fer69
Posts : 2190
Join date : 2011-09-17
Location : home dah!!!
 | | Subject: One Horrible Game, One Horrible Drive, One Horrible Plan and One Horrible Play Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:09 pm | |
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During the previous off-season I begged the Steelers to improve the cornerback situation (The Importance of Shopping at the Corner Market). I did not think they could win a championship, in this era of prolific passing, by winning 10-to-12 regular-season games and then getting torched in the playoffs by one of the fantasy quarterbacks who have become their daddy - guys named Brees, Brady, Manning and Rodgers.
The Steelers didn't exactly overwhelm me with cornerback hopes in the 2011 Draft. The first two rounds were allocated elsewhere. They did, however, use the third and fourth rounds to pick Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen. While Brown was used exclusively on special teams, and quite productive I might add, Allen had his moments as a defensive back, but still too young for major impact.
Pittsburgh led the league in pass defense this past season, but Brown and Allen weren't legitimate reasons. The number one reason was the obvious shift in philosophy by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. The soft-cushion, sure-tackling coverage that is good enough to lead to an impressive regular-season record, is not good enough to beat the fantasy quarterbacks in January and February. LeBeau's philosophical shift to a tighter, riskier coverage scheme was a wise decision for the most part.
The second reason for the Steelers passing defense crown was the acquisition of secondary coach Carnell Lake. Lake had the unique background of being a Pro Bowl player at both corner and safety. Lake brought that blend to the table and it showed on the field. The Steelers secondary often looked like interchangeable parts, and that was a good thing. Many times it looked like there were five or six Carnell Lakes on the field, not knowing which were cornerbacks and which were safeties. Opposing quarterbacks also took notice and in fact, had trouble with their counter-moves.
The third reason for Pittsburgh's improved secondary was the accelerated play of the incumbent personnel. Ike Taylor had the best year of his under-rated career. Many argued that he was the team's MVP. Willie Gay, the traditional whipping post of the secondary, made many more significant plays that brought smiles to Steeler Nation, with far fewer bad plays. Keenan Lewis finally looked like he could be a player. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark never looked better. When three or four people improve in a five-person unit, the improvement of the whole is dramatic. It could also be concluded that reason number three (accelerated play of incumbent personnel) might have been the byproduct of reason number one (philosophical shift in coverage schemes) and reason number two (Carnell Lake's contribution to the soup). In any case, the total synergism of all three reasons produced a massive upgrade to Pittsburgh's defense. This upgrade should spark optimism in the Nation for better days ahead. The NFL's offensive video-game performances are not going to go away soon. Instead of being kryptonite, the Steelers defensive backfield might continue to grow into the antidote.
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/1/17/2711445/steelers-2011-season-review
_________________ F@(k Wallace.. Throw it to Miller
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solardave
Posts : 6308
Join date : 2011-09-30
Location : State of Confusion
| | Subject: Re: One Horrible Game, One Horrible Drive, One Horrible Plan and One Horrible Play Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:41 am | |
| We shit can McFadden to save cap money and give Gay one more year to evaluate. He earned that this year. I think after that Lewis should be ready but I don't think it's too early to draft a replacement for Ike. Hopefully someone with cover skills that can also CATCH!! | |
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