Steelers Begin Bold Move To Cover-2 Defense

It's not nearly as bad as advertised. People forget that the starting 11 haven't played a snap together this preseason due to various nicks and bumps from training camp.

They won't be good, but they won't be the Saints from a couple of years ago.

Pittsburgh Steelers Linebacker Lawrence Timmons is healthy and ready for week 1 against the New England Patriots*

By Christopher Carter on Sep 5, 2015



Lawrence Timmons could have played this week but chose to sit in preparation for opening night.

The best defensive player on the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers right now is Lawrence Timmons, the Pro Bowl middle linebacker and most experienced of any starter on the defense.

Timmons was the first draft pick in the Mike Tomlin era when he was selected in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He rose from being a depth player behind James Farrior and Larry Foote to being one of the primary starters on the defense.

The 2015 preseason only saw the Steelers use Timmons in the Hall of Fame game against the Minnesota Vikings. Since then No. 94 has been sidelined nursing a turf-toe injury that has been a cause of worry to some who want to see the defense's best player on the field to help a very young crew.

Thankfully, Timmons appears to be on the mend. Him sitting out most of preseason seems to be more of a precautionary move than anything else, and he appears to be ready to play.

to read rest of article:

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2015-nfl-regular-season-pittsburgh-steelers-new-england-Patriots*-tickets-predictions-streaming-time-how-to-watch/2015/9/5/9265419/injury-report-lawrence-timmons-healthy-week-1-steelers-win-Patriots*

Will Allen will start over Sharmarko against the Pats*.

BlackAndGold wrote:

Will Allen will start over Sharmarko against the Pats**.

that is so disappointing. necessary but disappointing

BlackAndGold wrote:

Will Allen will start over Sharmarko against the Pats***.

So much for the Steelers being concerned about safeties Shamarko Thomas and Mike Mitchell not playing together much in the preseason.

Thomas, who was expected to replace Troy Polamalu as the Steelers’ starting strong safety, said Sunday that he has been demoted and that veteran Will Allen will get the start when Pittsburgh travels to New England Thursday to open the NFL season.

“The starters are Mike Mitchell and Will Allen,” a disappointed Thomas said. “I’m just going to do my job and work.”

Thomas, a third-year safety out of Syracuse, said defensive backs coach Carnell Lake broke the news to him when he arrived at the team facility on the South Side

http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20150906/SPORTS0403/150909576#.VexZX3CiGGA.twitter

Once again the P-G gets beat on a Steelers story

That is concerning about Thomas not developing as expected.

And we traded up to get him.

That is why I thought that Calvin Pryor should have been the #1 pick instead of Shazier. Still remains to be seen if he turns out to be a good player or not, but I thought that Safety was a more glaring hole than ILB.

Thomas just isn't a cover 2 safety. His strengths are playing around the line of scrimmage like a hybird LB similar how Troy played. So idk why they didn't address this.

Should have traded up and drafted Kenny Vaccaro in the 2013 draft.

I don't think Vaccaro was special enough that they needed to trade up. Cost in the 1st round might have been a bit much. The secondary today is like the O line 5 years ago. Waited too long to add young developing talent.

That being said, I think I like the young guys here like Boykin, Allen, Blake, Golson, Cockrell and I do like Grant. I just don't see any decent safety talent on the roster.

BlackAndGold wrote:

Will Allen will start over Sharmarko against the Pats**.

I asked Gerry on the status of Sharmarko

Comment From Guest
Does the coaching staff still believe in Sharmarko to regain the starting position at SS?
11:03
Gerry Dulac: Yes. He's having problems getting comfortable with the defense, which they believe is a short-term thing. I think you will see him back in the starting lineup soon

http://www.post-gazette.com/chat

^ Interesting.

I guess getting comfortable with the defense is not knowing which gap or assignment to take and taking bad angles to tackle.

All fixable with time and experience.

BlackAndGold wrote:

BlackAndGold wrote:

Will Allen will start over Sharmarko against the Pats***.

