went) Tomlin deemed that Warren was too valuable to lose.

b.   With Eason deactivated and Kirschke just coming back from missing 3 games with a calf injury, Travis was ordered to not play stout against the run or rush hard against the passer.   After all, there are too many scrums and too much chance for injury, and since there was only Hoke and rookie Hood to backup at DE, Travis was ordered  to back off and play very conservatively.  

c.   Since Kemo was out, both Foster and Essex were ordered by Tomlin to not block hard, lest they get injured.     After all, it would be too risky if 1 of them got injured, because Legursky would be the only guy capable of filling in at guard(unless Hills went in at OT and someone shifted to OG).   So these 2 guards were ordered to block LIGHTLY; and to AVOID contact; and to stay away from any menacing blitzers.  

d.  With Troy out, both Clark and Carter were ordered to not hit anyone hard, nor go hard after ballcarriers or RAC runners, because there is no experienced depth at safety, and they could get hurt or injured.  

Despite his decree of "unleashing hell in December", Coach Tomlin has also stated that these orders will be in effect thru the end of the season.   Because Ben is backed up by only Dixon and Palko, Tomlin has also stated that if Ben starts on Sunday, Ben is ordered to:

a.  not scramble

b.   not run with the ball

c.   not sneak

d.   not do anything the slightest bit risky, lest he get hurt.  

Tomlin says he realizes there won't be many wins with this kind of style, but like a gradeschool team, the most important thing is to "have fun and keep safety in mind at all times".  

Between Retire#21 and Steelva always clinging to and commenting on my every word, I have a regular following going here. I wonder if Mr. Madden NFL know-nothing caught this exchange on Ed Bouchette's chat:

Q:What did you think of the play calling in overtime?...

A: ... I thought they did a good job on offense with Dixon at the last minute's notice.

Bob,

I don't know if you enjoy an occasional nightcap, or not. But you probably wanted to pour yourself a stiff one, after the workout you've gotten on this thread, over the last 30 minutes. I'm satisfied I've said my peace and I'll be moving on to the next thread.

Thanks as always, for the job you do.

First round playoff prediction

Steelers 31

Bengals 16  

And it won't seem that close. But hey, the Bengals can claim the division title. It's Deja Vu all over again.

Uh, no one is "clinging to yer every word".   We realize you're not capable of seeing the big picture, so let me fill you in on this.   The rest of us are merely getting great amusement from your circus act, bozo (your avatar, not mine).   Thank you for the comic relief.  

He he he,  must've struck a nerve JL...

Bob,

Here you rightfully acknowledge that Gay is the 'weak link' of the secondary, which is the weak unit of the defense.

In your Tuesday, 11/10 blog ("Steelers simply Super vs. Denver"), I commented after the Denver game that he is the weak link and you somewhat chastised me for it.

I'm curious as to what led you to change your tune?

Bob,

I love this forum even though I'm a few hours ahead in Europe. Stiller faithful constructive criticism is a great thing and everyone needs it once in awhile! What cracks me up is when posters think they can actually do a professional coaches job. Of course it looks easy especially when you have a very basic understanding of the game. Shoot I find myself screaming at the tube giving MT, BA and BL advice! Why don't they listen? So here's my question. Do you think because let say you had wood shop in school you could tell a carpenter or electrician how to properly wire and build a house? I mean one that would pass inspection.

Most reasonable people don't think so that' why the hire professionals to do it. This has nothing to do with intelligence but with experience and training at a high level! I do believe some of these posters are the same ones that go to Steelers fantasy camp thinking they have a shot at making the team. Most of us have played football at one time and have an understanding of it. So we think if given the chance because we validated it on JM10 we could do it. I will leave with this. There is better chance of Scarlet Johansen or Halle Barry knocking on your door asking you than you being able to run a NFL offense or defense!

(I am constantly amazed by the number of people who think they can run a football team and make game-day decisions. One of my favorite examples this season is the number of people who thought Isaac Redman was the team's answer at running back without ever having seen him play. --- Bob Smizik)

Sorry,

Meant asking you out I think everyone knew where I was going with that.

