Bill Cowher: Steelers are a 'formidable' defensive team again

Good interview from Post Gazette with Cowher

Quote :

The Steelers have been heavily leaning on their defense this season in Ben Roethlisberger’s absence. It hasn’t gone unnoticed, including by someone who knows a thing or two about putting together Super Bowl-caliber defenses.

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher went on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday and praised the Steelers’ revamped defense, which is currently ranked 15th overall in the NFL and has forced 15 turnovers in six games, the second-most of any team besides the New England Patriots*.

The Steelers have also racked up 20 sacks, which is good for third in the NFL behind the Patriots* and Carolina Panthers.

"They're taking the ball away, they're getting after the quarterback, [Bud] Dupree is playing very, very well along with T.J. [Watt],” Cowher said. “It's a pretty formidable defensive group.

“I think the one thing you're seeing is that they're creating turnovers. It's kind of going back to the days of, this is a defensive football team. That's how they're going to win games."

Cowher went on to show a lot of love for the secondary, which after being a big weakness for most of this decade is finally starting to become a strength.

“I think that defense as a whole is getting better and better because I think people are starting to get more comfortable, particularly on the back end,” he said. “As Minkah [Fitzpatrick] gets in there working with Terrell [Edmunds] and Steven Nelson in working with Joe [Haden] and then Artie [Burns] coming in with Mike Hilton.

“It's really been a pretty impressive group in the secondary because I think that's the biggest part, to me, with that defense."

He must be feeling pretty vindicated by the emergence of this Steelers secondary, as he was on the record as being in on the Fitzpatrick trade from day one.

That positive reinforcement for both the front seven and secondary carries weight coming from a guy who coached the likes of James Farrior, Casey Hampton, Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu.

The big takeaway from the first few games of the season for Cowher is that in his mind, the revitalized defense has officially become the Steelers’ identity after years of the team being defined by its offensive weapons. "

Full article: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/10/17/Bill-Cowher-Steelers-defense-Dupree-Watt-Fitzpatrick-Nelson-Burns-Edmunds-Hilton/stories/201910170181

If we could get the offense rolling this would be a dangerous team. The receivers have got to step up on offense, we can't just keep relying on our running game and being one dimensional. Hopefully when we get Rudolph back and everyone healed up a little bit from the bye week, we will show some improvement in the receiving game.

The defense has been playing lights out, and they haven't even hit their ceiling yet. Losing Tuitt definitely hurts but I think Alualu and Buggs can hold down the fort.

Even without Tuitt this defense is formidable. Or will be soon. They're doing a good job of stopping the run and getting to the QB. Sacks are the best but knock downs and hurries are important. Plus we're getting turnovers while not giving up big plays. Really my only wish is that we could shut down the middle but that is hard in this pass happy league. I can see us being in the top 5 at season's end.
Mason needs time and then he has to scan the field and hit his man in stride.Chemistry is key. If he can hit Washington and Johnson enough Ju Ju can get open. Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju. That has to change if we expect to climb back in this thing.

Would still love to see Edmunds become a playmaker though.

solardave wrote:

Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju.

Just double? I've seen teams roll triple coverage his way.

That's the biggest issue with this team right now. The other receivers are not taking advantage of 1 on 1 matchups and getting open. If we could trade for a guy like Emmanuel Sanders, we should. He's familiar with the franchise, and can still play at a high level. With his injury history his cost shouldn't be sky high, and I think the Broncos would trade him for a 5th Rounder. He would instantly be the #2 in our offense, and teams would have to respect Sanders speed, and wouldn't be able to roll all the coverage Juju's way like they have been.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju.

Just double? I've seen teams roll triple coverage his way.

That's the biggest issue with this team right now. The other receivers are not taking advantage of 1 on 1 matchups and getting open. If we could trade for a guy like Emmanuel Sanders, we should. He's familiar with the franchise, and can still play at a high level. With his injury history his cost shouldn't be sky high, and I think the Broncos would trade him for a 5th Rounder. He would instantly be the #2 in our offense, and teams would have to respect Sanders speed, and wouldn't be able to roll all the coverage Juju's way like they have been.

