Steelers begin OTAs with questions surrounding defense

By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will put his team through a practice for the first time in more than four months today when the Steelers begin organized team activities (OTAs). It’s the first of four consecutive weeks of workouts that conclude with a week of mandatory minicamp before the team gets four weeks off before reporting to training camp at Saint Vincent College.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, no live contact is allowed, but the team can do 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Tomlin likes to say he does not evaluate talent in shorts in May. He prefers the padded, full-contact practices of training camp for that, but the extra work this spring can be beneficial for Tomlin and his staff, especially when it comes to piecing together a defense that has taken on a new look since the Steelers lost to Baltimore in an AFC wild-card game in January.

Read the rest:http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/05/26/Steelers-begin-OTAs-with-questions-surrounding-defense/stories/201505260019

hopefully ray shittapaldo is present so he can tweet someones career is over if they get beat in 7 on 7 drills.

tony hipchest wrote:

hopefully ray shittapaldo is present so he can tweet someones career is over if they get beat in 7 on 7 drills.

Say...............Mike Adams?  

New faces will abound in secondary

By Gerry Dulac

The Steelers focused on improving the back end of their defense after allowing 15 pass plays of 40 yards or longer last season, including seven of 51 yards or longer.

And they did it by bringing in young bodies in the draft.

Gone are two long-time mainstays -- Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor. In are third-year safety Shamarko Thomas, who finally steps in to replace Polamalu after being a third-round choice in 2013; and a pair of rookies, No. 2 pick Senquez Golson and No. 4 Doran Grant.

Both rookies will be given a chance to play, especially Golson, who, despite his size (5-8 ½), gives the Steelers something they haven’t had in a long time – a ball-hawking corner.

The key will be whether Cortez Allen can bounce back after being benched for poor play to reclaim one of the starting corners. Veteran Willie Gay is back after a season in which he had three interception returns for touchdown and will keep the seat warm until Golson is ready.But the team lost Brice McCain in free agency, meaning Antwon Blake will get more of a chance to play if the rookies are slow to transition to the pro game.

Free safety Mike Mitchell, who was signed in free agency last season, should be better because he doesn’t have to worry about covering for Polamalu.They will need that to stem the plethora of big pass plays that have hurt the team the past two season.

to read rest of article:

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2015/07/01/Key-position-No-2-New-faces-will-abound-in-secondary/stories/201507010003

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

New faces will abound in secondary

By Gerry Dulac

The Steelers focused on improving the back end of their defense after allowing 15 pass plays of 40 yards or longer last season, including seven of 51 yards or longer.

And they did it by bringing in young bodies in the draft.

Gone are two long-time mainstays -- Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor. In are third-year safety Shamarko Thomas, who finally steps in to replace Polamalu after being a third-round choice in 2013; and a pair of rookies, No. 2 pick Senquez Golson and No. 4 Doran Grant.

Both rookies will be given a chance to play, especially Golson, who, despite his size (5-8 ½), gives the Steelers something they haven’t had in a long time – a ball-hawking corner.

The key will be whether Cortez Allen can bounce back after being benched for poor play to reclaim one of the starting corners. Veteran Willie Gay is back after a season in which he had three interception returns for touchdown and will keep the seat warm until Golson is ready.But the team lost Brice McCain in free agency, meaning Antwon Blake will get more of a chance to play if the rookies are slow to transition to the pro game.

Free safety Mike Mitchell, who was signed in free agency last season, should be better because he doesn’t have to worry about covering for Polamalu.They will need that to stem the plethora of big pass plays that have hurt the team the past two season.

to read rest of article:

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2015/07/01/Key-position-No-2-New-faces-will-abound-in-secondary/stories/201507010003

It will be very exciting and interesting to see how this young defense with so many new faces comes together.

As for Mitchell, he seems like the type of guy that would rather lay a big hit than make a sure tackle.
Hopefully, his repaired "two groins" will repair his mindset.
Justifying his lackluster play because he needed to cover for Troy.....not buying it.

FrancoLambert wrote:

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

New faces will abound in secondary

By Gerry Dulac

The Steelers focused on improving the back end of their defense after allowing 15 pass plays of 40 yards or longer last season, including seven of 51 yards or longer.

And they did it by bringing in young bodies in the draft.

