How About the Pressure!!

[Flasteel]

The one thing I've been most critical about on the defensive side of the ball to this point has been the passive play. Today, we came with the blitz often and got great pressure from our line and linebackers. We also played a lot of man coverage and got up in the face of their receivers and were knocking them off their routes. It seemed as if the team played off that aggressive play-calling and was delivering big hits throughout the game.

I know the defense gave up that 17-play 8 minute drive late in the game and they started out kind of rough, but I thought they played like a Steeler defense for the first time this season.

To do it it with no Polamalu, no Woodley, and a limited James Harrison, made it all the more impressive. I can only hope we get those guys back and can build on what we saw out there today.

Not to throw negative mojo at Polamalu, but it just reminded me too much of Marino's achilles tear, when nobody even touched him...it just popped. Didn't Kosar have the same deal too? God, I hope it's nothing more than an aggrevation of his calf injury.

[SDSteel1]

LeBeau finally dialed it up, and Timmons looked great finally. The difference in the game was Mendenhall though. He showed why he is the uncontested number back on this team. Oh yeah, these refs sucks as bad as the replacement refs. The only difference is these guys spot the ball quicker and the coaches don't try to take advantage of them. Other than that today's refs were worse than any we had this season. Missed calls, fights, late hits, bad calls....they sucked.

[Oviedo]

Wow..great performance with attacking defense. Who would have ever thought that would happen:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[flippy]

I haven't watched Philly outside of this game. Is their OLine bad?

[Eich]

Which one is it?

A. We dialed up extra pressure and our guys executed better and got to the QB?

B. Philly's offensive line is worse than the Broncos & Raiders lines?

We made some nice plays. But overall, I think B unfortunately.

[Eich]

I haven't watched Philly outside of this game. Is their OLine bad?

Vick has been sacked 14 times this year.

Ben has been sacked 9 times

Peyton: 10 times

Palmer: 7 times

Sanchez: 6 times

That may have been the worst OL we played this year.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1358023-philadelphia-eagles-offensive-woes-michael-vick-is-only-half-of-the-problem

Even before training camp started, the Eagleslearned that they would be playing without their All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters for the entire season. Peters had ruptured his Achilles tendon during an offseason workout and needed the entire season to recover from this major injury.
The Eagles quickly signed former Bills (http://bleacherreport.com/buffalo-bills) tackle Demetress Bell to a five-year deal, only for him to later get beat out for starting left tackle by former seventh-round pick King Dunlap.

However, Dunlap suffered a hamstring injury only during Week 2 against the Ravens (http://bleacherreport.com/baltimore-ravens), putting Bell back at the starting spot. Bell has underperformed vastly since, easing little pressure off Vick on the left side.

To make matters worse, starting center Jason Kelce suffered a season-ending ACL and MCL tear during the same Week 2 game. Kelce had started every game for the Eagles in the 2011-2012 season but is now replaced by Dallas Reynolds, a 28-year-old seeing his first career NFL action.

With the line as thin as it stands now, Vick is looking to keep more plays alive with his feet. More often than not, Vick’s ability to open things up is playing to his disadvantage.

Not only is Vick getting clobbered, he is getting pressured at the worst times. The Eagles have only scored a touchdown 38 percent of the time they have been in the red zone, among the worst in the league.

[Slapstick]

The Steelers have dialed up pressure all year...

Yesterday, and hopefully going forward, the players executed the scheme as it was called...

The biggest play given up was for 24 yards...

When the Steelers give up big plays (they didn't yesterday) and turn the ball over (they didn't yesterday) they lose...

[Oviedo]

The Steelers have dialed up pressure all year...

Yesterday, and hopefully going forward, the players executed the scheme as it was called...

The biggest play given up was for 24 yards...

When the Steelers give up big plays (they didn't yesterday) and turn the ball over (they didn't yesterday) they lose...

We can disagree. The pays were not called in our two losses like in our two wins. It is no accident that in the two wins Timmons was sent up the middle attacking the QB more than half a dozen times. That is not execution that is play calling by LeBeau. Hope he stays aggressive the rest of the season. It doesn't have to be Timmons (but should be most of the time) but we need to collapse the center of the opponents offense. Give McLendon big kudos for that today too. Hampton needs to stay on the sideline unless McLendon needs a breather.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Which one is it?

A. We dialed up extra pressure and our guys executed better and got to the QB?

B. Philly's offensive line is worse than the Broncos & Raiders lines?

We made some nice plays. But overall, I think B unfortunately.

I'm afraid you may be correct.

[Slapstick]

We can disagree. The pays were not called in our two losses like in our two wins. It is no accident that in the two wins Timmons was sent up the middle attacking the QB more than half a dozen times. That is not execution that is play calling by LeBeau. Hope he stays aggressive the rest of the season. It doesn't have to be Timmons (but should be most of the time) but we need to collapse the center of the opponents offense. Give McLendon big kudos for that today too. Hampton needs to stay on the sideline unless McLendon needs a breather.

We don't have to disagree...

The calls in this game, as you pointed out, kept Timmons close to the LoS, where he can be a difference maker...

LeBeau sent lots of pressure previously, but not from Timmons...he kept Timmons back into coverage where he can be okay, but not a difference maker...

Timmons needs to play at or close to the line, like Farrior did...

[Oviedo]

We don't have to disagree...

The calls in this game, as you pointed out, kept Timmons close to the LoS, where he can be a difference maker...

LeBeau sent lots of pressure previously, but not from Timmons...he kept Timmons back into coverage where he can be okay, but not a difference maker...

Timmons needs to play at or close to the line, like Farrior did...

Include moving him around and changing the attack angles
. He was coming from the left, then the right, then up the middle. That needs to continue

[feltdizz]

I'm still scratching my head about McClendon... why isn't he starting? Its obvious he generates pressure much better than Casey.

[Jigawatts]

I'm still scratching my head about McClendon... why isn't he starting? Its obvious he generates pressure much better than Casey.

:Agree Get this guy some snaps.

[hawaiiansteel]

James Harrison: I let up on Michael Vick so I wouldn’t get fined

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 8, 2012

http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/harrisonvick-e1349712242280.jpg?w=230

Steelers linebacker James Harrison has led the league in fines for helmet-to-helmet hits over the last couple of years. After his first game this year, Harrison said those fines have changed the way he plays.

Harrison said that in Sunday’s win over the Eagles, he altered the way he pressured Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick, slowing down when he had a good shot at Vick because the possibility of getting fined was in his mind.

“I was nervous. I thought he might duck his head, and I might hit him, and I can’t take no fines,” Harrison said, via 105.9 in Pittsburgh “I was worried more about the fine. . . . If at the last second he ducks his head, ducks down and we make helmet-to-helmet contact, it’s the fault of the defender.”

Harrison, who said he would give himself a C-minus for his performance Sunday after a long layoff with a knee injury, clearly thinks it’s a bad thing that fines are forcing him to change the way he plays. But from the NFL’s perspective, that means the fines are having their intended effect.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/08/james-harrison-i-let-up-on-michael-vick-so-i-wouldnt-get-fined/