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Thread: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

  1. #1
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    Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads
    By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
    Tuesday, February 2, 2010


    MIAMI -- The Steelers regularly started seven players on defense last season who were at least 30 years old. They lost five games that they led in the fourth quarter.

    Fatigue could serve as a link between the two.

    One thing outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley dismissed, however, is the notion that the defense would have been fresher in the fourth quarter had the Steelers run the ball more in 2009. That would have kept the defense off the field for longer stretches.

    "They did what they were supposed to do," Woodley said of the offense. "It was our fault for letting teams score in the fourth quarter. No one to blame but ourselves."

    One statistic in particular may back up Woodley's assertion.

    The Steelers held the ball, on average, 5 1/2 minutes longer than their opponents in 2009 -- despite throwing the ball 56 percent of the time.

    The Steelers were in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing; their 112.1 yards per game ranked 19th out of 32 teams.

    Inconsistency in the running game, team president Art Rooney II said, contributed to the Steelers going 9-7 and missing the playoffs.

    "Some of our troubles holding leads this year can be traced to that," Rooney said recently.

    What can't be disputed is that a robust running game can physically and mentally wear down an opposing team.

    Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said it can also energize a defense because of the tone it sets.

    "Does a good running game help the defense?" Lewis said. "Absolutely. If your (defense is) on the sidelines, you win."
    Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.

    What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.

    Gloat gloat gloat


    Boom........

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  2. #2
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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    This is kind of a dumb article.

    Woodley says that it was not the offense's fault that we lost leads in the 4th quarter. The author noted that even though we threw the ball 56% of the time, we will held a 5:30 advantage in time of possession on average. Okay...gotcha.

    However, then he spends the rest of the article talking about problems running the ball and how running the ball can benefit the defense by keeping them on the sidelines.

    Well, which is it? I was trying to discern what point the author was trying to get across, but it seemed to be all over the place.
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  3. #3
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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Quote Originally Posted by RuthlessBurgher
    This is kind of a dumb article.

    Woodley says that it was not the offense's fault that we lost leads in the 4th quarter. The author noted that even though we threw the ball 56% of the time, we will held a 5:30 advantage in time of possession on average. Okay...gotcha.

    However, then he spends the rest of the article talking about problems running the ball and how running the ball can benefit the defense by keeping them on the sidelines.

    Well, which is it? I was trying to discern what point the author was trying to get across, but it seemed to be all over the place.
    The point I took away from the article was that the author had no point.
    As many on this site think ... The Rooney's suck, Colbert sucks, Tomlin sucks, the coaches suck, and the players suck.

    but Go Steelers!!!

  4. #4
    Legend

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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Never the defense's fault. Blame Arians for not doing enough to protect the defense by scoring more points and keeping the ball even longer.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

  5. #5
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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    I think Woodley is trying to be a team player and not throw the offense under the bus by placing all the blame on them...you know, manning up and taking responsibilty.

    the later quotes about how a running game helps come from Rooney and Ray Lewis, not Woodley.

    by the way, have you ever seen a Steelers owner in the past be so out in the public with his comments?
    Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.

    What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.

    Gloat gloat gloat


    Boom........

    Hahahahahahaha

  6. #6
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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Quote Originally Posted by hawaiiansteel
    I think Woodley is trying to be a team player and not throw the offense under the bus by placing all the blame on them...you know, manning up and taking responsibilty.

    the later quotes about how a running game helps come from Rooney and Ray Lewis, not Woodley.

    by the way, have you ever seen a Steelers owner in the past be so out in the public with his comments?
    Yeah the later quotes from Rooney and Lewis did not belong in an article about LaMarr Woodley proclaiming that the defense is to blame for blowing 4th quarter leads. It seemed like the author just wanted to get more big-name quotes in there, even if they contradicted the point that the article was supposedly trying to make.

