How Will We Win in Post Season???

[flippy]

I was really hopeful that this is our year at the beginning of the season.

We had a great and improving D and Ben was coming back.

Fast forward to now and weÂ’ve learned a lot about this team. We canÂ’t pass or run block. We canÂ’t stretch the field. We canÂ’t catch. We canÂ’t run. We canÂ’t stop the run. We canÂ’t kick XPs. We give up too many big plays and donÂ’t produce enough of our own. Etc. Etc.

But we do pressure QBs and force mistakes. And weÂ’ve done a good job of turning TOs into points. And our no huddle offense has been good enough when it needs to be.

And weÂ’re scraping by and winning. ThereÂ’s not a big difference between 11-0 and 2-9 which could just as easily be our record right now.

I might feel better if we saw improvements week to week. December is typically the time we start to get our act together or fall apart. Tomlin teams tend to go to the extremes in December. ItÂ’s either everything starts coming together or itÂ’s spiraling into unleash hell season. I hear Tomlin week to week saying all the right things, but when I look at how lucky we are to squeak by, I feel like weÂ’re close to the unleash hell spiral. WeÂ’re in this mode of having tons of issues that look obvious to everyone, but week after week, weÂ’re not seemingly doing anything to fix it.

At the rate weÂ’re going, the playoffs are a certainty, but IÂ’m starting to think one and done is the most likely outcome if I was a betting man.

I donÂ’t see any path to beating KC let alone any others that will be in the playoffs unless we get lucky. WeÂ’ll likely be the least threatening team to face come the post season.

I see other teams on an upward trajectory right now and I donÂ’t see us keeping up. Even though we just beat Baltimore, they are likely going to be the worst draw for anyone they face in the playoffs.

Maybe I just donÂ’t know the warts of the other teams, but from what IÂ’ve seen from others, thereÂ’s a lot more sound and fundamental football out there. For some strange reason though, weÂ’re the ones with the best record.

Help convince me to see the light and our path to #7.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

come in off the ledge flippy. thinking this team could be 2-9 is absurd. we played a bad game, it's not the be all end all

and I dont know why you say we cant pass block? I thought i read that ben hasn't been sacked in the last 180 times hes dropped back

this team will beat the hell out of WFT and then play a couple good but not great AFC teams. the #1 seed will likely be decided in those two matchups. everything is still out there for this group and I'm not gonna let 1 bad performance color my view of the entirety of their body of work

[Eich]

come in off the ledge flippy. thinking this team could be 2-9 is absurd. we played a bad game, it's not the be all end all

and I dont know why you say we cant pass block? I thought i read that ben hasn't been sacked in the last 180 times hes dropped back

this team will beat the hell out of WFT and then play a couple good but not great AFC teams. the #1 seed will likely be decided in those two matchups. everything is still out there for this group and I'm not gonna let 1 bad performance color my view of the entirety of their body of work

I don't know if we're that good at pass blocking or if the reason it looks good is because Ben is getting rid of the ball faster than any QB in the league.

And WFT... I don't feel like we're going to beat the hell out of them. Maybe I'm wrong but the Steelers shouldn't take this team lightly with Alex Smith at the helm. They beat the hell out of Dallas. And Dallas gave us a good fight.

[Northern_Blitz]

I think the good news is that we are elite at (1) short passing, (2) generating pressure (assuming that losing Bud doesn't tank us here), and (3) generating turnovers.

I think those a things that should make us competitive in pretty much any game.

The bad news is that we aren't good at deep passing and we suck at short yardage running.

I wouldn't trade those two elements for the things we are very good at, but hopefully we can reach average on both to maybe even above average on one.

I think if Ben can dial in his deep accuracy (like he did at the end of his last full season), then we could become above average to even elite with Claypool and DJ running deep routes. But I don't think the Joe Flacco chuck it up and hope to get a PI call is going to work very well in the playoffs where the refs are less likely to want to influence a game.

Our run D is all over the map, but I'd say it's average to below average. It's crazy how quickly it tanked from looking elite at the beginning of the year. It seems like we should still be good at this with a strong D-line, but injuries to the LB corps really hurt.

While we certainly have the ability to lose to anyone, I still think the only team I'd put us as underdogs against would be the Chiefs. To beat them, I think we will almost have to win the turnover battle (maybe by more than 1). The good news is that we've been very good at generating turnovers (despite some regression from last year which was insane).

I'm trying not to over-react to one game here, but it's worrisome that the pass catchers didn't look good in the cold yesterday.

Maybe they'll put the playoffs in a covid bubble and we'll play all of our playoff games @ Indy. It feels so un-Steelers like but that actually sounds like it would benefit our guys.

[flippy]

come in off the ledge flippy. thinking this team could be 2-9 is absurd. we played a bad game, it's not the be all end all

and I dont know why you say we cant pass block? I thought i read that ben hasn't been sacked in the last 180 times hes dropped back

this team will beat the hell out of WFT and then play a couple good but not great AFC teams. the #1 seed will likely be decided in those two matchups. everything is still out there for this group and I'm not gonna let 1 bad performance color my view of the entirety of their body of work

Ok. Maybe 2-9 is an exaggeration, but the only games I came away feeling like we were the better team were against the Giants, Jags, Bengals, and Browns.

I kinda feel like I’m watching the Pats in their first couple of SuperBowl seasons. Didn’t seem like a very good time, but always had tremendous luck.

The difference was their D felt more sound and didn’t give up big plays like we do. And their kicker seemed to be their MVP and ours has missed multiple XPs.

[Northern_Blitz]

come in off the ledge flippy. thinking this team could be 2-9 is absurd. we played a bad game, it's not the be all end all

...

And we actually kind of dominated the game.

I think having stinkers like this is probably good for team focus. It shows them that they're "mortal" even though they have a perfect record.

Basically Baltimore got two good breaks (the punt fumble and the Brown play), our receivers couldn't catch, and we still won.

This is the think that sucks about games where you're expected to win by 10+. There's nothing that can happen to feel good about the team.

If we beat them by 40, we'd be saying: "they basically played a college team, this was what should have happened".

If it's a closer win (like it was because we sucked in the red zone): "Looks like we aren't as good as we thought we were (which is probably true of any undefeated team)".

If we lost: "Fire everyone."

We'll get a good idea of how we'll look against the playoff teams in the AFC because we play most of them.

We beat the Ravens twice (currently 9th).
We beat the Titans (5th).
We dominated the Browns (3rd). And we play them again.
We will play the Bills (4th)
We will play the Colts (6th)

Note: Rankings are by record without thinking too hard about tie breakers

So we've already beaten almost half of the teams that will make the playoffs in the AFC.

