ESPN: Steelers get back to Blitzburgh (well, almost)

In addition to this article, I think that "before" the wk 11 games I read somewhere the defense was 4th in total turnovers. Not a bad turn-around in that category either.

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Article:

PITTSBURGH -- If you’re an opposing quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ll probably get sacked a lot, and you’ll probably have a hard time scoring more than 20 points.

But you’ll get yardage. Lots of yardage.

Passing defense is holding back Pittsburgh from making the leap from good to great...

LINK: http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/16325/blitzburgh-is-back-well-almost

I like the physicality of the defense this year. We're giving up yards but we're getting to the QB and punishing WR's. The end result is creating turnovers. TBH I'd rather have a defense that allows yards but few points and forces turnovers, over the version of our defense a few years back where they were top 5 in yardage allowed, but forced no turnovers/sacks and blew a lot of 4th quarter leads.

Points and turnovers win games, yardage is for fantasy geeks

I long for the days of the Steel Curtain but I also know we will never,ever see that type of defense again.
I do like the fact that even though teams are moving the ball on us they are also paying for it in the way of D.. in the dirt hits. If you suit up to work the middle of the field expect to get "slobberknockered" as Madden put it. Just imagine if Blake could cover.
I'll take what we have right now because it is far above what I expected to see this year from our secondary.
Even though Tuitt has been back in I'm not sure he's completely healthy. Heyward is a beast and we are getting to the QBs at least disrupting their throws and pressuring them.
What helps us is when healthy (Ben is in) we can score from anywhere on the field. Key here is DW staying healthy and no injuries to our receivers or lineman or Ben again ( alot of keys)
If we stay healthy we can beat anyone. We should be the team that keeps others teams up at night.

The defense is certainly playing with an intensity I haven't seen for several years.

They're doing a lot better than I thought they would. Maybe the yards allowed leaves up to something to be desired but we are getting more sacks, INTs, and fumbles than we have in a while. Lebeau was a living legend but it was time for a new era. We made the right move there. I think Bud Dupree's going to be a star too. I've even liked what I've seen from JJ this year. He's not a star but he's getting to point where you feel comfortable with him there.

We have done a great job rebuilding the "old and slow" defense from a few years back. Shazier and Dupree were back to back slam dunk round one picks IMO. I think Shazier will be able to stay healthy and Dupree has out performed my expectations for his first year.

How many picks do we have this year? A few years back I remember reading that we were on pace to record the least amount of interceptions ever in a season.

Safety Will Allen seems to know it.

That’s why he’s lobbying for a six-game goal to end the year – give up between 200 to 250 passing yards per game. That’s at least 28 less than the Steelers’ average of 278, the third-worst in the league.

“These last few weeks, 300 yards a game is not good,” Allen said.


So writers recognize that the Steelers give up a ton of passing yardage, Will Allen knows they give up a lot of passing yardage. I bet there is one CB on the team that is top 5 in receptions allowed in the NFL in the starting lineup. What is the logical thing to do to improve it??

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Safety Will Allen seems to know it.

That’s why he’s lobbying for a six-game goal to end the year – give up between 200 to 250 passing yards per game. That’s at least 28 less than the Steelers’ average of 278, the third-worst in the league.

“These last few weeks, 300 yards a game is not good,” Allen said.


So writers recognize that the Steelers give up a ton of passing yardage, Will Allen knows they give up a lot of passing yardage.  I bet there is one CB on the team that is top 5 in receptions allowed in the NFL in the starting lineup.  What is the logical thing to do to improve it??

Give that same CB a 5 year contract......


I hope that Golson, Grant, or a new FA or draft pick emerge as quality CBs. I really like Cockrell. It think he was a great pick up. If they can just upgrade the CB position, they can transform this defense into a formidable one that can dictate to opposing offenses and help the pass rush get to the quarterback even more often.

pczach wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Safety Will Allen seems to know it.

That’s why he’s lobbying for a six-game goal to end the year – give up between 200 to 250 passing yards per game. That’s at least 28 less than the Steelers’ average of 278, the third-worst in the league.

“These last few weeks, 300 yards a game is not good,” Allen said.


So writers recognize that the Steelers give up a ton of passing yardage, Will Allen knows they give up a lot of passing yardage.  I bet there is one CB on the team that is top 5 in receptions allowed in the NFL in the starting lineup.  What is the logical thing to do to improve it??

Give that same CB a 5 year contract......


I hope that Golson, Grant, or a new FA or draft pick emerge as quality CBs. I really like Cockrell. It think he was a great pick up. If they can just upgrade the CB position, they can transform this defense into a formidable one that can dictate to opposing offenses and help the pass rush get to the quarterback even more often.

I am so pleased they got Cockrell. I wanted him in the 3rd instead of Dri Archer and he eventually got here. I think the Steelers are going to try and keep either Gay or Blake, but something tells me they will try and keep the younger guy in Blake. Golson will be fine and get a chance to compete for the #2 or at least the slot corner. After that, I don't know.

I cant remember who put me on to Jeremy Cash of Duke, but he is backing up his solid junior season, with a good senior one. Cash would be a great addition to the secondary, IMO.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

pczach wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

Safety Will Allen seems to know it.

That’s why he’s lobbying for a six-game goal to end the year – give up between 200 to 250 passing yards per game. That’s at least 28 less than the Steelers’ average of 278, the third-worst in the league.

“These last few weeks, 300 yards a game is not good,” Allen said.


So writers recognize that the Steelers give up a ton of passing yardage, Will Allen knows they give up a lot of passing yardage.  I bet there is one CB on the team that is top 5 in receptions allowed in the NFL in the starting lineup.  What is the logical thing to do to improve it??

Give that same CB a 5 year contract......


I hope that Golson, Grant, or a new FA or draft pick emerge as quality CBs. I really like Cockrell. It think he was a great pick up. If they can just upgrade the CB position, they can transform this defense into a formidable one that can dictate to opposing offenses and help the pass rush get to the quarterback even more often.

I am so pleased they got Cockrell.  I wanted him in the 3rd instead of Dri Archer and he eventually got here.  I think the Steelers are going to try and keep either Gay or Blake, but something tells me they will try and keep the younger guy in Blake.     Golson will be fine and get a chance to compete for the #2 or at least the slot corner.  After that, I don't know.

I cant remember who put me on to Jeremy Cash of Duke, but he is backing up his solid junior season, with a good senior one.  Cash would be a great addition to the secondary, IMO.  

I was like you. I hated the Archer pick, and was screaming for a CB. Cockrell was a guy I was putting in many of my mock drafts because I thought he was a great fit for the defensive style the Steelers play. I thought there was a chance he could go as high as the second round. When he was available in the third round it was a no-brainer to me.

All that matters is that the Steelers lucked out and he is here now.

I believe Golson is going to be a player. He has unique quickness and ball skills. I know he's small, but he is an explosive athlete with great leaping ability.

I haven't been pushing Jeremy Cash of Duke because I haven't really discussed next years draft yet, so it wasn't me. But I think he's a player. A guy that brings a physical style of play, but could also make a difference in coverage. He'd be a good fit here. I love physical players with coverage and ball skills. I also love players that show athletic promise that come from strong academic schools. If you show athleticism and a high football IQ combined with the brains and ability to learn quickly, I want that type of player.

Here's a link to an interesting article about Cash: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/acc/2015/07/22/duke-football-jeremy-cash-ohio-state-transfer/30500889/