    As for Rooney talking, Art II gave one interview that has been recycled over and over again in countless articles, making it seem like he has not shut up since the season ended prematurely (when in actuality, he just answered a few questions at the end of the season, and columnists keep using them whenever they can as "go-to" quotes for their articles).
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  7. #7
    Legend

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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Quote Originally Posted by RuthlessBurgher
    Quote Originally Posted by hawaiiansteel
    I think Woodley is trying to be a team player and not throw the offense under the bus by placing all the blame on them...you know, manning up and taking responsibilty.

    the later quotes about how a running game helps come from Rooney and Ray Lewis, not Woodley.

    by the way, have you ever seen a Steelers owner in the past be so out in the public with his comments?
    Yeah the later quotes from Rooney and Lewis did not belong in an article about LaMarr Woodley proclaiming that the defense is to blame for blowing 4th quarter leads. It seemed like the author just wanted to get more big-name quotes in there, even if they contradicted the point that the article was supposedly trying to make.

    As for Rooney talking, Art II gave one interview that has been recycled over and over again in countless articles, making it seem like he has not shut up since the season ended prematurely (when in actuality, he just answered a few questions at the end of the season, and columnists keep using them whenever they can as "go-to" quotes for their articles).

    I'm very glad to hear that, I thought it was extremely out of character for Steelers ownership to be so public and "Jerry Jones-like" with their comments.
    Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.

    What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.

    Gloat gloat gloat


    Boom........

    Hahahahahahaha

  8. #8
    Rookie

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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Jerry-Jones like?

    All Rooney said was that the Steelers need to run the ball better and more consistently...

    Any Steelers fan with any brain cells whatsoever who watched the team last year would agree with him...

    But, the defense allowed WAY too much scoring in the fourth quarter...

    How many games were lost in the 4th quarter or OT? Five?

    And that's the offense's fault?
    Actually, my post was NOT about you...but, if the shoe fits, feel free to lace that &!+€# up and wear it.

  9. #9
    Legend

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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    no excuses for our defense, the defensive secondary in particular.

    there were times in the 4th quarter when I would see Tyrone Carter, William Gay, Ryan Mundy, Deshea Townsend and Joe Burnett on the field and yell into the television set
    "What are they doing out there?", but then realize we had no one else better available.

    we need a serious upgrade at the CB spot opposite Ike and some depth at the safety position. the return of Troy will obviously help a lot, but what happens if/when he gets injured? please, please...no more Tyrone Carter!
    Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.

    What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.

    Gloat gloat gloat


    Boom........

    Hahahahahahaha

  10. #10
    Legend

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    Re: Woodley: Defense to blame for blowing leads

    Quote Originally Posted by hawaiiansteel
    no excuses for our defense, the defensive secondary in particular.

    there were times in the 4th quarter when I would see Tyrone Carter, William Gay, Ryan Mundy, Deshea Townsend and Joe Burnett on the field and yell into the television set
    "What are they doing out there?", but then realize we had no one else better available.

    we need a serious upgrade at the CB spot opposite Ike and some depth at the safety position. the return of Troy will obviously help a lot, but what happens if/when he gets injured? please, please...no more Tyrone Carter!
    Woodley was on the radio again yesterday afternoon and repeated that the defense let the team down. He said the offense scored more than enough points but for some reason they couldn't close out games on defense and he didn't know why. It is a concern that someone as close to it as he is still don't know what the problem was. Doesn't bode well for seeing it fixed.

    Assuming nothing happens in free agency, the team should look to add 3 DBs in this draft starting in Round 2. Make sure that Tyrone Carter has played his last game for the team would be addition through subtraction.

    The reality is that Troy is unlikely to get through a season without playing hurt or missing games. His style of play just doesn't allow him to stay healthy. If we go safety early it should be someone who has the ability to play either free safety or strong safety, e.g. Taylor Mays, as a precaution.

    We also have to hope that Burnett and Lewis make a jump this year because we all forget how lucky we are to have Ike and just assume he is never going to get hurt and play at a high level forever.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

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