And we'll get a chance at two more of them.

Some of our games have been closer than they should have been. We should have beaten the Eagles by more than we did. And then we destroyed the Browns the next week.

But we've won (against good teams) even in games we've played poorly.

So...and I feel very odd telling our resident optimist this...WE ARE STILL SUPER BOWL OR BUST THIS YEAR.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpOG9K02F_g

[flippy]

This is the think that sucks about games where you're expected to win by 10+. There's nothing that can happen to feel good about the team.

If we beat them by 40, we'd be saying: "they basically played a college team, this was what should have happened".

If it's a closer win (like it was because we sucked in the red zone): "Looks like we aren't as good as we thought we were (which is probably true of any undefeated team)".

If we lost: "Fire everyone."

I hope you are right on this.

After the game, I thought I’d be proud of my tean if I was a Baltimore fan. It felt like a moral victory for them.

[Eich]

We need some things to start coming together with more consistency. One-and-done in the playoffs would be an EPIC FAIL end to the season for a team that started 11-0.

I'm a little encouraged with the thought that a lot of yesterday can be chalked up to a lack of focus. Dropped passes. Muffed punt return. Giving up the long TD on D. It was a very strange week and we were playing the Rats with RGII. The team wasn't "up" for this game. Take out the dropped passes and the game was a blowout.

I think focus is fixable.

[Northern_Blitz]

I hope you are right on this.

After the game, I thought I’d be proud of my tean if I was a Baltimore fan. It felt like a moral victory for them.

I think that's the flip side of what I was saying.

If you're a 10+ point underdog you can't really underperform expectations.

And I'm happy to let them have the moral victory. They had the week (and a half) from hell over there.

And we got the victory that matters.

And they now have a 3 game losing streak, can't win the division, and currently out of the playoffs in 9th (with another conference loss that hurts tie breakers).

But the AFC is pretty tight after us and KC, so anything could happen there IMO.

[Northern_Blitz]

...
And we got the victory that matters.

And they now have a 3 game losing streak, can't win the division, and currently out of the playoffs in 9th (with another conference loss that hurts tie breakers).

But the AFC is pretty tight after us and KC, so anything could happen there IMO.

There are 5 games left and here's how many AFC teams are at each number of wins:

11: 1
10: 1
9: 0
8: 3
7: 2
6: 2
5: 1

There are 10 teams that can get to 10 wins, but only 7 will make it.

Of those ten, if every team 7 wins or over gets to 10 (goes 3 - 2 in the remaining) that's 7 teams at 10 wins.

I think the Rats will need to be a game above the threshold because their conference record is bad (4 - 5: 0.444). If they get caught in a mass of teams at 10 wins, they'd have to hope that the Colts were in the group because Indy currently has a worse conference record and lost head to head to the Ravens.

The Colt's have: Hou (x2), Raiders, Us, Jags. I could see them going 3 - 2. And they'd probably have the worst conference record in that case so they'd be out.

With their remaining games, the Ravens could win out to get to 11. And they might need that to go to the playoffs. If they lose 2 games, I think they're out for sure (but I don't think this happens). And if they lose 1 game, they should hope it comes against one of their NFC opponents (DAL NYG).

I think they'll make it because they have a pretty easy schedule. But I could see them getting to 10 and being a team that loses out on a tie breaker.

I think they're in trouble if the Pats win out (Chargers, Rams, Dolphins, Bills, Jets) because the Pats would have the head to head tie breaker. I don't think this happens, but I'm not going to count the Pats out until they're officially eliminated.

It's too early for me to think too hard about playoffs, but that's at least some idea of how the Rats get in / out.

[KYPITTFAN]

PLAYOFF'S...……..PLAYOFF'S………. We talking about PLAYOFF'S? We just need to learn how to catch a dam ball. Ben through up a prayer on 4th down that got intercepted when we should have taken the 3 points anyway. That set the tone. The defense gave up one play the entire night that went for a long TD because of a bad approach to make the tackle. The entire debacle should be placed in the hands of the receivers but they would just drop that also. Had they been caught two passes would have been for TD's. Had they been caught multiple third down conversions would have extended drives. Had they been caught multiple times we may had been down the field further and could have attempted a field goal. Had these balls been caught the score would have looked like we expected and several key players i.e. Bud Depree may have been sitting down and not still chasing a 3rd string QB around to preserve a win. That all being said the receivers up until last nights game have played solid. Maybe it was the cold weather, who knows but let's just hope they don't have another game like that.

[NorthCoast]

It's just a weird season. On a side note, they were talking about the Browns and their 8-3 record this year. But what is crazy is that they actually have a negative point differential on the season! Not sure how often that even happens with a W/L total like that.

[Oviedo]

And we actually kind of dominated the game.

I think having stinkers like this is probably good for team focus. It shows them that they're "mortal" even though they have a perfect record.

Basically Baltimore got two good breaks (the punt fumble and the Brown play), our receivers couldn't catch, and we still won.

This is the think that sucks about games where you're expected to win by 10+. There's nothing that can happen to feel good about the team.

If we beat them by 40, we'd be saying: "they basically played a college team, this was what should have happened".

If it's a closer win (like it was because we sucked in the red zone): "Looks like we aren't as good as we thought we were (which is probably true of any undefeated team)".

If we lost: "Fire everyone."

We'll get a good idea of how we'll look against the playoff teams in the AFC because we play most of them.

We beat the Ravens twice (currently 9th).
We beat the Titans (5th).
We dominated the Browns (3rd). And we play them again.
We will play the Bills (4th)
We will play the Colts (6th)

Note: Rankings are by record without thinking too hard about tie breakers

So we've already beaten almost half of the teams that will make the playoffs in the AFC.

And we'll get a chance at two more of them.

Some of our games have been closer than they should have been. We should have beaten the Eagles by more than we did. And then we destroyed the Browns the next week.

But we've won (against good teams) even in games we've played poorly.

So...and I feel very odd telling our resident optimist this...WE ARE STILL SUPER BOWL OR BUST THIS YEAR.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpOG9K02F_g

I agree. Games like this should be a wake up call the players. They should be and probably are embarassed

[NorthCoast]

And we actually kind of dominated the game.

I think having stinkers like this is probably good for team focus. It shows them that they're "mortal" even though they have a perfect record.

Basically Baltimore got two good breaks (the punt fumble and the Brown play), our receivers couldn't catch, and we still won.

This is the think that sucks about games where you're expected to win by 10+. There's nothing that can happen to feel good about the team.

