My encouragement is to include one question per week that is not to a Steeler’s or NFL fan. You have a tough assignment, trying to see if I can make it a little rougher.

LikeLike

Regarding Tomlin’s comments – I think they were well calculated – he knew the team would NEVER look past divisional games with Cincy or Baltimore. At the same time, he is showing his confidence in his team and also refocusing them by mentioning “if we take care of our business”.

LikeLike

2. I totally think he should be out there. Maybe teams will stop kicking the ball short if MB gets a few more substantial returns. (The surprise is not that teams are kicking the ball short as much as they are—the surprise, given our very unimpressive kick return game, is that they don’t all do it, every single time…)

4. Haden will help, I think, but I’m guessing some backpedaling on Tomlin’s declaration that they need more “splash plays” and some haraunging about controlling your aggression appropriately will fix a lot of the problem. But then I was always an optimist… (And I don’t think we’re going to see A. Burns laughing on the sidelines after giving up a TD again…)

LikeLike

One more point about #1 (I guess I’m talkative this afternoon.) Tomlin’s comments may give the Pats a chuckle, as arrogant as they seem to be, Cinci and Baltimore need to win, so if they need extra incentive they should pack it in. I’m not saying they should pack it in (remembering the Steelers winning out and getting in to the playoffs after being 4 & 5), but needing to win out and playing the Steelers should be all the incentive they need. I think anyone worried about “bulletin board material” is thinking too much and needs to relax a little.

LikeLike

I agree that it was in part because of Brady, mainly because of other quarterbacks copying Brady’s style. There are a lot more quarterbacks that get rid of the ball quickly and the outside pass rush just isn’t as effective anymore. That’s why LeBeau started rushing Heyward, the outside linebackers just weren’t getting pressure. IIRC, he said at that time that they had to try to get pressure from somewhere.

LikeLike

The Steelers have long gotten pressure with the corner blitz, but you are not wrong. LeBeau starting turning Heyward loose his last year in Pittsburgh, and Butler continued it. The reason it seems like more is because Heyward has been so dominant.

The way to beat Brady is to keep shoving a guard or the center into his lap. Once you hit him a few times, he becomes human.

LikeLike

2) They’ve been risking their #2 receiver on kickoffs. Bryant is pretty clearly #3 and there is nothing wrong with a #3 receiver returning kicks. I really don’t have a problem with a #2 receiver either, with as few as are returned these days. Buy Kickoff returns seem made for Bryant, he can get up to speed on the return and that speed is deceptive.

3) Game balls should be for players. Haley had a good game plan for that game, just as he seems to for other games when the players execute at a high level. It’s kind of funny how bad his game plans get when Ben is off target, the receivers are dropping balls and the line isn’t blocking well, isn’t it?

4) Yes, much will be corrected when Hayden gets back.

The reason you ask? It’s not because of Sensabaugh for the most part, but he isn’t Haden. So the whole secondary is trying too hard to make up for losing Joe, in my opinion. They need to get back to just doing their own jobs. One Hayden returns, Burns will get more safety help so that if he does make a mistake, there may be someone in place to bail him out. That will take some pressure off of the kid and I’d bet that he will start to play better again.

5) The earlier days of the 3/4 are gone. When was the last time you saw a 7 step drop in the NFL? Back in Joey Porter’s day, 7 step drops (or longer) were the norm. 7 steps, plant your feet, look down field, make your reads, find the open receiver, step up and throw. 4 seconds or more, right? Outside linebackers had time to shed a block and get after the quarterback. Today’s NFL, know where your going with the ball, make sure he’s open on a 3 step drop, plant and fire, unless you have an exceptional offensive line. Average time 2-3 seconds. Brady averages under 2 I believe. Outside linebackers can’t shed a block and get pressure. So in comes Heyward, Hargrave, Tuitt, and Williams. How do you beat a 2 second release? Collapse the pocket up the middle. Now In Butler’s 3/4 a sack seems to come on a blitz, the DL getting to the QB, an OL not being blocked or the DL chasing the QB into the OL’s waiting arms. If your rushing 4 or 5, VW and RS are pretty effective at applying pressure. Someone has to set the edge and someone has to cover. Dupree and Watt are doing pretty good job. Dupree is doing what they can expect and what they are asking him to do.

Why isn’t Harrison playing? If he could cover as well as Watt, he probably would be, but the job has changed. Just like the Defensive ends, the title is the same, but the job description isn’t.

LikeLike

When you have a moderate to severe hearing loss and wear hearing aids, you learn to lip read. The last words of Tomlin’s sentence – which you can watch over on Steelersdepot – are effing film. Not 100% positive, but pretty damned sure.

LikeLike

I too thought of the “Raise hell in December” moment, which came at exactly the same point on the calendar. However, I think that was something that Tomlin did indeed say spontaneously. I don’t think he let his guard down. I think his comments to Dungy were intentional.

As to whether or not he should have said them…?

I always prefer coaches and players not make those kinds of comments. Although I hated the team, I grew up in DC during the first Joe Gibbs era, and the party line was “….Really, we don’t know what to expect,” even if they were playing someone like the Cowboys, Eagles or Giants for the third time in the season.

With that said, the Steelers ability to stop giving up TD’s that go for over half of the field once a half is what is going to define their season, not Tomlin acknowledging the obvious about the Patriots.

LikeLike

Yeah, I saw Tomlin after that touchdown pass. I thought he was asking “What the f__ happened?” While Burns may have been at fault there, I suspect this was more of a blown assignment by him and many others as there was NO ONE even close to the receiver.

LikeLike