View topic - Defensive Views

[StillViews Profile]

- For the first 2/3 of the season the Steelers consistently were able to pressure the quarterback with a 4 man rush. Getting pressure from a 4 man rush is key to really having a dominant defense (see Giants 2007 season). Being able to drop 7 into coverage while only rushing 4 is a big advantage to the defense. The Steelers defense pressure and sack production has dropped over the past several games. Most notable is Lamarr Woodley. Woodley was keeping pace with Harrison with a sack per game production thru 10 games. He hasn't shown the ability to beat his man the last several games. Opponents are now much more focussed on James Harrison. In obvious passing situations, Harrison will almost always get extra attention. The two interior pass rushers for the Steelers are not going to get big numbers. Their role is to push the pocket and maintain lane control so that the quarterback can not escape the collapsing pocket. The Steeler 4 man pash rush counts on pressure off the edge to force the quarterback to step up into the collapsing pocket. I hope to see the Steeler 4 man front get back to their dominant ways.

- The Ravens and Titans are the only two teams this season that have demonstrated any success running right into the heart of the Steelers defense. The Ravens employed and extra lineman (Adam Terry) in place of a second tightend and gave a heavy dose of 260 lb running back LeRon McClain to pound the Steelers line. Three defensive lineman + 2 OLBs against 6 offensive lineman - one can see how this creates a mismatch at the line of scrimmage.

- Prior to the Ravens and Titans the only success teams had running agains the Steelers was to employ a counter or draw play. As mentioned before, the Steelers OLBs are quick to get upfield in a passing situation. This creates a very large hole as they've abandoned their gap responsibility against the run. Opponents have exploited this by walling off Harrison and Woodley with a running back or tightend enabling the running back to get through the hole left behind.

- While I don't like to see Troy Polamalu blitzing I believe he needs to play at or near the line of scrimmage. There is nobody on the offensive side of the ball to account for this extra defender at or near the line. His presence at the line will drastically improve the Steelers vulnerability against the run.

[Snockered Pedestrian Profile]

Thoughtful commentary, Views.

It will also help if the zebras will call holding on the OLs mugging Woodley and Harrison; it has been at least 6 full games
since an offensive holding infraction was called on a Stiller opponent. Harrison even got his team-record-breaking sack
while being tackled by a Tennessee OL during an inside move.

A question to the naysayers who categorically claim "Pittsburgh gets all the calls"; do you actually watch the games?

[Steel Holiday Profile]

Views, the point you make about the Giants ability to pressure the Qb with 4 guys is a good one. A successful 4 man rush is a critical part of a great defense. The Giants didn't have near the talent in their secondary that we do, but they were still a very effective D because of the ability to get pressure. I think this is something that Tomlin is/has been committed to attaining. Brett Keisel is no all-pro, but I think he plays an important role to our 4 man rush. Getting him back can only benefit the entire defense.

[NOVAStiller Profile]

Let's not forget... Harrison looked like he got injured pretty badly (back?) during the Patsies game. That might also be playing a part in his performance. The bye week should really help him.

[zapunto Profile]

- For the first 2/3 of the season the Steelers consistently were able to pressure the quarterback with a 4 man rush. Getting pressure from a 4 man rush is key to really having a dominant defense (see Giants 2007 season). Being able to drop 7 into coverage while only rushing 4 is a big advantage to the defense. The Steelers defense pressure and sack production has dropped over the past several games. Most notable is Lamarr Woodley. Woodley was keeping pace with Harrison with a sack per game production thru 10 games. He hasn't shown the ability to beat his man the last several games. Opponents are now much more focussed on James Harrison. In obvious passing situations, Harrison will almost always get extra attention. The two interior pass rushers for the Steelers are not going to get big numbers. Their role is to push the pocket and maintain lane control so that the quarterback can not escape the collapsing pocket. The Steeler 4 man pash rush counts on pressure off the edge to force the quarterback to step up into the collapsing pocket. I hope to see the Steeler 4 man front get back to their dominant ways.

- The Ravens and Titans are the only two teams this season that have demonstrated any success running right into the heart of the Steelers defense. The Ravens employed and extra lineman (Adam Terry) in place of a second tightend and gave a heavy dose of 260 lb running back LeRon McClain to pound the Steelers line. Three defensive lineman + 2 OLBs against 6 offensive lineman - one can see how this creates a mismatch at the line of scrimmage.

- Prior to the Ravens and Titans the only success teams had running agains the Steelers was to employ a counter or draw play. As mentioned before, the Steelers OLBs are quick to get upfield in a passing situation. This creates a very large hole as they've abandoned their gap responsibility against the run. Opponents have exploited this by walling off Harrison and Woodley with a running back or tightend enabling the running back to get through the hole left behind.

- While I don't like to see Troy Polamalu blitzing I believe he needs to play at or near the line of scrimmage. There is nobody on the offensive side of the ball to account for this extra defender at or near the line. His presence at the line will drastically improve the Steelers vulnerability against the run.

Thoughts:

-- Why has Woodley been a complete close to zero recently? I think Still Mill recently posted that he was dropping back into coverage more than usual than in the first few games. I could be wrong.