If we beat them by 40, we'd be saying: "they basically played a college team, this was what should have happened".

If it's a closer win (like it was because we sucked in the red zone): "Looks like we aren't as good as we thought we were (which is probably true of any undefeated team)".

If we lost: "Fire everyone."

We'll get a good idea of how we'll look against the playoff teams in the AFC because we play most of them.

We beat the Ravens twice (currently 9th).
We beat the Titans (5th).
We dominated the Browns (3rd). And we play them again.
We will play the Bills (4th)
We will play the Colts (6th)

Note: Rankings are by record without thinking too hard about tie breakers

So we've already beaten almost half of the teams that will make the playoffs in the AFC.

And we'll get a chance at two more of them.

Some of our games have been closer than they should have been. We should have beaten the Eagles by more than we did. And then we destroyed the Browns the next week.

But we've won (against good teams) even in games we've played poorly.

So...and I feel very odd telling our resident optimist this...WE ARE STILL SUPER BOWL OR BUST THIS YEAR.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpOG9K02F_gI didn't catch it when this was first shown but someone in the locker room yelled "y'all be quiet next week Peezy".

Still love the "they shot me in Denver"... hahaha.

[Northern_Blitz]

I didn't catch it when this was first shown but someone in the locker room yelled "y'all be quiet next week Peezy".

Still love the "they shot me in Denver"... hahaha.

I don't think I caught that before either.

And asking Porter to be quite is probably a lot like trying to hold back the tide. :tt2

[Starlifter]

The truth is, the team has shown flashes of brilliance which justify 11-0. They have also shown more than a few stinkers that make 11-0 highly suspect. Yesterday was not a good start to December football, but it was supposed to be a November game. I believe the team can fix its issues.

But I think it’s pretty universal thinking right now this is an 11-0 team that is not feared by anyone. There’s time to get it right. Fingers crossed!

[Mr.wizard]

I see this as great for the playoffs, we are showing tjat we cant win games even if we play bad and we know how to win these dog fights, which is exactly what we will be in, in the playoffs

[SteelerOfDeVille]

for year's we've said, "they play to the level of their competition"... I've argued, "we don't keep the pedal to the metal".

One of the biggest flaws I've seen in both Tomlin and even Cowher is getting up by 2 scores (more than 8 ) then getting conservative. It's like they are trying to NOT lose instead of just locking the game up and putting it away.

[NorthCoast]

for year's we've said, "they play to the level of their competition"... I've argued, "we don't keep the pedal to the metal".

One of the biggest flaws I've seen in both Tomlin and even Cowher is getting up by 2 scores (more than 8) then getting conservative. It's like they are trying to NOT lose instead of just locking the game up and putting it away.The one big difference I see between Tomlin and Cowher is Tomlin's willingness to get Young Guy snaps once they get a decent lead. There might be a fall-off in play because of this but in my opinion this pays huge dividends when a starter goes down and Young Guy is next man up.

[Steel Maniac]

I think this team is still evolving offensively. Yeah we gotta get DJ on the jug machine to catch more consistently but I see Ebron becoming more
involved. I think the biggest long term concern is the O-line. I’m willing to give it another four games and then forecast about the playoffs.

Let’s go Highsmith!!! :tt2

[hawaiiansteel]

It's just a weird season. On a side note, they were talking about the Browns and their 8-3 record this year. But what is crazy is that they actually have a negative point differential on the season! Not sure how often that even happens with a W/L total like that.

the Brownies have only beaten one team with a winning record so far this season.

[feltdizz]

2-9? Not with this defense. You are tripping Flippy.

I think most NFL games are ultimately decided by a few plays. This year we are making all those plays. Doesn’t mean we can’t improve but we should be encouraged that we are winning games we would sometimes lose in past years.

[feltdizz]

for year's we've said, "they play to the level of their competition"... I've argued, "we don't keep the pedal to the metal".

One of the biggest flaws I've seen in both Tomlin and even Cowher is getting up by 2 scores (more than 8) then getting conservative. It's like they are trying to NOT lose instead of just locking the game up and putting it away.

the problem is the NFL is set up for games to remain competitive. Flags fly once you get a nice lead. The last thing the NFL wants is a blowout.

Also, as we have seen in the past multiple times, when we continue to pass with a huge lead Ben has a tendency to get greedy and throw a pick.

[papillon]

PLAYOFF'S...……..PLAYOFF'S………. We talking about PLAYOFF'S? We just need to learn how to catch a dam ball. Ben through up a prayer on 4th down that got intercepted when we should have taken the 3 points anyway. That set the tone. The defense gave up one play the entire night that went for a long TD because of a bad approach to make the tackle. The entire debacle should be placed in the hands of the receivers but they would just drop that also. Had they been caught two passes would have been for TD's. Had they been caught multiple third down conversions would have extended drives. Had they been caught multiple times we may had been down the field further and could have attempted a field goal. Had these balls been caught the score would have looked like we expected and several key players i.e. Bud Depree may have been sitting down and not still chasing a 3rd string QB around to preserve a win. That all being said the receivers up until last nights game have played solid. Maybe it was the cold weather, who knows but let's just hope they don't have another game like that.

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. :p

Pappy

[fordfixer]

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. :p

Pappy
I’m not sure that’s a prerequisite anymore

[papillon]

I’m not sure that’s a prerequisite anymore

ROTFLMAO...thanks, laughter is good for the soul

Pappy

[fordfixer]

ROTFLMAO...thanks, laughter is good for the soul

Pappy
I’m here all week :D

[Captain Lemming]

for year's we've said, "they play to the level of their competition"... I've argued, "we don't keep the pedal to the metal".

One of the biggest flaws I've seen in both Tomlin and even Cowher is getting up by 2 scores (more than 8) then getting conservative. It's like they are trying to NOT lose instead of just locking the game up and putting it away.

Never understood this criticism.

We are 11-0
If we playing, "not to lose" results in literally "not losing", I would suggest is is not a bad strategy.

[Captain Lemming]

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. :p

Pappy

There ARE doctors who can make that happen.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Never understood this criticism.

We are 11-0
If we playing, "not to lose" results in literally "not losing", I would suggest is is not a bad strategy.
I hear what you're saying, but too many times we've had to rely on the defense to stop the team from driving at the end of the game. Yes, they keep doing it, but at some point they aren't gonna.

Just make it a 3-score game and THEN turtle... that's all i'm saying. Then we're in a more comfortable place than the typical, "crap they scored... crap, we went 3 and out... crap, let's go deeefense... save us AGAIN"

Schitt's not gonna work againt a real QB...