Sanders coming back would help a lot.He may prove me wrong but I wish we would have not signed Moncrief. Also I just don't understand why Washington and Johnson can't get open. They run their route but I don't see them make any moves to create separation unless they're running a straight line down field. You have to come back to the ball. Neither one seems to have any football moves. Like you said even with double and triple teams Ju Ju manages to get open at least once or twice a game to pick up a first down. I'm pretty sure if each one of them doubled what Ju Ju can do Mason would find them and this offense would be pretty good.
Right now our opponents know all they have to do is play safeties deep, clog up the middle and cover Ju Ju. It's not just the wide outs either. Some of the blame needs to go to McDonald for cutting off routes 5 yards down the field when we need 8 or 10. If he catches it in stride he can do some damage but he's not going to outrun DBs if he's starting from a dead stop. He needs to get in between the LBs and the safeties for chunk plays.
Last but not least how much of this is Fitchner being conservative?

solardave wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju.

Just double? I've seen teams roll triple coverage his way.

That's the biggest issue with this team right now. The other receivers are not taking advantage of 1 on 1 matchups and getting open. If we could trade for a guy like Emmanuel Sanders, we should. He's familiar with the franchise, and can still play at a high level. With his injury history his cost shouldn't be sky high, and I think the Broncos would trade him for a 5th Rounder. He would instantly be the #2 in our offense, and teams would have to respect Sanders speed, and wouldn't be able to roll all the coverage Juju's way like they have been.

Sanders coming back would help a lot.He may prove me wrong but I wish we would have not signed Moncrief. Also I just don't understand why Washington and Johnson can't get open. They run their route but I don't see them make any moves to create separation unless they're running a straight line down field. You have to come back to the ball. Neither one seems to have any football moves. Like you said even with double and triple teams Ju Ju manages to get open at least once or twice a game to pick up a first down. I'm pretty sure if each one of them doubled what Ju Ju can do Mason would find them and this offense would be pretty good.
Right now our opponents know all they have to do is play safeties deep, clog up the middle and cover Ju Ju. It's not just the wide outs either. Some of the blame needs to go to  McDonald for cutting off routes 5 yards down the field when we need 8 or 10. If he catches it in stride he can do some damage but he's not going to outrun DBs if he's starting from a dead stop. He needs to get in between the LBs and the safeties for chunk plays.
Last but not least how much of this is Fitchner being conservative?

I'm not so sure the TEs lack of production is actually on them, I think a lot of that is the way Fitchner schemes as of late. The gameplan seems to be very conservative to me. He's not putting too much pressure on the QBs, and a lot of the plays seem to be short throws to the RBs. I know Fitchner likes to use those short throws as an extension of the running game, so to speak, but we have got to be more aggressive. I'm not saying we have to throw the ball deep constantly, but some short and medium throws to the TEs and WRs would be nice to see with a little more frequency.

Hard to say with the WRs how much of their lack of production is because of scheme. Honestly just watching the games, from what I can see guys just aren't getting open. They need to do a better job getting separation, especially in 1v1 matchups. Teams with good defenses that can line up and play man are going to expose us. The recipe to stop our offense should be stacking the box, taking away the run, and playing physically with our receivers. That's what I would do if I was a DC on another team.

Hopefully after the bye week, we'll see guys get healthy, and we'll open up the playbook a little bit. The offense is really the only thing that worries me about this team right now. Our defense is quite good, but they can't be expected to do everything on their own. The offense needs to hold their own at least. Right now we're just a step above Denver in my book. They are another team with a good defense that's being wasted by an underwhelming offense. Which is why we should try to get Manny Sanders back while the Broncos are down.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju.

Just double? I've seen teams roll triple coverage his way.

That's the biggest issue with this team right now. The other receivers are not taking advantage of 1 on 1 matchups and getting open. If we could trade for a guy like Emmanuel Sanders, we should. He's familiar with the franchise, and can still play at a high level. With his injury history his cost shouldn't be sky high, and I think the Broncos would trade him for a 5th Rounder. He would instantly be the #2 in our offense, and teams would have to respect Sanders speed, and wouldn't be able to roll all the coverage Juju's way like they have been.

