tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post6535244738312055730..comments2024-01-01T18:41:14.457-05:00Comments on NFL from the sidelines: Tomlin wrap-up notesMoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13612323587459830074noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-84460064014332178172015-01-09T10:27:58.802-05:002015-01-09T10:27:58.802-05:00.... and they've had to keep leaning on the el....... and they've had to keep leaning on the elderly because they have almost nothing to show for what should be the prime core of this D, the 2008-2012 drafts. Heyward and..... nothing. That's it. Worilds, maybe, but so what. Cortez maybe, but come on. They have almost nothing to show for those drafts. The players from those drafts would've been in their 3rd through 7th year. Say, 24 to 28 years old. That is the meat of anyone's roster. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-85097014484297310752015-01-09T10:09:21.611-05:002015-01-09T10:09:21.611-05:00I'm not really getting what you're saying....I'm not really getting what you're saying. The D did not force more turnovers. They've been consistently crappy at forcing turnovers for the past 4 seasons. And turnovers are have a high degree of luck/randomness to them, and as such nobody stays really good or really bad for more than a year or two. There is always a sharp/quick regression to the mean. But not with this team. They have been consistently awful at turnovers for 4 straight years. They had one more fumble recovery than last year, finishing with one more turnover, INTs the same. But they were uncommonly fortunate, recovering 9 of 11 FF. They forced more the year before. League average for recovering FF is 50%. It is literally a coinflip, complete luck who recovers a fumble. The point is, with luck/randomness being such a high factor in turnovers, nobody maintains such a protracted level of futility without severe talent deficiencies.<br /><br />And I don't get the point of '22 different players started on defense' either. Is that an excuse for injuries or subpar performance? Because while they did cycle through several starters, I can't think of one that wasn't an upgrade or at least equal to what was replaced. This team was the healthiest team in the league this year. 53 players were used on game day, fewest in the league. Same rumpus room, they were just always rearranging the furniture. Never could quite find feng shui.<br /><br />Anways, this D has been trending south since 2010. And hung on to players longer than they should have, protracting this 'transition', particularly because of the effect it's had on the salary cap. Anyone who doesn't see that is kidding themselves, but has plenty of company within the organization. <br /><br />Frankly, I don't see an 'up-arrow' on D. Doesn't mean it's not there, just hasn't revealed itself yet where it matters, on the field. If their recent picks come good, they could be on their way to rebounding. If they don't, they don't. If half... eh. They really need most of the young guys to make a significant leap next year. Shamarko, Jones, Shazier, Tuitt, McCullers, and Shaq the Forgotten.<br /><br />For the second year in a row, the big play has been the Ds achilles. In 2013 they did manage to put the brakes on them. This year, they managed just to slow them down somewhat. Not giving up the big play is the cornerstone to LeBeau's D. In almost every example someone is not where they're suppose to be. Why? And why has that not been corrected over 2 seasons. Is there a reason they're out of position? Don't understand the D/role? Poor communication? Not getting set properly presnap by the signal caller? Disconnect between the front 7 and back 4? Or has there always been someone out of place here and there, but had the talent previously to compensate/overcome/mitigate? I don't know the answer to that. But this D has a reoccurring problem of giving up big plays while generating few of their own. Any hope of fixing that rests with the young guys. Entirely.<br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-26966266483494257582015-01-09T09:42:29.554-05:002015-01-09T09:42:29.554-05:00"It forced more turnovers. I don't care s..."It forced more turnovers. I don't care so much about the total defensive rankings if the defense is forcing turnovers. If you give up 500 yards but the other team turns it over three or four times, you're still going to win - especially if you have a top-10 offense."