PaulH wrote-

"There's nothing basically wrong with the Steeler defense nor Dick LeBeau.  It's the running game and the offensive line."

Ding Ding Ding...we have a WINNER!!!

1.33 TD's allowed per game...should = UNDEFEATED with the stars the Steelers employ on offense!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"But one thing the naysaying nincompoops overlook is that the Steelers have been blindsided again and again by injuries,"

NOW FOR THE PARTING GIFTS...

SteelVa-

FACT:  

- The Steelers have LOST back to back OT games...

- The Steelers have WON the coin toss in each...

- 80% of NFL teams winning the OT coin toss also win the game!!!

Of the last 8 Raven possessions,  after halftime & prior to the OT game winning FG drive, which was set up via turnover by the offense:

ONLY 1 ended with points allowed...a FG (3 pts.)

4 - Raven drives ended with punts, 2 were 3 & out!

2 - Raven drives ended with takeaways by the Steeler D!

*** Of note: One drive of the eight started in Steeler territory & 3 times the defense put the Steeler offense within 5 yds. of mid-field to start drives after halftime.  On the defensive side, the Ravens were set up on the Steeler 40 on one drive in the 4th & came away with ZERO!!!

- @ KCC - Ben throws redzone INT which is returned to opposite rezone (defense holds to FG)...6-10 PT. SWING IN A 3 pt. OT loss...

- v. CIN - Holmes drops TD pass in endzone...in a 3 pt. loss...

- @ CIN - Sweed drops sure TD pass in endzone...in a 6 pt. loss...

- @ CHI - Holmes drops sure TD pass in endzone...in a 3 pt. loss

too early to give up on W Gay ....  the kid is young and this is his first full season as a starter ....

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check the stats and he is probably one of the leading tacklers on the team ......

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for everyone that ridiculed him when AP ran over him - there were guys like me that were impressed with the way he went at AP  .....   and this late breaking news:  AP was going to run over just about any defender in that situation - including just about every CB on an NFL roster  ....

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You guys can hammer him .....  but W Gay is one tough cookie ....

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I almost got through this blog without comment... and then I see this:

(I am constantly amazed by the number of people who think they can run a football team and make game-day decisions. One of my favorite examples this season is the number of people who thought Isaac Redman was the team's answer at running back without ever having seen him play. --- Bob Smizik)

WOW! Is this not the height of arrogance and inaccuracy??

First- We do have TV's? Was that not Redman powering over, through, and around people in the Carolina game? We do have reports? Was the Redman camp success not well chronicled during goal line drills (and were fans not at camp to see it for themselves)? There was NOTHING in Redman's performance during camp, in high profile situations at least, that would lead any reasonable person to conclude that he was anything but a highly promising FA RB. If he had been a #1 draft pick- he would be starting today!

Second- Where do you get off talking about anyone elses football qualifications? What do you know about it? Have you ever seen an NFL coach be wrong? I mean other than every week? So you must be an NFL coach to understand or comment on football? Where do NFL coaches come from in the first place? Geez!

Personally I'm constantly amazed by how sports writers can rationalize situations in order to ignore the obvious so that they can preserve their personal relationships with coaches.

Mike Tomlin has made NUMEROUS dubious game decisions this year, and he almost never gets called out on them at his press conferences, or in the papers. Now that is amazing. He gets paid millions, and he isn't thinking ahead, or doesn't throw a red flag in the first half on a critical play, and gets a pass from the press.

SteelerMark,

Nailed it dude...great post!

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"They would have had to have been," Tomlin said. "I had no other options. I didn't have time nor energy to provide snaps for a disaster quarterback. I had enough issues."

One of which was to watch GLADIATOR (again) the night before the pivotal road divisional matchup???

Saturday, 1 a.m. Q: After another frustrating loss, I cannot believe the negative impact Bruce Arians