I asked Gerry on the status of Sharmarko

Comment From Guest
Does the coaching staff still believe in Sharmarko to regain the starting position at SS?
11:03
Gerry Dulac: Yes. He's having problems getting comfortable with the defense, which they believe is a short-term thing. I think you will see him back in the starting lineup soon

http://www.post-gazette.com/chat

That was a good question to ask, props. Glad Gerry answered you. I hope it works out for him. I know we get frustrated with players but these are guys and knowing Sharmenko's story (he's raising his younger siblings since his folks passed away), I'm really rooting hard for the kid to do well. Having another great SS would also be good too but when you know about the guy behind the helmet, it's that easier to root for them in hard and good times.

Shamarko has been a beast for me in Madden 16.

Alex Kozora ‏@Alex_Kozora

I think we'll see a lot less Cover 2 in this game. Butler definitely hid a lot of coverages in the preseason. See more pattern matching.

https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora

Steelers’ defense embarrasses itself against Patriots*

September 10, 2015
by Larry Brown

The NFL regular season began on Thursday night, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was acting like it was still the preseason.

Pittsburgh’s defense committed a bevy of critical mistakes that one would not expect from an NFL team, much less a unit that typically ranks among the league’s best.

On the Patriots*’ first touchdown of the game, the Steelers straight up neglected to cover Rob Gronkowski, as if leaving the league’s most potent red-zone threat all alone would not come back to bite them:



The next time the Patriots* were down in the red zone, Pittsburgh said, “They already scored on us when we had 11 men on the field, let’s see if they can do it against 10!”

Of course New England scored a touchdown again.

Then in the fourth quarter they continued to have problems against Gronk. They often single-covered him with a linebacker and no safety help, allowing him to burn them.

Gronk finished with five catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

Former Ravens coach Brian Billick said it best:

Brian Billick ✔@CoachBillick

Can't recall a Pittsburgh defense this unorganized and undisciplined. Paging Dick LeBeau!

Dick LeBeau was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2004-2014, but the team let him go after last season since the defense had slipped for the second year in a row. Looks like they could still use some guidance from the 78-year-old.

to read rest of article:

http://larrybrownsports.com/football/steelers-defense-embarrassing-gronk-Patriots*/273389

Question: In the age where the tight end is probably the most valuable skill player on the field, will the cover 2 be as effective? Those midfield holes are problematic, especially if the Steelers have to blitz to get pressure.

Sharko's gonna be like Keenan Lewis, looks terrible until his contract year, then gets offered more money than we can afford :P

how they graded out defensively last night (from Pro Football Focus):

Best:

McLendon +2.0
Mitchell +2.0
McCullers +1.4

Worst:

Golden -1.5
Blake -2.6
Timmons -3.6
Cortez -4.2

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

Steelers’ defense embarrasses itself against Patriots****

September 10, 2015
by Larry Brown

The NFL regular season began on Thursday night, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense was acting like it was still the preseason.

Pittsburgh’s defense committed a bevy of critical mistakes that one would not expect from an NFL team, much less a unit that typically ranks among the league’s best.

On the Patriots****’ first touchdown of the game, the Steelers straight up neglected to cover Rob Gronkowski, as if leaving the league’s most potent red-zone threat all alone would not come back to bite them:



The next time the Patriots**** were down in the red zone, Pittsburgh said, “They already scored on us when we had 11 men on the field, let’s see if they can do it against 10!”

Of course New England scored a touchdown again.

Then in the fourth quarter they continued to have problems against Gronk. They often single-covered him with a linebacker and no safety help, allowing him to burn them.

Gronk finished with five catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

Former Ravens coach Brian Billick said it best:

Brian Billick ✔@CoachBillick

Can't recall a Pittsburgh defense this unorganized and undisciplined. Paging Dick LeBeau!

Dick LeBeau was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2004-2014, but the team let him go after last season since the defense had slipped for the second year in a row. Looks like they could still use some guidance from the 78-year-old.

to read rest of article:

http://larrybrownsports.com/football/steelers-defense-embarrassing-gronk-Patriots****/273389

I call that the bold move to cover 0. The idea is born in psychology. If properly executed the opposing quarterback will look over and see what appears to be a star receiver standing around with no defensive players lining up opposite of him. They will then simply write it off because they'll feel that it can't be possible that someone is that open, and it must be a mirage. Statistics suggest that it works 60% of the time, it works every time.

