Steeler defense old ?

[BATMAN]

Each time I hear or read about one of our defensive players, their age seems to be at the brink or past the stage of being worth keeping or able to compete at a winners level.

Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke, Ryan Clark, Travis Kirschke, DeShea Townsend, Brett Kiesel, Aaron Smith, James Harrison, James Farrior are all at the point of or past their prime.



Will we replace this season with youth whether it is from just giving the starting jobs to the younger guys or slowly allowing them to take over during the season ?

I think James Harrison, Hampton, Aaron Smith, Brett Kiesel still have lots to offer and possibly Hoke too. Keep Hampton at a deal price for the Steelers but if not, whom do we get, ? I say Hoke might be the filler for one season and until the Steelers can do better with their shopping list.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Honestly, the only guy that has age holding back the defense is Farrior. He really struggle later in the year and is a full time starter. That is a weakness that can't be compensated for. I love Farrior but he should be the rotation guy with a new thumper in his spot. Might get 2 years out of him rotating in. All the other starters haven't shown age caught them...just some poor play. Carter & Kirschke have shown age is an issue. That is unfair of Kirschke because he was forced into starting but his plays need to be numbered for him to make any contribution. Carter just showed that he has no ability to make up for false steps and is always playing from behind. Townsend still could have a role but I think it is time to move on without him. He is only holding a young guy back from seeing the field and developing more quickly. If they don't sign or draft a CB, vet min and he has a spot. Other than that...Fresh legs in the secondary.

[fezziwig]

JPN, you said it right. All and all I am mostly upset with our 2009 season because I felt if we did have a chance of repeating, we had the proven guys in there to do it and before they got a season older. Well, they didn't age too gracefully this past off season or they were playing like they were good.

This past off season and mostly preseason and training camp, the defensive players had an attitude that they have arrived and everything or everyone around them will fall to their feet or it will now be a breeze.

I think they thought they were so good, their effort wasn't the same at times. I realize Troys absence hurt but not every play revolved around Troy not being there.
Do you guys remember preseason when Troy and everyone was healthy ? Then we even getting smoked.

I think both sides of the ball played well enough to win more this past season but, they each had their breakdowns at the worse possible moments.

The offense did well enough to win and then, Arians would call some off the wall play or go to something that had no chance of working.

All in all, this defense is old.
Then the offense would come through only for the defense to allow the opponents to march down the field.

I blame the defensive woes on Tomlin and Lebeau for not knowing enough that, Carter can't be counted upon. That Gay was no replacement for McFadden.