<br /><br />seriously dale? they forced 1 more turnover this year than last (ranked 23rd in the league) and you make those comments. <br /><br />further, in one breath you say the front office did a good job signing guys like Gay/McCain who have been key contributors then the next breath how they are no better than #3 CB's. <br /><br />finally, I don't know why you refuse to put any responsibility of this poor defense on the coaches. I don't believe anyone is saying it is 100% the coaches fault, but they are the ones who help evaluate, pick, coach, and help prepare players to perform. the fact they made such a huge mistake with cortez allen is a good example of them being partly responsible for this year's defense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-54558259011740218682015-01-09T00:09:06.249-05:002015-01-09T00:09:06.249-05:00Vince Williams is an inside backer. He's not b...Vince Williams is an inside backer. He's not big enough or fast enough to move outside. I know he's listed at 6-1, 250, but I guarantee you he's not anywhere near that. Like most guys, he's dropped weight to improve his speed.<br /><br />They basically already play a 4-3 a lot of the time when one linebacker rushes and the other drops into coverage. It's all semantics.<br /><br />I worry about bringing back a 37-year-old linebacker. As we've seen, the old guys are more likely to break down. Even Harrison missed time this season.<br /><br />I think they'll try to re-sign McCain and Blake will be an exclusive rights FA, so he'll be back as well.Dale Lolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089003781188560287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-35388582083995472922015-01-08T23:07:09.568-05:002015-01-08T23:07:09.568-05:00Draft:
Our offense is pretty well set where I...Draft:<br /> Our offense is pretty well set where I don't see a glaring need for "splash" players. I'd like to see Rounds 1-3 taking the best player available in any order a combination of 2 defensive backs (with good ball skills as turnovers are a glaring weakness for us) either 2 cover cornerbacks or 1 cover corner and one ball hawk of a safety and one high quality pass rusher. Even if it is an outside backer who doesn't excel at holding the edge there are so many obvious passing situations in today's game that a disruptive force who can get home, hurry/hit the QB or at least cause scheme changes and confusion allowing someone else an advantage is so necessary. When in the past can you recall the Steeler's having no one "scary" rushing off the edge like our current situation. Rounds 4-7 (plus at least 1 compensatory pick probably 4th for sanders) in no particular order OT, a TE (compete with Blanchflower and Palmer for 2 and 3) (I love Miller but, am I the only one noticing what seems to be a lot of concussion/head shots taken which have resulted in increased fumbling?), a RB compete with Harris for 2 and 3, an OLB, and either a CB/DE depending on availability.<br /><br />Defensive backs<br /> I think Allen has just lost confidence and that can be reestablished. (#1 priority for Coach Lake) he seemed right in position on coverage and the ball would go right past him as he seemed too afraid to look back for the ball. To me confidence or needing to learn to read the WR's indicators the ball is at hand quicker. Before he seemingly lost confidence he created a lot of havoc/turnovers IIRC. Gay had a nice year, they can be your starters as you work in the high round draft picks in the nickle/dime or rotational as they progress. I thought McCain played serviceable and would like to see him kept, I know nothing about Webb and I thought although Blake had a few nice plays he was a liability. At safety it's time to see what Thomas has. See what a healthy Mitchell can do. Sadly I'd let Troy go (hopefully to retire rather than cut) and I'd lean toward keeping Will Allen as a backup, not at the expense of seeing what Thomas and Mitchell can do. With Troy's saved $'s I'd look for a serviceable back up FS in in free agency, resigning McCain, leaving a few dollars left toward the draft class.<br /><br />Sorry it's so damn long. Just a whole seasons worth of held in beliefs. Thoughts?GiBill34noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-31355477301177323752015-01-08T23:06:16.107-05:002015-01-08T23:06:16.107-05:00I am admittedly not an expert, just some thoughts ...I am admittedly not an expert, just some thoughts kicked around:<br />1. One OLB under contract for next yr. <br /> 1. I'd like to see Harrison brought back. I don't think he will go for the league minimum, but I do think there will be a nice hometown discount. He seemed to rediscover his love of the game and truthfully we're conceivably close...(can anyone say we had no chance against NE/Denver/etc). I don't want to hold back youth, but as of now we need players there. He had a nice year, we need rotation and depth. With that in mind I also try to resign Moats to a reasonable 1-2 year deal.<br /> 2. What are the chances of Vince Williams moving outside? Especially on run downs. He seemed stout up the middle, could that translate to holding the edge outside? He's not super fast or fluid in pass coverage, but covers from ILB as much or more.