Gone are two long-time mainstays -- Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor. In are third-year safety Shamarko Thomas, who finally steps in to replace Polamalu after being a third-round choice in 2013; and a pair of rookies, No. 2 pick Senquez Golson and No. 4 Doran Grant.

Both rookies will be given a chance to play, especially Golson, who, despite his size (5-8 ½), gives the Steelers something they haven’t had in a long time – a ball-hawking corner.

The key will be whether Cortez Allen can bounce back after being benched for poor play to reclaim one of the starting corners. Veteran Willie Gay is back after a season in which he had three interception returns for touchdown and will keep the seat warm until Golson is ready.But the team lost Brice McCain in free agency, meaning Antwon Blake will get more of a chance to play if the rookies are slow to transition to the pro game.

Free safety Mike Mitchell, who was signed in free agency last season, should be better because he doesn’t have to worry about covering for Polamalu.They will need that to stem the plethora of big pass plays that have hurt the team the past two season.

to read rest of article:

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2015/07/01/Key-position-No-2-New-faces-will-abound-in-secondary/stories/201507010003

It will be very exciting and interesting to see how this young defense with so many new faces comes together.

As for Mitchell, he seems like the type of guy that would rather lay a big hit than make a sure tackle.
Hopefully, his repaired "two groins" will repair his mindset.
Justifying his lackluster play because he needed to cover for Troy.....not buying it.

I was really down on him last year and thought he was trying to hit like Ryan Clark without wrapping up. Now I'm pretty sure his groin injury was a big factor. At least I hope it was and he turns into a sure tackling safety. I for one am excited about the infusion of young talent. I hope they get in sync fast but I feel like if we get a strong pass rush from Harrison,Jones,Heyward, Tuitt and company that could buy some time. I'll go a step farther saying I don't care about actual sack if we keep opposing QB's off of them game. We have some young ball hawks now that an ill advised throw could turn into a pick-6. I'll take that all day long.

FrancoLambert wrote:

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

New faces will abound in secondary

By Gerry Dulac

The Steelers focused on improving the back end of their defense after allowing 15 pass plays of 40 yards or longer last season, including seven of 51 yards or longer.

And they did it by bringing in young bodies in the draft.

Gone are two long-time mainstays -- Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor. In are third-year safety Shamarko Thomas, who finally steps in to replace Polamalu after being a third-round choice in 2013; and a pair of rookies, No. 2 pick Senquez Golson and No. 4 Doran Grant.

Both rookies will be given a chance to play, especially Golson, who, despite his size (5-8 ½), gives the Steelers something they haven’t had in a long time – a ball-hawking corner.

The key will be whether Cortez Allen can bounce back after being benched for poor play to reclaim one of the starting corners. Veteran Willie Gay is back after a season in which he had three interception returns for touchdown and will keep the seat warm until Golson is ready.But the team lost Brice McCain in free agency, meaning Antwon Blake will get more of a chance to play if the rookies are slow to transition to the pro game.

Free safety Mike Mitchell, who was signed in free agency last season, should be better because he doesn’t have to worry about covering for Polamalu.They will need that to stem the plethora of big pass plays that have hurt the team the past two season.

to read rest of article:

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2015/07/01/Key-position-No-2-New-faces-will-abound-in-secondary/stories/201507010003

It will be very exciting and interesting to see how this young defense with so many new faces comes together.

As for Mitchell, he seems like the type of guy that would rather lay a big hit than make a sure tackle.
Hopefully, his repaired "two groins" will repair his mindset.
Justifying his lackluster play because he needed to cover for Troy.....not buying it.

Yeah, I never realized that Dulac was a Troy hater. Having to cover for Troy wasn't the reason Mitchell sucked last season. The guy was a downgrade from Old and slow Ryan Clark.

2015 NFL Offseason: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Year: 11-5)

2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Analysis: The Steelers have one of the top offenses in the NFL, and if Ben Roethlisberger continues to play as well as he did in 2014, the team could make an extremely deep playoff push. However, the defense is still a major question mark, and it could be the reason why Roethlisberger fails to claim his third Super Bowl ring.