[Buzz]

I’m not sure that’s a prerequisite anymore

Ellen, I mean, Elliott Page, agrees with you.

[Steel Maniac]

I hear what you're saying, but too many times we've had to rely on the defense to stop the team from driving at the end of the game. Yes, they keep doing it, but at some point they aren't gonna.

Just make it a 3-score game and THEN turtle... that's all i'm saying. Then we're in a more comfortable place than the typical, "crap they scored... crap, we went 3 and out... crap, let's go deeefense... save us AGAIN"

Schitt's not gonna work against a real QB...

I've never thought about this.... I'm thinking our secondary could survive a Mahomes attack. Your implying that it couldn't. Hmmm. Only time will tell. But I'd rather have Mahomes in our building rather then going to his.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I've never thought about this.... I'm thinking our secondary could survive a Mahomes attack. Your implying that it couldn't. Hmmm. Only time will tell. But I'd rather have Mahomes in our building rather then going to his.
THAT is exactly what i'm thinking... you put Mahommes, Tyreke Hill and Travis Kelce on the other side in a 2-minute drill and it's very different than against the Ravens 3rd option or the Cowboy's 4th option...ESPECIALLY since we're now short a stud pass-rusher and a speedy ILB who is decent in coverage against a TE.

Make it Brady with all his weapons in the SB, i'd have the same worry.

[feltdizz]

THAT is exactly what i'm thinking... you put Mahommes, Tyreke Hill and Travis Kelce on the other side in a 2-minute drill and it's very different than against the Ravens 3rd option or the Cowboy's 4th option...ESPECIALLY since we're now short a stud pass-rusher and a speedy ILB who is decent in coverage against a TE.

Make it Brady with all his weapons in the SB, i'd have the same worry.

Its always a worry but the last time Brady was in our building and had the ball last he threw an awful interception.

While we don’t want to face Mahomes with 2 minutes left we wont know until it happens and if it does it probably means we are in the AFCCG.

I’ll take those odds.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Its always a worry but the last time Brady was in our building and had the ball last he threw an awful interception.

While we don’t want to face Mahomes with 2 minutes left we wont know until it happens and if it does it probably means we are in the AFCCG.

I’ll take those odds.
yes, i would, too... but, to the original point, if we had a chance to get another score earlier in the game against a team like that, i'd go for it. I would NOT try to sit on a 10 point lead in the 2nd quarter and expect the defense to keep them from scoring twice for 2 1/2 quarters.

[feltdizz]

yes, i would, too... but, to the original point, if we had a chance to get another score earlier in the game against a team like that, i'd go for it. I would NOT try to sit on a 10 point lead in the 2nd quarter and expect the defense to keep them from scoring twice for 2 1/2 quarters.

its a tough decision because going for more points could also result in a turnover.

I’ve seen a few teams try to get more points out of fear and it came back to bite them now in the arse.

I want points but I don’t want to get greedy.

[flippy]

THAT is exactly what i'm thinking... you put Mahommes, Tyreke Hill and Travis Kelce on the other side in a 2-minute drill and it's very different than against the Ravens 3rd option or the Cowboy's 4th option...ESPECIALLY since we're now short a stud pass-rusher and a speedy ILB who is decent in coverage against a TE.

Make it Brady with all his weapons in the SB, i'd have the same worry.

If KC has the full 2 minute, I want to be up 4 scores to feel completely comfortable :)

[The Glory Days]

First post here. I'm just going to jump right into it.

The first thing this team has going for it is that it has exorcised the demons from the past decade or so. It is finding ways to win games that were terrible losses in the past. There are no divas. Tight locker room. Guys are really playing for each other. And Tomlin is navigating the trainwreck that is 2020. I am not a Tomlin (as a coach) fan at all. He's a hell of a guy and I wish him the best. But no, I don't think he's a great coach. But I have to give him credit for us being undefeated. He has held this crapshow of a season together. Kudos for that. And he even got pissed off on Wednesday night after one of the ugliest games in recent memory. Again, kudos.

But wins don't help win games. The 11 W's we have in our pocket mean nothing more than playoff seeding. We get no extra points or extra possessions for having more wins than other teams. So at some point very soon, we're going to have to revist "the standard" because boys, it isn't enough.

Special teams: kicking, fielding kicks, and tackling. All need improved. Danny needs a new brand of bubble gum or something, because his unit is NOT consistant enough. We'll need them to be for the playoffs.

Offense: We have 3 very capable running backs trying to tote the rock behind a terrible OL. We can't hold the line of scrimmage. We are consistantly being pushed back into the backfield. We can't sustain blocks or create running lanes. How many times have our backs not made it within a yard of the line of scrimmage before running into one of our linemen or an opponent who broke through? If Snell doesn't keep his balance a couple times, take the initial hit in the backfield, and find a way to bounce it outside, we might be having a different conversation about our record today. And we can't pass block well, either. Ben is getting pressure at just over 3 seconds. That's all our line is able to muster. Defensive ends are crashing our pocket and shrinking it. It's not a 3 second window with space. It's a 3 second window, period. Why do you think Ben is having so many balls batted down at the line? It's because the OL is giving ground and shortening the gap between Ben and the defense. And all this creates a big problem for our offense. Defenses are able to commit more to covering short routes and only playing 2 over to help against Claypool going long. We run DJ underneath and in the slot, Washington short dig routes, and JuJu gets the ugly, cleared out routes vacated by a db biting on DJ/Washington. This does create mismatches for Ebron, and he is Ben's safety blanket. But our OL play is making this offense extremely one dimensional. And then there's Ben's arm. He is killing drives with his innacuracy. He is off target far more than receivers are dropping catchable balls.

Defense: Injury and illness are keeping this defense from being the best version of itself. Unfortunately, even that version isn't great. I figure I'll take heat for saying that, but it's true. Our front 7 (with Tuitt and Bud) are elite. Time will tell if Hightower is a suitable replacement for Bud. Getting Tuitt back will be good, but even with him in there, we're not able to stop the run like we have been. Maybe losing Bush was a bigger loss than I thought. But stopping the run is the least of our worries on defense. The achilles heel is our secondary. If the pass rush doesn't disrupt the timing or get pressure on the qb, our secondary can't hold up. We consistantly have wr's getting separation, if not running uncovered. Second tier qb's are having a field day against our secondary when we don't disrupt them. A qb like Mahomes will put up career numbers against us if our front doesn't get home early and often.

Point is, our record does nothing for us "during" games. And we're getting closer to the time where wins matter the most. We have a LOT to work on. We're not ready for the post season. We're hardly ready for the next few games.

