The Great Fa�ade Known as
Dick LeBeau�
Another weekend, and
another chance to hear the bleating and worship of Def. Coordinator Dick
LeBeau.�� They say time fades away
memories, and in the case of the aged LeBeau, nearly the entire Pittsburgh
To be sure, LeBeau is a good DC.�� A few years ago, he could have been
considered great.�� But time marches on,
although the human mind and body do not.��
Mental acuity, alertness, memory recall, and the ability to think
decisively and cogently, all begin to deteriorate as Father Time marches
on.�� This is why you don�t see very
many, if any, COOs, CFOs, or CEOs being in their
70�s.� This is why you don�t see any
4-star generals or admirals running wars while in their 70�s.� If it made for superior performance &
production, you�d see it, but of course, ya
don�t.��
Again, Dick
is a good, solid, competent DC.� My
problem stems from the outlandish, obsessive, almost cult-like, Jim Jones kind
of worship and adulation this man receives, commensurate to his effectiveness,
performance and production.�� Like many
of Dick�s foolish schemes, it�s a mismatch.��
The worshipping and overt praising doesn�t match the performance.�� Simply put, Dick is no more an almighty
deity of defensive football than is Romeo Crennel,
Dom Capers, Gregg Williams, or Sean McDermott.�
That said, to take a page from the cult of Jim Jones, I�m not drinking
the Kool Aid.��
Let us
review Dick�s recent history, which has been clouded, and even forgotten, by
virtually every one of his legions of adulating worshippers.�
2005:���
In the wild card game, Dick�s vaunted defense gave up a long bomb on the
game�s first play.�� Unbelievably, Dick got
a double BONUS of superb news out of this long gainer.�� The starting QB (Palmer) was knocked from
the game with an injury, as was the star WR (Chris Henry) who hauled in the
long pass.�� Dick was able to fend off
(hold your laughter) John Kitna to advance to the
next round.�
���� In the Div. playoff game, Dick did an
acceptable job of minimizing Manning.��
Still, he allowed a late march that resulted in a chippie, tying FG that
was missed in the final minute of the game.��
The Steelers then rolled over a hapless, pathetic
�� In the Sup Bowl, Dick allowed an early TD,
only to have an outrageously ticky-tack OPI flag rescue him and remove the
score.� Late in the half, a long
2006:��
The defense mostly smelled like rooster shit and the team finished under
.500 and failed to make the playoffs.��
Dick was the DC...although most fans seem to forget that small
fact.��
2007:��
In the AFC wildcard game, with a LEAD, at HOME, late in the 4Q, Dick�s
vaunted defense choked and gagged, giving up the winning FG late in the
4Q.� The Stillers had mounted a furious,
19-point 4Q comeback, and led by 2.��
After a punt, Jax took over at its own 49, with 2:38 remaining.�� Facing a scrub QB like David Garrard, Dick
was unable to close the deal.� The key
play was a 4th & 2, in which Dick was unprepared for a QB draw (gee, what a
surprise, with a running QB like Garrard!), which went for 32 yards to the Stiller
11.�� A chippie FG,
and game was over.
������ Funny thing is, I didn�t, and don�t,
hear many LeBeau worshippers citing this abomination.� One would think that the greatest, most
omnipotent defensive coordinator in the entire history of the NFL could
have warded off, while playing at home, an offense led (sic) by a stiff named
David Garrard.��
����� Ahh yes, but
this is where you�ll hear the wailing, crying, and bawling about �Dick didn�t
have Pola and Aaron Smith.��� Indeed (sniff,
sob) he did not.�� But this
is where the truly great step up and exude true greatness.� The mark of a mark coach isn�t what he does
when lavished with talent that is able to dominate at 9 or 10 positions against
the opponent.� No, the mark of a great
coach is when he has inferior, or reduced, talent and makes the most of it, and
then some, in a big game.�� That LeBeau
did nothing and was entirely unable to stop a weak-assed Jaguars team shows the
true picture beyond all the hype, hyperbole, exaltation, deified worship, and
adoration.�
2008:�
The defense got shredded by the Titans late in the season, thanks to LeBeau�s Folly of playing
a softee, sit-back defense.� Luckily, the
Titans lost in the playoffs and Dick did not have to face them (on the road, no
less).
