Once Proud Steelers Defense in Need of Serious Repair

By: Steel Dad

Any good machine works best when all of the parts of said machine are functioning to their fullest potential. When one of those parts breaks down, the machine might still work but it could also shut down altogether.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is no longer a well-oiled machine. It is not functioning at the once high level for which it’s accustomed. While some parts have tried to take up for the failing ones, the truth is, the machine is crumbling.

Dick LeBeau’s 3-4 defense is built around its’ four linebackers. When those guys aren’t playing well or just don’t have the ability needed, things start to sputter. While James Harrison has been “steady” since returning, I wouldn’t call his play “great” according to his own standards as well as those needed from the position.

Jason Worilds continues to be average at best but still does not live up to the standards needed by his position either. As always, the constant is Lawrence Timmons. He is not flashy and never has been nor will he, but he is solid in his job. The other inside backer spot has been a jumble.

Ryan Shazier has not been able to stay on the field due to injury while Vince Williams and Sean Spence each have positives and negatives which have impacted the stability of the position.

If the linebacking corps are struggling then the defensive line is downright awful. The only player making consistent gains has been Cam Heyward and now with Brett Keisel done for the season, the unit is only going to get worse. The one new part brought in, Cam Thomas, has failed miserably and now we will see more of second round pick Stephon Tuitt whether LeBeau and Mike Tomlin were ready for him or not.

As a front seven, the D-Line and LBs have generated just 21 sacks through the first 12 games and that’s good for just 26th in the NFL. The less pressure means the more time the secondary has to cover receivers and this is where the LeBeau defense gets exposed.

The defense has given up 42 plays of 20 yards or more which ranks them 11th in the NFL. Worse yet, they are tied for fourth in most plays given up over 40 yards with 11.This is not rocket science. If there isn’t any pressure, receivers are going to get open because the Steelers draft cornerbacks who are supposed to be able to tackle better then they can actually cover.

Now that guys like Ike Taylor and William Gay have to cover for longer periods of time, they aren’t going to be as successful. Cortez Allen is the poster child for this issue. He is a broken down part of the machine who can’t excel because he has to cover way longer than the Steelers ever thought he would have to.

READ MORE: http://steelcityblitz.com/2014/12/04/proud-steelers-defense-need-serious-repair/

How depressing. True as usual but when you are used to seeing a team that can stop the run on the way to the QB become unable to do that it is painful to watch. At this point I'm wondering why McCullers isn't getting more time.I don't see how he could be much worse than Thomas. And what about Shemarko? Could he be less of a factor than Mitchell?

It's so sad to watch 2 other teams play and notice how much pressure a team can get on a QB since we always seem to have none on opposing QBs.

The defense has been in transition since the end of the 2011 season and it will continue to transition as new players come in and older players continue to leave. Maybe we'll even see coaching changes as well.

steelerdude15 wrote:

The defense has been in transition since the end of the 2011 season and it will continue to transition as new players come in and older players continue to leave. Maybe we'll even see coaching changes as well.

I agree SD, that this defense, nah, this team has been in a transition since 2011. Until Bell, our running was suspect after Bettis left. and every year since 2005, our offensive line has been a constant transition in and of itself.

Defensively, it's been feast or famine. If everyone was healthy our defense was stout, but let one person get injured and it was as if no one else could play that specific position. Here we are again with injuries plaguing our defense and the young guys just don't seem to have the ability to fit in to the schemes.

This team has to make the transition smoother from the older guys to the younger players and in order to remain competitive, they have to do it almost seamlessly.