<br /><br />Work in SOME 4-3. I think our 3-4 has gotten a little predictable with similar concept for appx 18 years with LeBeau, Thomas, Haslett, and Capers. While most years D's have been good or at least effective they don't seem to create the chaos the early years did. It seems teams have attacked them better (both our similarity and 1/2 the league uses some 3-4 variation). The more differences the more chaos. Additionally practice time is limited with the new CBA. Teams can't fully prep for both. <br /><br />With that said, I'd envision a 4-3 look (just a change of pace not full time) along the lines of: Heyward/Harrison/ Jones/drafted pass rush specialist at DE. McLendon/Tuitt/McCullers at DT. Shazier/Timmons/Spence/(Moats?) at OLB. Williams/Timmons (I think he could excel inside or out)/Zumwalt at ILB with a normal secondary configuration. The money saved cutting Cam Thomas and not spent on Worilds is almost $12M that could pay for Harrison and Moats to reup for a year (possibly 2 for Moats) plus replacements for them both (as both would be players filling back up roles in this scenario). <br /><br />TBC...<br /><br />GiBill34noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-28204954242888543582015-01-08T21:14:40.423-05:002015-01-08T21:14:40.423-05:00best case scenario for the steelers is of course t...best case scenario for the steelers is of course the one that will never happen. let ben go and usher in the landry jones era. but no we wont because of the ridiculous "franchise qb" labelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-6203478179141547632015-01-08T21:08:13.171-05:002015-01-08T21:08:13.171-05:00He got lucky on those two Dale
(obvious sarcasm d...He got lucky on those two Dale<br /><br />(obvious sarcasm disclaimer just in case)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-43147781676036436652015-01-08T17:29:29.056-05:002015-01-08T17:29:29.056-05:00Colbert, by the way, has drafted three players who...Colbert, by the way, has drafted three players who were first-team All-Pro this season. That's more than anyone else.Dale Lolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089003781188560287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-81567007083863985312015-01-08T17:26:46.969-05:002015-01-08T17:26:46.969-05:00What don't you understand about not being able...What don't you understand about not being able to fix everything in one offseason?<br /><br />They spent a lot of premium picks on the offensive and defensive lines over the last few years. You have seven draft picks per year. Can't remake an entire team over the course of one or even two offseasons.<br /><br />They have played one meaningless game in the past three seasons. One. That coming at the end of the 2012 season.<br /><br />Try being a Tampa Bay or Cleveland fan and see what it means to have your team completely out of it by October.Dale Lolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089003781188560287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-30276131736022936232015-01-08T16:56:03.652-05:002015-01-08T16:56:03.652-05:00Even if there has been a decade of brilliance, whi...Even if there has been a decade of brilliance, which there has not been, the league has changed. This defense has not. Same cushion off WR's, same wide open middle field, same cross blitzes that are late to the party. Offenses are simply too quick to get rid of the ball and have to many favorable rules to run that crap. Any QB worth his salt will torch this D unless that scheme changes, regardless of players. And if DL wanted to change his scheme but they cannot due to personnel then guess what, Colbert needs to be held accountable. There is a disconnect someplace, where exactly is unclear.D3noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-75504700287307439992015-01-08T16:33:07.387-05:002015-01-08T16:33:07.387-05:00Period.Period.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725231979706488599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-2615577324810414422015-01-08T15:58:13.670-05:002015-01-08T15:58:13.670-05:00I just went over the numbers. They had 22 differen...I just went over the numbers. They had 22 different players start at least one game on defense this season.Dale Lolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089003781188560287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-34391852027935242742015-01-08T14:42:37.081-05:002015-01-08T14:42:37.081-05:00I agree that the defensive coaches didn't have...I agree that the defensive coaches didn't have much to work with this year. I was just arguing the idea that coaching doesn't matter in general. