View topic - 10+ yard cushions

[Coke Oven Profile]

It finally dawned on me why LeBeau has his db's always give those ten yard cushions.

It has to do with his love for the blitz.

You can't play tight coverage when you're gonna blitz otherwise you risk the big bomb if the blitz gets picked up.

So if you play loose only when you're gonna blitz, that eventually clues the offense that a blitz is on the way.

Play loose always then when you do blitz it should be a big surprise and guys like Polomalu can feel free to improvise.

[steelandblood Profile]

I see what you're saying but often I've seen the ten yard cushion from both corners when we either send only one extra guy or none, so I don't think that rule of thumb can be applied to all contexts. If anything I'd want at least one of them up to jam so timing is disrupted to give our lone blitzer or one of the D-line another second to get free.

[Coke Oven Profile]

"I see what you're saying but often I've seen the ten yard cushion from both corners when we either send only one extra guy or none"

That's exactly my point. He always gives the ten yard cushions whether he blitzes or not.

[Jeemie Profile]

It's because of scheme- to both provide protection against the big pass play, AND so the DBs can provide run support.

But he's been mixing a lot of press coverage in this year- way more than he usually does.

[SteelPower Profile]

Which we all know does not work against a quick threw offense like New England. You give up 6 yards per threw minimum. Dick better start jaming the recievers and leave pressure up to the linebackers.

[clarioncall Profile]

Anyone remember that game 5 yrs ago or so when we shut Brady and NE down and then the Eagles the following week?
Very aggressive D's in those 2 games.

Not sure we'll learn that lesson. Need Taunto, Ike, Troy, et al, to STEEL-UP and let the DC know they need to press these guys. Put Ike on Welker (follow him to the locker room if he needs to), jam others at the LOS and put Troy on TE Gronkowski.

Let's not look too far ahead. Hoping KC handles Balt. Flacco not the answer offensively for Ratbirds so I give KC a chance at home. A 3rd game w/Balt. is fine but just too physical to then have to go play NE at NE.

A different topic: WHY would this Ass of an OC we have use the Randel El toss play to Ward when we're up by 30+? WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SHOW THIS PLAY unless they have other variations off this play design/formation that are under wraps?
Anybody think this to be so? It just seems this guy is off the charts with his play calling. When we NEED somehting like this (Jets game maybe? Ravens earlier?) we don't get it. When we don't need it, we do. Go figure.

I go back to that nifty toss from Ben to Mendy out of the backfield about 6-7 games ago where he almost scored or he might even had scored. Very clever decoy play, a great play for 3rd down converts and I said we'd never see it again. Right-O on that one.

[Coke Oven Profile]

"A different topic: WHY would this Ass of an OC we have use the Randel El toss play to Ward when we're up by 30+? WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SHOW THIS PLAY unless they have other variations off this play design/formation that are under wraps?"

Why indeed!

I can only speculate. Do you think that although we hate him the league and therefore the Rooneys love him? He seems to do what he's told. Like winning the games he's supposed to win and losing the games he's supposed to lose. And showboating to put asses in the seats when necessary.

Or perhaps there's a lot more subterfuge in the nfl than we think there is.

[isfry Profile]

I agree with the soft DB coverage burning us on stop routes and short slants (see NE game). If we are gonna get any pressure on the QB we have to give our rush guys at least a couple seconds. Its like we show blitz, and just let the QB pick from three different hot routes. I also agree that there better be a variation to that Randle El TD pass or we just showed our hand in what was (at that point) a meaningless game going into the playoffs. Anyone else miss that little Hines Ward in motion, Ben in shotgun shovel pass up the middle in short yardage and goal line stuff. Havent seen that one in a while.