-- I disagree with the notion that the Titans ran the ball effectively against the Steelers. Other than the brilliant 4th-and-inches play call, Chris Johnson toted the ball 15 times for 48 yards -- exactly the same stats that Lendale White had. The Titans played mistake-free football, and you have to take your hats off to them. Steelers didn't, and for the first time all year the D allowed big plays.

-- The big counters and draws usually come on 3rd and long, and I think the team has gotten marginally better at defending them since the Kevin Faulk debacle.

I still like the run defense, the big plays in the passing game (which the D has defended VERY well all year) came back up to rear its ugly head.

[indysteel Profile]

From the PG today:

In three of the past four games, the Steelers have allowed the opposing team to rush for more than 100 yards, something they yielded just once in the previous 11 games.

What's more, in the past three games, they allowed running backs Tashard Choice of Dallas (88 yards) and Le'Ron McClain (87) of Baltimore to post the two biggest individual efforts against them this season.

In addition, Titans rookie running back Chris Johnson had a 21-yard touchdown run against them, only the third time the Steelers have allowed a run longer than 20 yards.

[zapunto Profile]

From the PG today:

In three of the past four games, the Steelers have allowed the opposing team to rush for more than 100 yards, something they yielded just once in the previous 11 games.

What's more, in the past three games, they allowed running backs Tashard Choice of Dallas (88 yards) and Le'Ron McClain (87) of Baltimore to post the two biggest individual efforts against them this season.

In addition, Titans rookie running back Chris Johnson had a 21-yard touchdown run against them, only the third time the Steelers have allowed a run longer than 20 yards.

The first two factoids mean nothing in my opinion. The last one is very, very, important, The Steeler D is inherently designed to do one thing REALLY well, and that is prevent the big play. The defense has been just as adept preventing the big play via the pass as it has via the run.

By my count (someone prove me wrong), the Titans game was the first game ALL YEAR where the defense allowed more than 3 20 yard plays of any sort. I went back and checked some notable games:


@ Tennessee (4)
1-10-TEN 17 (4:56) 5-K.Collins pass deep middle to 12-J.Gage to TEN 43 for 26 yards (24-I.Taylor).
3-8-TEN 37 (7:39) (Shotgun) 5-K.Collins pass short left to 12-J.Gage to PIT 42 for 21 yards (26-D.Townsend). Penalty on PIT-94-L.Timmons, Defensive Offside, declined.
4-1-PIT 21 (5:12) 28-C.Johnson left guard for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
3-5-PIT 34 (12:07) (Shotgun) 5-K.Collins pass deep right to 12-J.Gage for 34 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on PIT-54-A.Frazier, Defensive Offside, declined


3 of them via the pass, with the one rushing TD a great playcall, let's face it. Judging from the coverage of the Gage TD play, it looks as if Dick feared their running game too much, the D was in a plain ol' cover 2 on that play, and Gage split it easy.


Dallas (3)
1-10-DAL 46 (1:35) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep middle to 82-J.Witten to PIT 32 for 22 yards (43-T.Polamalu).
3-3-DAL 40 (12:35) (Shotgun) 23-T.Choice right guard to PIT 38 for 22 yards (43-T.Polamalu).
2-9-DAL 40 (5:19) 9-T.Romo pass short right to 23-T.Choice to PIT 10 for 50 yards (25-R.Clark).


I don't remember the Witten play too well, but the other two are ingrained in my brain. Thanks Taunto. The shotgun draw that Choice excelled on looked as if it was stolen right out of the Pats playbook as they were first to have success with it.

@ New England (2.5)
1-10-NE 20 (10:23) 16-M.Cassel pass deep right to 81-R.Moss pushed ob at NE 47 for 27 yards (43-T.Polamalu).
2-4-NE 33 (1:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 33-K.Faulk up the middle pushed ob at PIT 26 for 41 yards (22-W.Gay, 56-L.Woodley).
3-12-PIT 41 (:22) (Shotgun) 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 42-B.Green-Ellis to PIT 21 for 20 yards (25-R.Clark). *LAST PLAY OF GAME^


I say 2.5 cos the last one was the last play of the game, and total garbage. The other 2 you remember: the Moss stop and go that had Taylor bamboozled; and the original shotgun draw that stoned the D easy


Indianapolis (1)
1-10-IND 35 (7:52) 18-P.Manning pass deep left to 87-R.Wayne for 65 yards, TOUCHDOWN. #24 Taylor deflected the pass before #87 Wayne caught the ball at the 30-yard line


That's how badly Big Ben gave away that game. The fluke Wayne play was the ONLY Colts play that netted 20+ yards. Wayne also had a 16-yard catch later in the game that Taylor also tips.


Giants (1)
3-7-NYG 50 (5:57) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass deep middle to 12-S.Smith to PIT 25 for 25 yards (23-T.Carter).


The key words in that play is "T. Carter". This was on the fateful 4th quarter drive when Clark was out and Slowpoke Carter came in to replace him. But yet another game where Big Ben failed to protect the ball and the D almost bailed him out. Almost.

In closing, the BIGGER problem is really how the heck K. Collins burned a healthy secondary as much as he did....

[indysteel Profile]

Exactly.

It will be a short post season if the D has a bad day.