Sanders coming back would help a lot.He may prove me wrong but I wish we would have not signed Moncrief. Also I just don't understand why Washington and Johnson can't get open. They run their route but I don't see them make any moves to create separation unless they're running a straight line down field. You have to come back to the ball. Neither one seems to have any football moves. Like you said even with double and triple teams Ju Ju manages to get open at least once or twice a game to pick up a first down. I'm pretty sure if each one of them doubled what Ju Ju can do Mason would find them and this offense would be pretty good.
Right now our opponents know all they have to do is play safeties deep, clog up the middle and cover Ju Ju. It's not just the wide outs either. Some of the blame needs to go to  McDonald for cutting off routes 5 yards down the field when we need 8 or 10. If he catches it in stride he can do some damage but he's not going to outrun DBs if he's starting from a dead stop. He needs to get in between the LBs and the safeties for chunk plays.
Last but not least how much of this is Fitchner being conservative?

I'm not so sure the TEs lack of production is actually on them, I think a lot of that is the way Fitchner schemes as of late. The gameplan seems to be very conservative to me. He's not putting too much pressure on the QBs, and a lot of the plays seem to be short throws to the RBs. I know Fitchner likes to use those short throws as an extension of the running game, so to speak, but we have got to be more aggressive. I'm not saying we have to throw the ball deep constantly, but some short and medium throws to the TEs and WRs would be nice to see with a little more frequency.

Hard to say with the WRs how much of their lack of production is because of scheme. Honestly just watching the games, from what I can see guys just aren't getting open. They need to do a better job getting separation, especially in 1v1 matchups. Teams with good defenses that can line up and play man are going to expose us. The recipe to stop our offense should be stacking the box, taking away the run, and playing physically with our receivers. That's what I would do if I was a DC on another team.

Hopefully after the bye week, we'll see guys get healthy, and we'll open up the playbook a little bit. The offense is really the only thing that worries me about this team right now. Our defense is quite good, but they can't be expected to do everything on their own. The offense needs to hold their own at least. Right now we're just a step above Denver in my book. They are another team with a good defense that's being wasted by an underwhelming offense. Which is why we should try to get Manny Sanders back while the Broncos are down.

You are right about opening up the playbook. We know what Vance can do when he is healthy. Vannett can block really well and seems to have pretty good hands. If they were to go after Sanders who do you see him replacing?
Honestly right now Washington and Johnson appear to be neck and neck in their ineptitude. The baffling part for me is that both of them are talented. I don't want to necessarily see Switzer over used but if he can help move the chains put him for screens and medium crossing routes. Something has to change and we all know Fitchner is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Using Ben being on IR doesn't cut it. If that was true the Saints wouldn't be 5-1 with Bridgewater. They are 5-1 because Payton knows how to adapt. We have deficiencies in our coaching staff as well as players not performing. I do agree Sanders would be an upgrade and yet I feel like the problems run much deeper. No imagination when it comes to calling this offense for starters. I hope you're right about us getting healthy , Fitchner passing that brain fart and opening things up so we can score some points. If we can give the defense the time to rest up in between we can win games.

solardave wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju.

Just double? I've seen teams roll triple coverage his way.

That's the biggest issue with this team right now. The other receivers are not taking advantage of 1 on 1 matchups and getting open. If we could trade for a guy like Emmanuel Sanders, we should. He's familiar with the franchise, and can still play at a high level. With his injury history his cost shouldn't be sky high, and I think the Broncos would trade him for a 5th Rounder. He would instantly be the #2 in our offense, and teams would have to respect Sanders speed, and wouldn't be able to roll all the coverage Juju's way like they have been.

Sanders coming back would help a lot.He may prove me wrong but I wish we would have not signed Moncrief. Also I just don't understand why Washington and Johnson can't get open. They run their route but I don't see them make any moves to create separation unless they're running a straight line down field. You have to come back to the ball. Neither one seems to have any football moves. Like you said even with double and triple teams Ju Ju manages to get open at least once or twice a game to pick up a first down. I'm pretty sure if each one of them doubled what Ju Ju can do Mason would find them and this offense would be pretty good.
Right now our opponents know all they have to do is play safeties deep, clog up the middle and cover Ju Ju. It's not just the wide outs either. Some of the blame needs to go to  McDonald for cutting off routes 5 yards down the field when we need 8 or 10. If he catches it in stride he can do some damage but he's not going to outrun DBs if he's starting from a dead stop. He needs to get in between the LBs and the safeties for chunk plays.
Last but not least how much of this is Fitchner being conservative?