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-32588800471219458842015-01-08T14:22:13.579-05:002015-01-08T14:22:13.579-05:00Sure they matter. But you're talking about a o...Sure they matter. But you're talking about a one bad year for the defense. Does that cancel out over a decade of brilliance? They didn't have the players to work with on that side of the ball this season. Period.<br /><br />Brice McCain and William Gay were the starting corners for most of the season for cripes sakes. Now, I have a lot of respect for both of those guys, but both are better suited as third corners, not 1 and 2.<br /><br />Everyone knew this would be a transitional year for the defense. It was. But I thought it got better as the season went on.<br /><br />It forced more turnovers. I don't care so much about the total defensive rankings if the defense is forcing turnovers. If you give up 500 yards but the other team turns it over three or four times, you're still going to win - especially if you have a top-10 offense.Dale Lolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089003781188560287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-69448337853426176762015-01-08T09:32:41.972-05:002015-01-08T09:32:41.972-05:00dale,
coaches put players in position to succeed a...dale,<br />coaches put players in position to succeed and players need to execute. it's not just on the players.<br /><br />I'm not asking for a top 10 defense, nor do I think they need one with the offense they are developing. but something better than 27th/28th in passing defense should be expected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-48850240662686247942015-01-08T09:08:00.345-05:002015-01-08T09:08:00.345-05:00Jason Worilds deserves a lot more respect. His sac...Jason Worilds deserves a lot more respect. His sack numbers aren't bad at all for as much as he had to drop into coverage. We will miss him greatly if they can't keep him. The big weakness on D is at safety. I have no confidence in Mitchell regardless of any minor injuries. He wasn't in position, tackled poorly and took poor angles to the ball carrier. I hope he looks better next year but he didn't show us anything yet to merit a great deal of confidence. Same deal with heir apparent Thomas who might be better but we really can't tell yet.<br /><br />The line looks good with Heyward, McClendon, and Tuitt. The LBs will be okay as Jones and Shazier figure things out, and I really like Spence and Williams too.<br /><br />An 11-5 season is nothing to sniff at and things are trending upwards. Injuries can always derail the whole works but I feel very optimistic about next year's team no matter what happens with the draft or free agency (as long as they keep Worilds or find a suitable replacement). We have a great coaching staff and an enviable collection of good young players, not players with potential but players who have shown they belong in this league. One or two solid additions in the off season will be enough to be a Super Bowl contender next year. Not too shabby when you consider the significant rebuild that was required after guys like Ward and Farrior left.Noelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-37077284812314606722015-01-08T07:30:05.919-05:002015-01-08T07:30:05.919-05:00If it's all about the players then why do they...If it's all about the players then why do they pay coaches? Why do certain coaches perform better than others consistently?<br /><br />Coaching matters. And coaching has a big impact on how good the players become.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-2454304697510989682015-01-07T22:19:20.410-05:002015-01-07T22:19:20.410-05:00It's all about the players. Period. You either...It's all about the players. Period. You either have them or you don't.<br /><br />And it's damn near impossible to rebuild both at the same time.<br /><br />Two teams were in the top 10 of the league this year in both offense and defense, Seattle and Denver.<br /><br />Seattle got lucky with Russell Wilson. Denver spent like drunken sailors in free agency to pump up its defense.Dale Lolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089003781188560287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-29553356685609661392015-01-07T18:56:24.999-05:002015-01-07T18:56:24.999-05:00marc,