[fordfixer]

First post here. I'm just going to jump right into it.

The first thing this team has going for it is that it has exorcised the demons from the past decade or so. It is finding ways to win games that were terrible losses in the past. There are no divas. Tight locker room. Guys are really playing for each other. And Tomlin is navigating the trainwreck that is 2020. I am not a Tomlin (as a coach) fan at all. He's a hell of a guy and I wish him the best. But no, I don't think he's a great coach. But I have to give him credit for us being undefeated. He has held this crapshow of a season together. Kudos for that. And he even got pissed off on Wednesday night after one of the ugliest games in recent memory. Again, kudos.

But wins don't help win games. The 11 W's we have in our pocket mean nothing more than playoff seeding. We get no extra points or extra possessions for having more wins than other teams. So at some point very soon, we're going to have to revist "the standard" because boys, it isn't enough.

Special teams: kicking, fielding kicks, and tackling. All need improved. Danny needs a new brand of bubble gum or something, because his unit is NOT consistant enough. We'll need them to be for the playoffs.

Offense: We have 3 very capable running backs trying to tote the rock behind a terrible OL. We can't hold the line of scrimmage. We are consistantly being pushed back into the backfield. We can't sustain blocks or create running lanes. How many times have our backs not made it within a yard of the line of scrimmage before running into one of our linemen or an opponent who broke through? If Snell doesn't keep his balance a couple times, take the initial hit in the backfield, and find a way to bounce it outside, we might be having a different conversation about our record today. And we can't pass block well, either. Ben is getting pressure at just over 3 seconds. That's all our line is able to muster. Defensive ends are crashing our pocket and shrinking it. It's not a 3 second window with space. It's a 3 second window, period. Why do you think Ben is having so many balls batted down at the line? It's because the OL is giving ground and shortening the gap between Ben and the defense. And all this creates a big problem for our offense. Defenses are able to commit more to covering short routes and only playing 2 over to help against Claypool going long. We run DJ underneath and in the slot, Washington short dig routes, and JuJu gets the ugly, cleared out routes vacated by a db biting on DJ/Washington. This does create mismatches for Ebron, and he is Ben's safety blanket. But our OL play is making this offense extremely one dimensional. And then there's Ben's arm. He is killing drives with his innacuracy. He is off target far more than receivers are dropping catchable balls.

Defense: Injury and illness are keeping this defense from being the best version of itself. Unfortunately, even that version isn't great. I figure I'll take heat for saying that, but it's true. Our front 7 (with Tuitt and Bud) are elite. Time will tell if Hightower is a suitable replacement for Bud. Getting Tuitt back will be good, but even with him in there, we're not able to stop the run like we have been. Maybe losing Bush was a bigger loss than I thought. But stopping the run is the least of our worries on defense. The achilles heel is our secondary. If the pass rush doesn't disrupt the timing or get pressure on the qb, our secondary can't hold up. We consistantly have wr's getting separation, if not running uncovered. Second tier qb's are having a field day against our secondary when we don't disrupt them. A qb like Mahomes will put up career numbers against us if our front doesn't get home early and often.

Point is, our record does nothing for us "during" games. And we're getting closer to the time where wins matter the most. We have a LOT to work on. We're not ready for the post season. We're hardly ready for the next few games.

Welcome to the Planet :tt1

[Mr.wizard]

Well let me just point out that we rank 6th in the league in points per game and 1st in the league in points given up per game. That is a recipe for winning because the name of the game is scoring more points than your opponent. This idea that a team that is 11-0 should be looking to do things differently is ridiculous, sure they have to clean some things up but what team doesnt.

[The Glory Days]

Welcome to the Planet :tt1

Appreciate it! :tt2

[The Glory Days]

Well let me just point out that we rank 6th in the league in points per game and 1st in the league in points given up per game. That is a recipe for winning because the name of the game is scoring more points than your opponent. This idea that a team that is 11-0 should be looking to do things differently is ridiculous, sure they have to clean some things up but what team doesnt.

The disconcerting part about it is not the numbers, but that those are our numbers against inferior opponents. Yes, they get paid too. No, there are no "easy" games. But the WAY we're winning isn't sustainable. At least that's what conventional wisdom says. We have had lots of room for error, and so far, it hasn't cost us. But when the games become one-and-done, this style of play, this finding-a-way-to-eek-one-out, is going to be a problem against the better teams.

[NorthCoast]

The disconcerting part about it is not the numbers, but that those are our numbers against inferior opponents. Yes, they get paid too. No, there are no "easy" games. But the WAY we're winning isn't sustainable Which part is not sustainable? Relying on your top defense, or using your HOF QB to the best of his abilities? At least that's what conventional wisdom says. We have had lots of room for error, and so far, it hasn't cost us. They haven't had that much room for error in many games. In fact, they've shown they can win tight games. They don't make many mistakes and they are opportunistic by forcing mistakes. These are marks of a good football team. But when the games become one-and-done, this style of play, this finding-a-way-to-eek-one-out, is going to be a problem against the better teams.____________

[NJ-STEELER]

I didn't catch it when this was first shown but someone in the locker room yelled "y'all be quiet next week Peezy".

Still love the "they shot me in Denver"... hahaha.

that was cowher

[Northern_Blitz]

Well let me just point out that we rank 6th in the league in points per game and 1st in the league in points given up per game. That is a recipe for winning because the name of the game is scoring more points than your opponent. This idea that a team that is 11-0 should be looking to do things differently is ridiculous, sure they have to clean some things up but what team doesnt.

Not bad when you're playing a game where the goal is to score more points that the opposing team!

[The Glory Days]

____________

We cannot sustain winning by weak secondary play and a short passing game not complimented by a running game. A short passing game can be an alternative to a running game if there is something else to balance your offense. We don't have that. We have no balance on offense. And frankly, there's not much balance on defense either. If we were playing the raisins' second and third stringers every game, we'd be okay. But that's not the case.

And I'll give you that we're a good football team. But that's as far as I go. We have won many of our tight games with splash plays at fortunate times. You can't rely on splash plays, though. You can, and should, be able to rely on good game plans, well executed. That's within your control. And THAT is what makes you more than just a good team able to find ways not to lose in spite of yourself. Relevant, dangerous teams have identities and don't have to find ways to win week in and week out. They remove doubt from their victories as they take them from their opponents.

We have no identity as a team and are still trying to find ways to win close games. It's great that we can fumble around in the dark for 12 weeks and not trip over a chair. But at some point the lights are going to have to come on before our luck runs out.