Steelers fans mourn the death of a legend, and the end of an era

By PaVaSteeler on Sep 12, 2015



On Thursday night, Steeler Nation paid its last respects to a legend, as the final, irrefutable evidence of the end of an era was witnessed.

The legend that has passed away is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense. The Steel Curtain defense, Blitzburgh, or any other appellation that may have been used over the past 20-plus years to describe the singular most widely recognized characteristic of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is dead.

I'm not talking about the fact that the Steelers' defense gave up 28 points to the New England Patriots* in Foxborough before a national audience, or how the Patriots* amassed 361 total yards and scored four passing touchdowns. I'm not referring to any of the game stats themselves, for even at the height of whichever era of Steelers defense you most associate with the team, there were games where they gave up such stats to top-tier quarterbacks and opposing offenses.

What I'm talking about is the death of the legend of the Steelers defense. You remember that legend, don't you? The part where teams may defeat the Steelers, but they'd walk off the field at the end of the game bloody, bruised and battered. Where the Steelers defense made opposing offenses pay in blood and sweat for every yard and point. Where quarterbacks had to prove they could scramble and juke to their left and their right because they never knew from where a devastating hit was coming. A defense that may not always have prevented the opponent from scoring, but made them work for it.

Where the talented and high-caliber offensive opponents raised their own game to such a level that, for those in Steeler Nation who loved the pure essence of the game, watching such an offense defeat our defense engendered respect and admiration. We were witnessing potential championship-caliber performances and we relished such conflicts because, after all, iron sharpens iron, right?

Well, that Steelers defense is dead. What Steeler Nation witnessed on Thursday night, what the entire football world witnessed, was a travesty and a mockery of a once-proud Steelers defensive unit.

A travesty because on series after series, we witnessed discombobulation in our secondary as they prepared for the snap of the ball. Play after play, one Steeler player or another was waving his arms or looking around, trying to figure out who was supposed to go where. Play after play, one Patriots*' playmaker or another, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola or Julian Edelman, was left virtually uncovered and allowed to slip between the seams and gain huge chunks of yardage.

A mockery because what we saw on the field in Foxborough was not a Steelers defense that I, nor anyone in Steeler Nation, could recognize. Against three (yes, three) rookie offensive linemen, one playing center, the once-vaunted Steelers' pass rush was invisible.

to read rest of article:

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-opinions-reactions-news-updates/2015/9/12/9310109/steelers-fans-mourn-the-death-of-a-legend-and-the-end-of-an-era

My personal manifestation of the same revelation: I'm watching Thursday's game with my wife and after several inept plays by the secondary/defense I yell out, "this defense sucks!" "They're horrible!"
She turns to me and says, "it's been nearly 40 years and I've never heard you say that about the Steelers."

What worried me the most was the lack of pass rush. We couldn't do anything against an inexperienced offensive line. And that while we have invested a lot in our front 7 the last couple of years through the draft. If they can't put it together our untalented secondary will suffer even more than it would do already.

.............but it will return. The writer of the article is being too dramatic and reactionary. Yes, they aren't very good right now, but I see signs that they can get much better very soon. They have added several talented pieces to the defense, and they are beginning the process of restoring the bite and the pride that this franchise has had on that side of the ball for half a century.

I know this because I have seen it with my own eyes as I've experienced all the ups and downs of this team over that period of time.

There have been other times in the last 50 years that the defense fell upon hard times. Every time, the organization rebuilt it into a dominant force that controlled, battered, and humbled the opposition for a decade or more at a time. I know it's hard to watch when they are going through those transitions, but make no mistake.......history will repeat itself.

Steelers film session: Cover 2 opportunities limited against Patriots*

By Chris Adamski
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015



Steelers safety Will Allen (20) covered tight ends and the slot receiver, and even blitzed against the Patriots* in Thursday's season opener.

One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Steelers this preseason was a purported shift toward more of a Cover 2 defensive philosophy.