���
��� With the luxury of playing at home, Dick
held off the Chargers.�� Befuddled at
first, Dick promptly gave up an early TD, but the team clawed back.�� Dick had a luxurious 3rd quarter, in which the Stiller offense chewed
all but 6 seconds of clock
while Diego ran 1 play that resulted in a fortuitous bat and Dong
interception.� A tidy
day�s work for Dick.�
��� The Stillers hosted the Ravens in the
AFCC.�� Dick had the luxury of the triple bonus�.facing a greenhorned rookie QB; an anemic overall offense; and each
of the top 2 RBs hobbled by injury.��
(McLain came into the game with a gimpy ankle; McGahee
limped off the field 3 times prior to a gruesome neck
injury.)�� Despite what should
have been total domination, Dick managed to allow an anemic,
1-dimensional offense to march 58 yards for a TD in the 4Q of a 9-point game,
turning what should have been a stampede into a nailbiter.�
��� Most folks remember only Tonio Holmes�
game-winning TD catch in the Sup Bowl.�
What they forget is the grande choke n� gag
job by Dick LeBeau, who pissed away a comfy lead and nearly lost the Super Bowl
title.��
���� In the 2nd half, Dick was exposed on
national TV as the fraud and farce that we alone at Stillers.com have exposed
him for, as he repeatedly got tooled and abused by the Cards.�� Dick had built up his vaunted �#1 defensive ranking�
against woeful, inept, injury-riddled offenses all season long, and now, facing
some solid competence, he was totally baffled and bamboozled.���
���� Armed with a 13-point lead, Dick was
utterly helpless, going into a prevent-like defense and giving up a quick 87-yard TD march (after the long an 83-yard TD march in
the 2Q), and then a 64-yard TD in which he had his safeties on an island a full
22
yards off the LOS
despite facing a QB that has NO ARM to throw deeper than 40 yards without a running
start.� As I personally noted in my pre-game article, the
bread n� butter of the AZ passing attack was the 15-yard in, not the Hail Mary
bomb.�� So Dick, the dullard that he is,
plays right into Warner�s hands by having his safeties line up 22 yards off the
LOS in no-man�s land, thereby playing 9 on 11.� This had to be the
most assaholic defensive alignment ever devised, and
it very nearly pulled defeat from victory.�
���� On the 1st down from their own 13 early in
the 4Q, Dick actually had LaMarr Woodley -- you know,
the big hulking fellow that was in the QBs face the
entire evening -- back in COVERAGE, and Warner, with all day in the pocket ,
hit Breaston for 13 yards to get out of that deep hole
and get the drive ignited.� When you take
a player out of what he does best and put him on a task where he is least
proficient, you hinder yourself and you HELP the opponent.�� But remember, according to some, LeBeau is a
supreme deity who is the greatest DC to ever walk the planet.��
�
��� To recap, the TWO
biggest plays by the Cards were the DIRECT RESULT of asinine schemes by The
Dullard, Lick LeBeau --
�� 1.�� On a 2nd & 7, Dick gets caught in his base
defense, and on a pussyfied, useless 3-MAN RUSH that gave Warner about 8 seconds back in the
pocket and all kinds of room to scan the entire field and connects on the
45-yarder to Boldin,.�
�� 2.�� 64-yard TD pass to
Fitz, with our safeties lined up in NO MAN'S LAND, 22-yards off the
LOS.�
Added to
that is the huge game-turning INT & TD by James Harrison, who, on his OWN,
peeled off his assignment (assigned, oddly enough, by The Great LeBeau)
to pick the pass at the Steeler GL and return it for 100 yards on the final
play of the 1H.�� Had Ben and Tonio not
won this game late in the 4Q, Dick would have gotten what he rightfully
deserved --� a
lifetime (as short as it might be for a geezer of his age) of ridicule and
derision for pissing away an enormous 2H lead in the Super Bowl.��
2009:�
The defense, led (sic) by Dick LeBeau, pissed away 5 (FIVE) 4th quarters
leads, snatching defeat from victory in embarrassing factor.� Two of these losses were the direct result of
Dick�s constant, staunch insistence of keeping lumbering LB James Farrior on
the field LATE in the game in obvious passing situations, and opponents took
easy advantage of the mismatch.�� The
Stillers ended up missing the playoffs, in no small part thanks to Dick.