Projection: 10-6

2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Offense:

Ben Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowls in his career, yet the 2014 campaign in which he was one-and-done in the playoffs was arguably his best season as a pro. Roethlisberger set career-highs in completion percentage (67.1), yards (4,952) and touchdown passes (32). He also tossed just nine interceptions. Roethlisberger is at the top of his game right now, and there's not much doubt that he's one of the four best signal-callers in the NFL...

to read rest of article:

http://walterfootball.com/offseason2015pit.php#0u9uDsf0cQbWVxLJ.99

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

2015 NFL Offseason: Pittsburgh Steelers
 
      Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Year: 11-5)

2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Analysis: The Steelers have one of the top offenses in the NFL, and if Ben Roethlisberger continues to play as well as he did in 2014, the team could make an extremely deep playoff push. However, the defense is still a major question mark, and it could be the reason why Roethlisberger fails to claim his third Super Bowl ring.

Projection: 10-6

2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Offense:

Ben Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowls in his career, yet the 2014 campaign in which he was one-and-done in the playoffs was arguably his best season as a pro. Roethlisberger set career-highs in completion percentage (67.1), yards (4,952) and touchdown passes (32). He also tossed just nine interceptions. Roethlisberger is at the top of his game right now, and there's not much doubt that he's one of the four best signal-callers in the NFL...

to read rest of article:

http://walterfootball.com/offseason2015pit.php#0u9uDsf0cQbWVxLJ.99

Good read, I generally enjoy Charlie Campbell's assessments because he justifies them well. That being said, did you look at his rookie forecast? He pretty much has every Steeler draft pick panning out, except Golson. Would be nice to see the Steelers hit on all draft picks, but its not likely. He's got Coates and Golson as potential bust picks, but Coates also a potential boom.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Good read, I generally enjoy Charlie Campbell's assessments because he justifies them well.  That being said, did you look at his rookie forecast?  He pretty much has every Steeler draft pick panning out, except Golson.  Would be nice to see the Steelers hit on all draft picks, but its not likely.  He's got Coates and Golson as potential bust picks, but Coates also a potential boom.

I also don't agree with Charlie's assessment that Troy was our best DB last year...

Haven't we had questions on our defense since 2005?

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Good read, I generally enjoy Charlie Campbell's assessments because he justifies them well.  That being said, did you look at his rookie forecast?  He pretty much has every Steeler draft pick panning out, except Golson.  Would be nice to see the Steelers hit on all draft picks, but its not likely.  He's got Coates and Golson as potential bust picks, but Coates also a potential boom.

I also don't agree with Charlie's assessment that Troy was our best DB last year...

He said "One of the Steelers best defensive backs"...

I would say that Gay, Polamalu and McCain were the Steelers top DB's last year. Allen, Ike, Blake, McCain all got situational reps as backups or were injured. Really speaks to the state of how bad the secondary was last year.

Yea Troy in my opinion wasn't the beat DB. I'd say Will Gay.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Yeah, I never realized that Dulac was a Troy hater.  Having to cover for Troy wasn't the reason Mitchell sucked last season.  The guy was a downgrade from Old and slow Ryan Clark.

This was absolutely part of it. Mitchell's groin injury was far and away the biggest reason for his lackluster play, but playing in a scheme that forced him to play center field to Polamalu was part of the problem. Throw on film of the last few games of the season when Polamalu was forced out of the line up due to injury. When asked to play a more traditional free safety role, Mitchell's play immediately improved.

You can't pin Mitchell's poor play on Polamalu, but having to play an unfamiliar role in a scheme that he wasn't comfortable with while injured was the reason for his play.

SteelersCanada wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Yeah, I never realized that Dulac was a Troy hater.  Having to cover for Troy wasn't the reason Mitchell sucked last season.  The guy was a downgrade from Old and slow Ryan Clark.

This was absolutely part of it. Mitchell's groin injury was far and away the biggest reason for his lackluster play, but playing in a scheme that forced him to play center field to Polamalu was part of the problem. Throw on film of the last few games of the season when Polamalu was forced out of the line up due to injury. When asked to play a more traditional free safety role, Mitchell's play immediately improved.

You can't pin Mitchell's poor play on Polamalu, but having to play an unfamiliar role in a scheme that he wasn't comfortable with while injured was the reason for his play.