Well, for the opener, at least, it was just talk. Likely in a nod to the over-the-middle matchup nightmare that is New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Steelers rarely utilized Cover 2 against the Patriots* on Thursday.

During the first half, especially, strong safety Will Allen was much more often lining up along the line of scrimmage than he was back deep roaming half of the field.

Allen, the veteran who last week was bumped up the depth chart ahead of Shamarko Thomas, looked in some ways like Troy Polamalu during the first regular-season game the Steelers played without the likely future Hall of Famer.

Allen covered tight ends, was on slot receivers and even blitzed — getting a third-down sack of Tom Brady during the fourth quarter.

Cornerback Brandon Boykin, acquired in a trade from the Eagles early in camp, was thought to be brought in, in part, because of his fit in a Cover 2 scheme. Boykin did not play on defense Thursday.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

• Another storyline throughout the offseason concerning the secondary was Thomas' anticipated ascension as the heir apparent for Polamalu at strong safety. Not only could the third-year pro not hold on to his starting spot, more telling was that Robert Golden played much more often at safety than Thomas. Golden logged a career-high 24 snaps. At one point during the Patriots*' second offensive possession, Golden and Thomas were in at the same time. But Thomas was in on only four defensive plays.

• The offensive line, statistically, had a good day: DeAngelo Williams had 127 rushing yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry, and Ben Roethlisberger was sacked only twice. Williams was fond of reminding everyone during training camp that he's not a “big back.” A decade ago, his speed was clocked at 4.4 seconds in the 40. The line was giving him gaping holes all night, and Williams — at 32 years old — showed he still has impressive burst to get through, often untouched. Backup center Cody Wallace was the weakest link (unless you factor in that left tackle Kelvin Beachum was flagged three times) — the first sack of Roethlisberger was by inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower on a well-designed blitz that appeared to confuse Wallace.

• With Martavis Bryant and Le'Veon Bell unavailable because of suspension and the Steelers lacking depth to have suitable replacements at the bottom of the depth chart, their personnel packages were severely limited. Dri Archer, Tyler Murphy and Roosevelt Nix combined for fewer than 10 snaps until the Steelers' final (virtually meaningless) possession late. That meant that there were only seven non-quarterback “skill” players used throughout the vast majority of the game — Williams, receivers Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Darrius Heyward-Bey, tight ends Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth and hybrid-everything Will Johnson.

• On the failed gadget play that stalled the Steelers' first possession, No. 2 tight end Spaeth appeared to be the primary target for Brown to throw to. He was the only player out on a route initially, although Williams also was an option after staying in to chip a pass-rusher. Late, after he'd blocked to protect Brown, Wheaton broke free — but by then, Brown was under siege and about to be sacked. It would have been a difficult throw back across his body for the lefthanded Brown anyway.

• Mitigating “splash plays” has long been an emphasis of Mike Tomlin — and it all but was the bedrock behind the design of Dick LeBeau's defenses. How you define one on offense varies, but the Steelers allowed only one rush or completion of 20 or more yards against the Patriots* — the 52-yard completion to an uncovered Rob Gronkowski early in the fourth quarter. New England averaged nearly 3 1⁄2 plays of at least 20 yards per game last season.

• After completing nine of his first 10 and 12 of his first 14 after taking a snap out of the shotgun, Roethlisberger endured a stretch over the next 14 shotgun snaps in which six resulted in completed passes (six incompletions, a sack and an interception). Williams gained 33 rushing yards on seven carries on plays that began with a shotgun snap.

• New England periodically used a set that included not two, not three, but four tight ends. The six snaps that included Gronkowski, Scott Chandler, Michael Hoomanawanui and Michael Williams resulted in three touchdowns. All three were the personnel (and situation for) a “goal-line” package. But two featured the tight ends out wide, including Gronkowski's third touchdown of the game in which he and Chandler (initially lined up in the backfield) split out wide. Only during Gronkowski's second touchdown of the game in the second quarter were all four tight ends in tight to the formation — two on each side. The two on the right (including, of course, inside man Gronkowski) went out on routes.

to read rest of article:

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/9081016-74/steelers-tight-cover#ixzz3ldjubVqW