I'm not so sure the TEs lack of production is actually on them, I think a lot of that is the way Fitchner schemes as of late. The gameplan seems to be very conservative to me. He's not putting too much pressure on the QBs, and a lot of the plays seem to be short throws to the RBs. I know Fitchner likes to use those short throws as an extension of the running game, so to speak, but we have got to be more aggressive. I'm not saying we have to throw the ball deep constantly, but some short and medium throws to the TEs and WRs would be nice to see with a little more frequency.

Hard to say with the WRs how much of their lack of production is because of scheme. Honestly just watching the games, from what I can see guys just aren't getting open. They need to do a better job getting separation, especially in 1v1 matchups. Teams with good defenses that can line up and play man are going to expose us. The recipe to stop our offense should be stacking the box, taking away the run, and playing physically with our receivers. That's what I would do if I was a DC on another team.

Hopefully after the bye week, we'll see guys get healthy, and we'll open up the playbook a little bit. The offense is really the only thing that worries me about this team right now. Our defense is quite good, but they can't be expected to do everything on their own. The offense needs to hold their own at least. Right now we're just a step above Denver in my book. They are another team with a good defense that's being wasted by an underwhelming offense. Which is why we should try to get Manny Sanders back while the Broncos are down.

You are right about opening up the playbook. We know what Vance can do when he is healthy. Vannett can block really well and seems to have pretty good hands. If they were to go after Sanders who do you see him replacing?
Honestly right now Washington and Johnson appear to be neck and neck in their ineptitude. The baffling part for me is that both of them are talented. I don't want to necessarily see Switzer over used but if he can help move the chains put him for screens and medium crossing routes. Something has to change and we all know Fitchner is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Using Ben being on IR doesn't cut it. If that was true the Saints wouldn't be 5-1 with Bridgewater. They are 5-1 because Payton knows how to adapt. We have deficiencies in our coaching staff as well as players not performing. I do agree Sanders would be an upgrade and yet I feel like the problems run much deeper. No imagination when it comes to calling this offense for starters. I hope you're right about us getting healthy , Fitchner passing that brain fart and opening things up so we can score some points. If we can give the defense the time to rest up in between we can win games.

Sanders can play outside and in the slot, he's versatile just like Juju. It would be up to Fitchner's imagination where he'd be lining them up. WR3 would probably be between Johnson and Washington. Johnson is a rookie, I think that's why he has his struggles. He needs another offseason under his belt, the game should slow down for him significantly come next season. There's not so much of an excuse to be made for Washington. I think Washington's biggest issue is lack of speed. He was beating dudes in college because you don't have to have elite speed in college, and he was just simply more talented than his competition. The system he played in was also beneficial for him as a pass catcher. In the NFL though, everyone is fast, and physical and it seems to me like Washington is struggling to get open because he just doesn't have the mixture of speed/talent needed to do so.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Right now our opponents know all they have to do is double Ju Ju.

Just double? I've seen teams roll triple coverage his way.

That's the biggest issue with this team right now. The other receivers are not taking advantage of 1 on 1 matchups and getting open. If we could trade for a guy like Emmanuel Sanders, we should. He's familiar with the franchise, and can still play at a high level. With his injury history his cost shouldn't be sky high, and I think the Broncos would trade him for a 5th Rounder. He would instantly be the #2 in our offense, and teams would have to respect Sanders speed, and wouldn't be able to roll all the coverage Juju's way like they have been.

Sanders coming back would help a lot.He may prove me wrong but I wish we would have not signed Moncrief. Also I just don't understand why Washington and Johnson can't get open. They run their route but I don't see them make any moves to create separation unless they're running a straight line down field. You have to come back to the ball. Neither one seems to have any football moves. Like you said even with double and triple teams Ju Ju manages to get open at least once or twice a game to pick up a first down. I'm pretty sure if each one of them doubled what Ju Ju can do Mason would find them and this offense would be pretty good.
Right now our opponents know all they have to do is play safeties deep, clog up the middle and cover Ju Ju. It's not just the wide outs either. Some of the blame needs to go to  McDonald for cutting off routes 5 yards down the field when we need 8 or 10. If he catches it in stride he can do some damage but he's not going to outrun DBs if he's starting from a dead stop. He needs to get in between the LBs and the safeties for chunk plays.
Last but not least how much of this is Fitchner being conservative?