Mitchell hasn't played in a familiar role in his 6 years in the NFL. His first 4 in Oakland sucked, he had one good year in Carolina and one last year in Pittsburgh that fans can recall as disappointing. I hope he makes big strides this year in his 7th in the NFL, but honestly think he is a guy that celebrates like a world beater, but has shown he is in the bottom 1/3 of NFL Free Safety's.

It's 2015. Meet the Bizarro Steelers

by Jason Reid, NFL

Renowned for their defense for what seems like decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers were much better on offense last season, and it appears a sea change has occurred. The Steelers -- led by a future Hall of Famer at quarterback and loaded with veteran superstars -- could be second to none in the NFL on offense in 2015. Meanwhile, a youth movement on defense will be in full swing.

All signs indicate the Steelers will need to rack up points in hopes of winning a playoff game for the first time since the 2010 season, and that's not how they're used to operating. It's as if the Steelers suddenly are in the Bizarro World, the comic book planet where everything is the opposite of what you'd expect. From the look of things, they could be there for a while.

"When you think of the Steelers, you think of defense first, and that's always the way it has been," former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, an ESPN analyst, said on the phone this week.

"So is this strange? Yeah. It's really strange."

No one understands that better than Clark. For eight of his 13 NFL seasons, Clark, who retired after playing for the Washington Redskins last fall, was a Steelers team leader. During that time, Pittsburgh won two AFC titles and one of its record six Lombardi trophies. "There's a culture on defense," Clark said. "There's a level of expectation that few teams have ever had."

No doubt.

When fans still revere a defensive line from the 1970s -- the "Steel Curtain" provided the foundation for four Super Bowl victories in six seasons -- there's no question about your franchise's identity.

Beginning with the 2005 season, which the Steelers capped with a Super Bowl win, they finished in the top 10 in total defense for eight straight seasons, including leading the league four times. On offense in that period, Pittsburgh ranked high among the league leaders only twice, finishing no better than seventh in total yards. There was nothing unusual there.

Then last season, it all flipped: Pittsburgh finished second in total yards.

Ben Roethlisberger topped the NFL and broke his team record with 4,952 yards passing. Roethlisberger's 32 touchdown passes matched his franchise mark. In running back Le'Veon Bell's second season, he emerged as the every-down monster the Steelers hoped he would become, leading the league in yards from scrimmage. (Bell faces a three-game suspension to start the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.) Wideout Antonio Brown was a big-play artist. The offensive line took a step forward, and if there's a better center than Maurkice Pouncey, no one seems to know it. That group formed the core of the Steelers' strength.

Meanwhile, the defense struggled...

to read rest of article:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13266548/bizarro-steelers-need-win-offense-nfl

SCB Steelers 2015 Training Camp Battle Report: Defensive Line

July 16, 2015



The Steelers enter the 2015 season with a wide range of questions about the defensive front. One thing that’s for certain is that Cam Heyward is very close to becoming to one of the top defensive ends in the league. Another good season will make that all but a certainty.

After that, there’s potential, some promise and some serious concerns for this unit of the Steelers.

Starters: Cam Heyward, Steve McLendon, Stephon Tuitt

Although the Steelers spend less than 50% of the time in the base 3-4, the front three still remains important. Heyward has blossomed significantly in the last two seasons and is one of the top defensive linemen in the AFC now.

McLendon has unfairly been criticized because he isn’t Casey Hampton. Any time you take over for a guy who was so crucial for so long on this defense, comparison will be made. McLendon isn’t the same type of player ‘Big Snack’ was and he’s battled injuries as well. He’ll get the nod at nose but I expect him to be challenged.

Tuitt admitted in the offseason that he struggled to pick up the defense and things were difficult for him at first. Once he got comfortable though his play immediately trended upward and I think that’s where he’s headed for 2015. Don’t be surprised to see Tuitt used by Keith Butler in variety of ways this coming season.

Reserves: Daniel McCullers, L.T. Walton, Cam Thomas, Clifton Geathers

Of those four guys, I see only McCullers as a sure thing...

to read rest of article:

http://steelcityblitz.com/2015/07/16/scb-steelers-2015-training-camp-battle-report-defensive-line/

Starting Defense More Stable Than Early Offseason Talk

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/07/starting-defense-more-stable-than-early-offseason-talk/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Table Is Set For A Steelers Defensive Resurgence In 2015

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/07/table-is-set-for-a-steelers-defensive-resurgence-in-2015/