[Northern_Blitz]

We cannot sustain winning by weak secondary play and a short passing game not complimented by a running game. A short passing game can be an alternative to a running game if there is something else to balance your offense. We don't have that. We have no balance on offense. And frankly, there's not much balance on defense either. If we were playing the raisins' second and third stringers every game, we'd be okay. But that's not the case.

And I'll give you that we're a good football team. But that's as far as I go. We have won many of our tight games with splash plays at fortunate times. You can't rely on splash plays, though. You can, and should, be able to rely on good game plans, well executed. That's within your control. And THAT is what makes you more than just a good team able to find ways not to lose in spite of yourself. Relevant, dangerous teams have identities and don't have to find ways to win week in and week out. They remove doubt from their victories as they take them from their opponents.

We have no identity as a team and are still trying to find ways to win close games. It's great that we can fumble around in the dark for 12 weeks and not trip over a chair. But at some point the lights are going to have to come on before our luck runs out.

I don't care about balance of plays called, but I do care about being able to do different things.

I hope that we get better at running (especially in short yardage). Apparently, Snell's success rate was ~ 50% against the Ravens. I wouldn't have thought it was that high watching the game.

We have some time to get better and hopefully that's what happens.

I think it's also worth mentioning that if you were forced to have a one dimensional offence (and it's better if we aren't one dimensional), a short passing game is probably the thing you'd want, right?

[BURGH86STEEL]

The disconcerting part about it is not the numbers, but that those are our numbers against inferior opponents. Yes, they get paid too. No, there are no "easy" games. But the WAY we're winning isn't sustainable. At least that's what conventional wisdom says. We have had lots of room for error, and so far, it hasn't cost us. But when the games become one-and-done, this style of play, this finding-a-way-to-eek-one-out, is going to be a problem against the better teams.

No style of winning is sustainable if you want to view the situation that way. Every team has weaknesses or don't play well every week. Teams generally are not blowing other teams out every week.

They key is finding ways to win. The Steelers have the abilty to win vs any team in the NFL.

When the talking heads suggest the Steelers are the worst 11-0 team ever well that's a compliment to me. It shows the stupidity of the haters. Haters gonna hate.

[Mr.wizard]

We cannot sustain winning by weak secondary play and a short passing game not complimented by a running game. A short passing game can be an alternative to a running game if there is something else to balance your offense. We don't have that. We have no balance on offense. And frankly, there's not much balance on defense either. If we were playing the raisins' second and third stringers every game, we'd be okay. But that's not the case.

And I'll give you that we're a good football team. But that's as far as I go. We have won many of our tight games with splash plays at fortunate times. You can't rely on splash plays, though. You can, and should, be able to rely on good game plans, well executed. That's within your control. And THAT is what makes you more than just a good team able to find ways not to lose in spite of yourself. Relevant, dangerous teams have identities and don't have to find ways to win week in and week out. They remove doubt from their victories as they take them from their opponents.

We have no identity as a team and are still trying to find ways to win close games. It's great that we can fumble around in the dark for 12 weeks and not trip over a chair. But at some point the lights are going to have to come on before our luck runs out.

But the numbers dont indicate weak secondary play in fact the numbers indicate very strong secondary play. All teams make mistakes week in and week out, the key to winning consistently is finding ways to overcome those mistakes. Expecting a team to play perfect and manhandle every opponent in the NFL is a pipe dream.

[NorthCoast]

No style of winning is sustainable if you want to view the situation that way. Every team has weaknesses or don't play well every week. Teams generally are not blowing other teams out every week.

They key is finding ways to win. The Steelers have the abilty to win vs any team in the NFL.

When the talking heads suggest the Steelers are the worst 11-0 team ever well that's a compliment to me. It shows the stupidity of the haters. Haters gonna hate.Was thinking the same thing... is there a perfect team in the NFL? KC? GB?... defense is average. NO?... tough team, lost their HOF QB. Pretty much can find holes in every team.

Good coaching; hide your holes, find their holes.

[The Glory Days]

But the numbers dont indicate weak secondary play in fact the numbers indicate very strong secondary play. All teams make mistakes week in and week out, the key to winning consistently is finding ways to overcome those mistakes. Expecting a team to play perfect and manhandle every opponent in the NFL is a pipe dream.

1) What numbers? (I'm prepared to dispute any stat you throw at me)

2) I completely disagree that the key to winning is finding ways to overcome mistakes. I've been around football for a LONG time and have never seen or heard of that being practiced, coached, or put into any gameplan.

3) Please show where I ever said we should play perfect and/or manhandle every opponent. I'll wait.

[NorthCoast]

1) What numbers? (I'm prepared to dispute any stat you throw at me)

2) I completely disagree that the key to winning is finding ways to overcome mistakes. I've been around football for a LONG time and have never seen or heard of that being practiced, coached, or put into any gameplan.

3) Please show where I ever said we should play perfect and/or manhandle every opponent. I'll wait.How about these for starters?

Passing Defense:

#1 in completion % against (and by a wide margin)
#1 in passing yds against
#1 in INTs
#1 in completions against
#1 in QBR against
#2 in passing yds/play

Don't know about you but I'm seeing a lot of #1s on the list....which tells me the pass defense is damn good.

[Northern_Blitz]

How about these for starters?

Passing Defense:

#1 in completion % against (and by a wide margin)
#1 in passing yds against
#1 in INTs
#1 in completions against
#1 in QBR against
#2 in passing yds/play

Don't know about you but I'm seeing a lot of #1s on the list....which tells me the pass defense is damn good.

We're not even the best team in passing yards / play. :p

FIRE EVERYEONE!!! :p

On a serious note, I think it's great that we seem to finally be good against the pass (over the last 2 years).

What I think is especially impressive is that we're good at (1) yards and points against, and (2) INTs.

I feel like you often have to sacrifice one for the other (although I don't know if the data backs that up).

I think a lot of this good play is helped by great pressure. We're leading the league again in sacks per game @ 3.7. That's better than our league leading 3.4 in 2019 (1st in the league), 3.2 in 2018 (1st in the league), and 3.3 in 2017 (t1st in the league).

That might drop a bit coming up without Bud and playing some good teams, but I think this is a case where the pressure helps the pass D AND the pass D helps the pressure.

[Northern_Blitz]

How about these for starters?

Passing Defense:

#1 in completion % against (and by a wide margin)
#1 in passing yds against
#1 in INTs
#1 in completions against
#1 in QBR against
#2 in passing yds/play

Don't know about you but I'm seeing a lot of #1s on the list....which tells me the pass defense is damn good.