All of those numbers are bad. The only thi...marc,<br /><br />All of those numbers are bad. The only thing I would caution you about is trying to determine much of anything from passes defensed. Bradley Fletcher led the league in passes defensed this season with 22. He was awful. The Eagles were second to last in pass defense. It's rumored Fletcher was a healthy scratch for their final game. There are questions among the fan base as to whether he will be cut this offseason.<br /><br />I still say the Steelers need some better players or some time spent working together among the players they have. Lebeau's scheme doesn't lend itself to allowing splash plays yet the defense did plenty of that this season. I don't blame him for that. I blame missed tackles and missed assignments. You can try to put it on him that he should change the defense to suit dumber players but I don't think you get much of anywhere with that.<br /><br />kylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-11290259931754972722015-01-07T16:25:11.860-05:002015-01-07T16:25:11.860-05:00Regardless of what Dale says, the Defense was atro...Regardless of what Dale says, the Defense was atrocious. It would have been a massacre had we played next yr's schedule this yr. Brining back the same scheme. which even with pressure leaves the middle of the field completely exposed, will get absolutely torched by good QB's. With no adaptation and hoping to find talent to bring back the glory days (which are long gone), this defense will be even worse next yr statistically. The theory of effectively giving the opposing team 3 automatically and hoping to stop them from 7 when the field is short is absurd in today's league. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-58925420172726644902015-01-07T14:01:12.075-05:002015-01-07T14:01:12.075-05:00kyle,
sorry, I did not intend to tie together troy...kyle,<br />sorry, I did not intend to tie together troy freelancing and the middle of the field being wide open. those were two separate issues I was alluding to. I have no clue why the middle of the field was so easy to exploit by other teams this year.<br /><br />also, every defense has to deal with the same rules that benefit offenses, not just the steelers.<br /><br />some figures I looked up regarding the steelers defense as ranked relative to rest of the league:<br /><br />28th % of drives offense scored<br />29th yards given up per drive<br />23rd opposing team completion %<br />29th TD% per pass attempt<br />28th passes defended (PD)<br />28th PD's per pass attempt<br /><br />ugghh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-49695737072310186012015-01-07T12:45:52.925-05:002015-01-07T12:45:52.925-05:00I forgot to factor in the dead money on Allen, whi...I forgot to factor in the dead money on Allen, which is $5.4 million if they cut him this year. That would only net the team $200,000 in cap space. So that idea is a non-starter.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02883988916064522486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-74316325847907919132015-01-07T12:18:11.742-05:002015-01-07T12:18:11.742-05:00Mike Frazer,
That makes more sense but I still do...Mike Frazer,<br /><br />That makes more sense but I still don't think they've given up on Cortez. Plus, I doubt they want to go into this season with only William Gay and B.W. Webb under contract at CB. I hope they resign Black and McCain but if they cut Allen then those signings become much more urgent, plus extra free agent signings would become necessary.<br /><br />marc,<br /><br />I would agree that overall the offense played better than the defense. I would ask how you know that the middle of the field was open because of Troy freelancing. None of us, Dale included, know any of the assignments on a given play. Most guys on the team will fall on the sword if Dale asks them whose responsibility a blown play was but that doesn't tell you the whole truth.<br /><br />Personally, I think the defense had to deal with a lot. The emphasis on defensive holding past five yards, having games where almost every member of the secondary is different from Week 1, and having an offense that is capable of going right down the field and scoring or going three and out from their own 10.<br /><br />I don't know that Troy and Cortez and Ike and Cam Thomas were the biggest issues. I saw all of them make a few plays and I saw all of them screw up. I think getting to play together as a defense more would have helped but even that argument does not hold up against the ILB play which was above the line to my eyes despite having a rotation. Who knows?<br /><br />I am putting together something about draft history that some of you guys might find interesting. Maybe once I'm done, I'll put some of it here if anyone cares.kylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15287012.post-35948438293252531882015-01-07T12:17:59.231-05:002015-01-07T12:17:59.231-05:00I for one am glad that the young guys got a taste ...I for one am glad that the young guys got a taste of the playoff's and will hopefully be a hungry group next year, with the super bowl being damn near in my backyard. Here's hoping the Steelers make it to Levi stadium and I can at least afford to tailgate with some Steeler fans from all walks of life. Stop by Dale, I make a mean rib chili that will be on the burner..<br /><br />ZekeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com