2010: ��A renewal of Dick worship and adulation
occurred as the Stillers went 12-4.�� Of
course, with the luxury of facing a host of mediocre and even incompetent QBs as well as a host of bumbling offenses, the defense had
a cake-walk nearly the entire season.��
Additionally, the offense often gave the D a lead going into halftime,
and as we know in the NFL, playing defense while ahead is always much, much
easier, as the ground game and play-action fakes gradually and increasingly
lose their use & effectiveness.��
Below is a
chart that summarizes the 2010 regular season for Dick�s vaunted defense:
|
|
W-L |
Score |
QB faced |
Def. Pts allowed |
TDs allowed |
Rush Allowed |
Pass Allowed |
INTs |
FFs |
|
����� Notes |
|
vs. Atl |
W |
15-9 |
Ryan |
9 |
0 |
58 |
252 |
1 |
0 |
|
3 FGs
allowed.�� 3-3 at Half.�� Atl. ran 5 plays
in OT |
|
@ Tenn |
W |
19-11 |
Collins
& Young |
11 |
1 |
46 |
215 |
3 |
1 |
|
Collins
17-25 1 TD.� PIT up 13-2 at Half.�� Huge, ticky-tacky hold� call on |
|
@ Tampa |
W |
38-13 |
Josh
Freeman & Josh Johnson |
13 |
1 |
75 |
251 |
1 |
1 |
|
PIT up
28-6 at half |
|
vs. Balt |
L |
14-17 |
Flacco |
17 |
2 |
70 |
256 |
1 |
2 |
|
BAL up
10-7 at Half, due to FG at 0:05 2Q.� �D gave up winning TD
0:34 4Q |
|
vs. Clev |
W |
28-10 |
McCoy |
10 |
1 |
69 |
281 |
2 |
1 |
|
Rookie
McCoy's 1st NFL start.� |
|
@ Mia |
W |
23-22 |
Henne |
22 |
1 |
64 |
257 |
1 |
1 |
|
PIT up
17-16 at Half.� TD allowed, 2:00 left
in 2Q, then go-ahead FG allowed 5:23 4Q |
|
@ N.O. |
L |
10-20 |
Brees |
20 |
2 |
30 |
305 |
1 |
1 |
|
2
4Q TDs allowed, incl. winning TD at 4:47 4Q |
|
@ Cinci |
W |
27-21 |
Palmer |
21 |
3 |
54 |
248 |
1 |
1 |
|
PIT up
20-7 at Half.� 2 TDs
allowed in final 1:38 |
|
vs. NE |
L |
26-39 |
Brady |
33 |
4 |
103 |
350 |
0 |
0 |
|
PIT down
10-3 at Half.� D
then got shredded in 2H. |
|
vs. Oak |
W |
35-3 |
Gradkowski |
3 |
0 |
61 |
98 |
1 |
3 |
|
PIT up
21-3 at Half. |
|
@ Buff |
W |
19-16 |
Fitzpatrick |
16 |
1 |
74 |
265 |
1 |
2 |
|
PIT up
13-0 at Half.�� Tying FG allowed, 0:07 4Q.�� Buff winning TD dropped by wide-open WR in
EZ in OT |
|
@ Balt |
W |
13-10 |
Flacco |
10 |
1 |
43 |
266 |
0 |
1 |
|
BAL up 7
at Half.� Star
TE T. Heap injured on 1st play of game and never returned. �Jacco picked apart
defense nearly entire 1H until Stiller defenders begged the DC to dial up
some heat on the QB. |
|
vs. Cinci |
W |
23-7 |
Palmer |
7 |
1 |
34 |
178 |
3 |
0 |
|
PIT up
10-7 at Half. |
|
vs. NYJ |
L |
17-22 |
Sanchez |
13 |
2 |
106 |
170 |
0 |
0 |
|
Tied at 10
at Half. PIT up 13-10 in 3Q, then allowed TD and FG.� D allowed 13-play
FG drive in 4Q for NY's winning points. Mark Sanchez had thrown 4 INTs
and no touchdown passes in the past two games and the Jets had not scored an
offensive touchdown since Thanksgiving. |
|
vs.