I'm not so sure the TEs lack of production is actually on them, I think a lot of that is the way Fitchner schemes as of late. The gameplan seems to be very conservative to me. He's not putting too much pressure on the QBs, and a lot of the plays seem to be short throws to the RBs. I know Fitchner likes to use those short throws as an extension of the running game, so to speak, but we have got to be more aggressive. I'm not saying we have to throw the ball deep constantly, but some short and medium throws to the TEs and WRs would be nice to see with a little more frequency.

Hard to say with the WRs how much of their lack of production is because of scheme. Honestly just watching the games, from what I can see guys just aren't getting open. They need to do a better job getting separation, especially in 1v1 matchups. Teams with good defenses that can line up and play man are going to expose us. The recipe to stop our offense should be stacking the box, taking away the run, and playing physically with our receivers. That's what I would do if I was a DC on another team.

Hopefully after the bye week, we'll see guys get healthy, and we'll open up the playbook a little bit. The offense is really the only thing that worries me about this team right now. Our defense is quite good, but they can't be expected to do everything on their own. The offense needs to hold their own at least. Right now we're just a step above Denver in my book. They are another team with a good defense that's being wasted by an underwhelming offense. Which is why we should try to get Manny Sanders back while the Broncos are down.

You are right about opening up the playbook. We know what Vance can do when he is healthy. Vannett can block really well and seems to have pretty good hands. If they were to go after Sanders who do you see him replacing?
Honestly right now Washington and Johnson appear to be neck and neck in their ineptitude. The baffling part for me is that both of them are talented. I don't want to necessarily see Switzer over used but if he can help move the chains put him for screens and medium crossing routes. Something has to change and we all know Fitchner is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Using Ben being on IR doesn't cut it. If that was true the Saints wouldn't be 5-1 with Bridgewater. They are 5-1 because Payton knows how to adapt. We have deficiencies in our coaching staff as well as players not performing. I do agree Sanders would be an upgrade and yet I feel like the problems run much deeper. No imagination when it comes to calling this offense for starters. I hope you're right about us getting healthy , Fitchner passing that brain fart and opening things up so we can score some points. If we can give the defense the time to rest up in between we can win games.

Sanders can play outside and in the slot, he's versatile just like Juju. It would be up to Fitchner's imagination where he'd be lining them up. WR3 would probably be between Johnson and Washington. Johnson is a rookie, I think that's why he has his struggles. He needs another offseason under his belt, the game should slow down for him significantly come next season. There's not so much of an excuse to be made for Washington. I think Washington's biggest issue is lack of speed. He was beating dudes in college because you don't have to have elite speed in college, and he was just simply more talented than his competition. The system he played in was also beneficial for him as a pass catcher. In the NFL though, everyone is fast, and physical and it seems to me like Washington is struggling to get open because he just doesn't have the mixture of speed/talent needed to do so.

I hear what you're saying. Sanders is versatile and would be an upgrade IF Fitchner had an imagination. I don't think he has one. I think you're right about Washington too. I really had high hopes for him this year. I thought he would take the next step but it looks like he's barely improved. Johnson seems to have a higher ceiling. In all honesty I don't see Tomlin going after anymore help this year at any position. I'm not sure where we are with cap space but bringing back Walton had to erode some of it. That move makes we wonder how they feel about Buggs. I'd love to be a fly on the wall.

We currently have just over 4 million in available cap space.

You can't blame Washington much since Rudolph and Hodges have taken over. His strength is making contested catches on deep balls. He did it in college and he did in the preseason. He rarely beated his man by speed or by route running, he did it by outphysicalling them while making the catch. Now, since Ben is out Fichtner/Tomlin refuse to allow their QB to throw the ball deep and certainly not into coverage, taking away Washington's strongest asset.

Stella Nation wrote:

You can't blame Washington much since Rudolph and Hodges have taken over. His strength is making contested catches on deep balls. He did it in college and he did in the preseason. He rarely beated his man by speed or by route running, he did it by outphysicalling them while making the catch. Now, since Ben is out Fichtner/Tomlin refuse to allow their QB to throw the ball deep and certainly not into coverage, taking away Washington's strongest asset.

Didn't you just describe a "one trick pony"? I like Washington. Based on his college days you would think they'd let Mason go deep to him more often.

Well hope when Rudolph gets better he can do that. And that he could thrive.