Some other stats:

- Fewest 1st downs by passing (109)
- ~ top 3rd in passing TDs allowed (t7 with 6 teams @ 16)
- Lowest YAC allowed @ 881 yards (that's about 150 ahead of #2)

Re: Pressure (pressure helping pass D and pass D helping pressures)
- 1st in hurries
- 1st in hurry percentage
- 4th in QB knockdowns
- t-1st in QB knockdown percentage
- 1st in sacks
- 1st in pressures
- 1st in pressure percentage

Not bad at all. Actually, no where near bad. Looks pretty elite.

If I was an opposing O, I'd much rather run than pass.

[Mr.wizard]

1) What numbers? (I'm prepared to dispute any stat you throw at me)

2) I completely disagree that the key to winning is finding ways to overcome mistakes. I've been around football for a LONG time and have never seen or heard of that being practiced, coached, or put into any gameplan.

3) Please show where I ever said we should play perfect and/or manhandle every opponent. I'll wait.

They beat me to posting the numbers, go ahead and show me how they show poor secondary play, I'll wait. Yes the key to winning in the NFL consistently is being able to overcome your mistakes. Teams have similar talent, they have similar schemes, the difference in the nfl is the good teams find a way to win despite their mistakes and the bad teams do not. This is why point spreads in nfl are generally less than a touchdown.

[feltdizz]

How about these for starters?

Passing Defense:

#1 in completion % against (and by a wide margin)
#1 in passing yds against
#1 in INTs
#1 in completions against
#1 in QBR against
#2 in passing yds/play

Don't know about you but I'm seeing a lot of #1s on the list....which tells me the pass defense is damn good.

I want to see him dispute these stats.

[feltdizz]

1) What numbers? (I'm prepared to dispute any stat you throw at me)

2) I completely disagree that the key to winning is finding ways to overcome mistakes. I've been around football for a LONG time and have never seen or heard of that being practiced, coached, or put into any gameplan.

3) Please show where I ever said we should play perfect and/or manhandle every opponent. I'll wait.

regarding number 2... every play called, if blocked or defended correctly will be successful if there are no mistakes and everyone does their job. One on one battles determine success rate as well. Obviously at 11-0 we are executing and winning more one on one matchups than our opponents.

I think most games are won and lost when a team limits their mistakes. Especially when you look at our schedule this year.

Buffalo is probably the only other game on the schedule where we could execute, limit mistakes and still lose because I think they are a pretty strong team.

[NorthCoast]

Some other stats:

- Fewest 1st downs by passing (109)
- ~ top 3rd in passing TDs allowed (t7 with 6 teams @ 16)
- Lowest YAC allowed @ 881 yards (that's about 150 ahead of #2)

Re: Pressure (pressure helping pass D and pass D helping pressures)
- 1st in hurries
- 1st in hurry percentage
- 4th in QB knockdowns
- t-1st in QB knockdown percentage
- 1st in sacks
- 1st in pressures
- 1st in pressure percentage

Not bad at all. Actually, no where near bad. Looks pretty elite.

If I was an opposing O, I'd much rather run than pass.probably would have been easier to list the things they aren't good at..... but I had a hard time finding those...:D

[Northern_Blitz]

probably would have been easier to list the things they aren't good at..... but I had a hard time finding those...:D

This team has warts, but defending the pass isn't one of our issues.

Although I won't be surprised if we decline in this area because (1) regression would probably be expected anyway and (2) Bud getting hurt should weaken the pressure part of the equation, which will make it harder on the DBs.

[The Glory Days]

every play called, if blocked or defended correctly will be successful if there are no mistakes and everyone does their job.

How is that? This isn't Madden. The very nature of competition disagrees with that statement. It's why they play football and not chess.



This team has warts, but defending the pass isn't one of our issues.

Then you're watching stat sheets and not the games.

Regarding the stats, you all have already proven my point with the stats from the front 7. Most of the accolades bestowed upon the secondary are owed to the pass rush. There are free runners with separation in our secondary on a regular basis. When our pass rush fails to disrupt the offense, third string rookie qb's can be successful against our secondary. The problem with stats is that they don't paint a complete picture.

[The Glory Days]

They beat me to posting the numbers, go ahead and show me how they show poor secondary play, I'll wait. Yes the key to winning in the NFL consistently is being able to overcome your mistakes. Teams have similar talent, they have similar schemes, the difference in the nfl is the good teams find a way to win despite their mistakes and the bad teams do not. This is why point spreads in nfl are generally less than a touchdown.

I disagree with everything you just said except for there being similarities from team to team. And I hope I didn't make you wait too long to dispute the claim for great secondary play.

[Northern_Blitz]

...
Then you're watching stat sheets and not the games.

Regarding the stats, you all have already proven my point with the stats from the front 7. Most of the accolades bestowed upon the secondary are owed to the pass rush. There are free runners with separation in our secondary on a regular basis. When our pass rush fails to disrupt the offense, third string rookie qb's can be successful against our secondary. The problem with stats is that they don't paint a complete picture.

Re: "You don't watch the games." I believe that this argument is often the last resort of someone who knows that they're wrong. Or maybe someone who bases their opinions on anecdotes / small samples that lead them to the wrong conclusions.

In my case, I try to watch the games AND look at the stats. That way I at least try to not get misled by anecdotes or stats. But I'm hardly perfect.

And I think it is possible to be misled by the stats. Particularly in cases where someone cherry picks 1 or 2 stats to try to prove their point (e.g. often intentionally not getting the full picture).

But look at the stats in total here. We're the #1 team in so many indicators of successful pass D that it seems very unlikely to me that it's misleading.

But, I admit that I could be wrong. So I think it would be great if you had something to support your idea that it's all pressure (which is part of defending that pass) and nothing in the secondary. You just saying it doesn't make it true.

I think your argument is that we consistently have guys get more separation (I'm going to use the words "wide open") against our secondary than other teams and we're only getting good pass D because QBs don't find the open guys. Feel free to correct me if I am misrepresenting your position.

(1) That sounds like good pass defense to me if it's true.

And I think it is true that our pressure makes life hard for QBs.

But I don't think it's true that we leave guys more wide open in our secondary than other teams do.

Why?

(2) As stated above, we're #1 in YAC. If you're claim were true, do you think that when QBs did find one of these wide open receivers they'd run with the ball more (because there aren't any defenders around)?

I think we'd see way more Hollywood Brown types plays if this were the case.

There may be something to this, so I did some digging (because I would prefer to know vs. being right).