Carol. |
W |
27-3 |
Clausen |
3 |
0 |
74 |
72 |
1 |
0 |
|
PIT up
20-0 at Half. |
|
@ Clev |
W |
41-9 |
McCoy |
9 |
1 |
43 |
209 |
3 |
2 |
|
PIT up
31-3 at Half. |
Yes, the
defense had all sorts of glorious STAT rankings as the �10 season ended.� And just like other garbage stats such as
sacks & INTs, stats mean far less than perspective, situations, and the
actual details as to what occurred on the gridiron.�� (Case in point -- Larry Brown had 2 gimme INTs in Sup
Bowl 30; he did absolutely nothing noteworthy or above average on either of
those INTs.)����
As you can
see above, this was a defense that FEASTED on the mediocre and the
incompetent.�� Dick faced only 2 top-tier
QBs all season, and both times got shredded
like provolone cheese at a pizza parlor.��
Dick has been the great stat-padder this
season, padding his stats against the incompetent and the bumbling, but has
been entirely feeble & helpless when facing the slightest bit of
competence.� We�re constantly bombarded
with cries of, �Dick is so clever� and �Dick�s blitzes are so diabolical and
confusing�.�� WHERE, praytell,
was all of that diabolical cleverness
in the shreddings issued by
Perhaps the
worst aspect of the 2010 season was the embarrassing revelation,
after Ravens-2, that the Stiller defenders had to BEG The Almighty One, Dick
LeBeau, to apply pressure to Joe Jacco after Jacco spent most of the 1st half consuming tea & crumpets
back in the pocket, with eons of time to pick apart Dick�s Softee Defense.� After the begging & pleading by his
players, Dick turned up the heat and pressure on Jacco,
and Jacco was finally bottled.� It begs the question -- who�s running the
prison....the inmates, or the 73-year old warden??� That the
Of course,
when you look at this Stiller defense, with the talent
and experience assembled, Pee
Wee Herman could be the coordinator and this defense would still rank in the
league�s top 10.��� Just look at the
pedigree:
Casey
Hampton - 1st rounder
James
Farrior - 1st rounder (by the Jets)
Troy Pola -
1st rounder
Larry Timmons
- 1st rounder
Ziggy Hood
- 1st rounder
LaMarr
Woodley - 2nd rounder
James
Harrison - 2008 NFL Def. Player of the Year and worthy of the 2010 DPOY
That�s 7 out of 11 starters.�� Add in Ike Taylor, a 3rd rounder who has
been as solid a cover CB not named Revis as there has
been in the NFL the past 2-3 seasons, and that�s 8.� Add in Brett Keisel, who has been an
ultra-steady, reliable, savvy 3-4 DE, and that�s 9.�� Unlike many defenses around
the sal-cap driven league, the Stillers start ZERO
rookies on defense.�� For that matter,
they start only one 2nd-year man, Ziggy Hood (a 1st round draft pick),
and that�s only due to injury to A. Smith.��
There are defensive coordinators around the NFL, today, who would
literally give up an arm or a hand just to have just HALF the talent, depth, and experience that
Dick has been lavished with.�� Just
HALF.��
To
summarize, yes, Dick is a good DC.�� He�s
a far sight better than Jim Asslet and Tiny Tim
Lewis.� He is not, however, the lordly,
deified, omnipotent, almighty guru of defensive football.�� Not by a long shot, and anyone who claims so
is as dull as he is thick.�� Turns out the great fa�ade is nothing more than abject
mediocrity.�� So it is with most things
French.��
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the