We are middle of the pack in explosive pass rate (8%). The best teams in the league are at 6%. The difference is 7 or 8 plays from being the best in the league (less than 1 / game). The numbers here are from Sharp Football Stats. It would be interesting to see yards off these plays too, but they don't have them. Or if they had a break down of air yards vs. total yards on these plays. If you know where to get that info, it would be cool to see IMO.

Two things about this:

(i) I wonder if this is more the cost of being aggressive going for picks or being about average in having guys open in the secondary. Us leading the league in INTs might suggest it's the former, but I don't know.

And (ii) combining this with lowest YAC in the league suggests that these are mostly air yards and we still tackle the catch better than other teams. Which also supports the idea that guys aren't wide open all the time (although maybe this depends on what we mean by wide open?).

(3) As stated above, we're #1 in INTs. It seems to me like you need to be close to the targeted WR to pick the ball off.

Aside: It wasn't mentioned above, but we're also tied for 1st for INT / TD allowed (probably a pretty good stat for a pass D. Us and the Rams are the only teams at 1.0. Everyone else has allowed more TDs than they have INTs.

[NorthCoast]

How is that? This isn't Madden. The very nature of competition disagrees with that statement. It's why they play football and not chess.




Then you're watching stat sheets and not the games.

Regarding the stats, you all have already proven my point with the stats from the front 7. Most of the accolades bestowed upon the secondary are owed to the pass rush. There are free runners with separation in our secondary on a regular basis. When our pass rush fails to disrupt the offense, third string rookie qb's can be successful against our secondary. The problem with stats is that they don't paint a complete picture.Have you ever been to a live game? This is the NFL. The rules favor passing. Every game I have seen live (including non-Steeler) there are a handful plays where guys are running open. It's the job of the defense to pressure, hide coverage, disrupt timing, or confuse the QB. The fact that the Steelers are No. 1 in so many indicators says they do this better and more often than any other team in the league.

[Mr.wizard]

I disagree with everything you just said except for there being similarities from team to team. And I hope I didn't make you wait too long to dispute the claim for great secondary play.

I'm still waiting, it doesnt matter if you disagree. I not only watch Steelers games I watch all games and what I see in everygame is players and coaches on the sideline with tablets looking at previous plays and figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it. It is a constant effort to make adjustments and correct mistakes. The teams that overcome their mistakes generally when more games.

[BURGH86STEEL]

I'm still waiting, it doesnt matter if you disagree. I not only watch Steelers games I watch all games and what I see in everygame is players and coaches on the sideline with tablets looking at previous plays and figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it. It is a constant effort to make adjustments and correct mistakes. The teams that overcome their mistakes generally when more games.I understand your point.

I think the teams that limit mistakes give themselves a better chance to win. Some mistakes are harder to overcome than others like turnovers.

[Mr.wizard]

I understand your point.

I think the teams that limit mistakes give themselves a better chance to win. Some mistakes are harder to overcome than others like turnovers.

Yes the goal is to limit the mistakes and it would be nice to not make any mistakes, but it's just not realistic. So teams that win consistently are always really good at overcoming mistakes, they are never out of games. We have shown that we can win without turning the ball over and we can win despite turning the ball over, that is why we have won 11 games in a row, turnovers while hard to overcome are not necessarily a death sentence for this team.

[BURGH86STEEL]

Yes the goal is to limit the mistakes and it would be nice to not make any mistakes, but it's just not realistic. So teams that win consistently are always really good at overcoming mistakes, they are never out of games. We have shown that we can win without turning the ball over and we can win despite turning the ball over, that is why we have won 11 games in a row, turnovers while hard to overcome are not necessarily a death sentence for this team.
I'm not sure but I don't think we've been on the negative side of turnover ratio in any games this season. Ill need to check.

[Mr.wizard]

I'm not sure but I don't think we've been on the negative side of turnover ratio in any games this season. Ill need to check.

I don't mean losing the turnover battle, winning the turnover battle is part of my point. So if we turn the ball over twice, we have been able to force two or three turnovers to overcome those mistakes. Offense doesn't make a first down to ice the game but defense comes up with a stop. We are able to overcome our mistakes because our team is good in all three phases and that is the key to winning consistently, people have an unrealistic expectation that an undefeated team is just going to play perfectly and steam roll teams every week, but it just doesn't happen in the NFL. Even the Chiefs that many people seem to think are this unstoppable force, have been behind in couple games this year, it's just the nature of the NFL.

[BURGH86STEEL]

I don't mean losing the turnover battle, winning the turnover battle is part of my point. So if we turn the ball over twice, we have been able to force two or three turnovers to overcome those mistakes. Offense doesn't make a first down to ice the game but defense comes up with a stop. We are able to overcome our mistakes because our team is good in all three phases and that is the key to winning consistently, people have an unrealistic expectation that an undefeated team is just going to play perfectly and steam roll teams every week, but it just doesn't happen in the NFL. Even the Chiefs that many people seem to think are this unstoppable force, have been behind in couple games this year, it's just the nature of the NFL.

I agree with you.

[feltdizz]

How is that? This isn't Madden. The very nature of competition disagrees with that statement. It's why they play football and not chess.




Then you're watching stat sheets and not the games.

Regarding the stats, you all have already proven my point with the stats from the front 7. Most of the accolades bestowed upon the secondary are owed to the pass rush. There are free runners with separation in our secondary on a regular basis. When our pass rush fails to disrupt the offense, third string rookie qb's can be successful against our secondary. The problem with stats is that they don't paint a complete picture.

you aren’t making any sense. If people were running free all the time and we couldn’t cover we wouldn’t be 11-0.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

for year's we've said, "they play to the level of their competition"... I've argued, "we don't keep the pedal to the metal".

One of the biggest flaws I've seen in both Tomlin and even Cowher is getting up by 2 scores (more than 8 ) then getting conservative. It's like they are trying to NOT lose instead of just locking the game up and putting it away.
OK... this week, i don't complain about anything... this one's a little too freaky coincidental for me...

[flippy]

OK... this week, i don't complain about anything... this one's a little too freaky coincidental for me...

I was sure we did everything exactly the same in our house. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what we need to do different next game.

And now you come clean and let us know the loss is on you. 50% on Mike T. 50% on SoD. Now it all makes sense. :)

[NorthCoast]

I was sure we did everything exactly the same in our house. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what we need to do different next game.

And now you come clean and let us know the loss is on you. 50% on Mike T. 50% on SoD. Now it all makes sense. :)I didn't start drinking at noon on Sunday like I usually do... wasn't sure my liver could hold up until Monday evening...