Originally Posted by
Steelerphile
I think you need to do thiis type of breakdown for more than one team to be more convincing from my point of view. I don't think any defense plays a murderer's row of QBs week after week.
The Steelers still played NFL teams not the Big East and I think calling their accomplishments a HUGE mirage is a HUGE overstatement.
#2 Pass Def: Cleveland --- QBs faced were Andy Dalton (2), Kerry Collins, Chad Henne, Matt Hasselbeck, Kyle Boller, Tavaris Jackson, Alex Smith, Matt Schaub, Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert, Joe Flacco (2), Ben Roethlisberger (2), John Skelton.
Differences: They faced Ben (2), Flacco (2), Smith, Schaub, Bradford -- 7 games against what I would consider high-level QBs.
#3 Pass Def: Texans - QBs faced were Kerry Collins, Dan Orlovsky, Henne, Brees, Roethlisberger, Jason Campbell, Flacco, Gabbert (2), Hasselbeck (2), Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, Colt McCoy
Differences: They faced Brees, Newton, Ryan, Roethlisberger, & Flacco --- five games against high-level QBs.
#4 Pass Def : Ravens -- faced virtually the same QBs as us, but 2 vs Roethlisberger replace 2 vs Flacco, 1 vs Sanchez replaces 1 vs Brady, and 1 vs Rivers replaces 1 vs Palko, and they got Bradford instead of Clemens when they played the Rams. Otherwise everyone else was pretty much the same.
Differences: They faces 2 vs Ben, Bradford, Schaub, Rivers, Smith, maybe include Sanchez, they played him early in the season before the wheels started to fall off the Jets offense --- 6 maybe 7 games against very good QBs.
#5 Pass Def: Jets -- faced Brady (2), Fitz (2), Matt Moore (2), Rivers, Campbell, Tebow, Palko, Romo, Vick, Grossman, Manning, Flacco, Gabbert
The Jets truly did face a murderer's row --- Brady (2), Rivers, Romo, Vick, Manning, Flacco -- easily 7 very good QBs right there, and neither Fitzpatrick nor Moore was on the level of Painter / Palko / McCoy horrible this year. That's 11 games against good QB play.
How about St Louis at #7 --- they had to face Alex Smith (2), TJax (2), Sketlon(2), Flacco, Batch, Dalton, McCoy, Brees, Rodgers, Vick, E. Manning, Grossman, Romo.
That's 8 games -- Brees, Rodgers, Romo, Manning, Flacco, Vick, 2 vs Smith -- against TOP QBs.
Steelers had Brady, Flacco (2), Schaub, Smith --- 5 games, 4 if you want to consider how horrible Flacco usually is in Heinz.
Top ranked pass defenses DID frequently face as many as twice the number of elite QBs at the Steelers did this year. The Steelers played well --- I'm not denying that. I just don't think they were really tested before the playoffs got here. The media kept saying that the Steelers #1 pass defense was going to be the difference. I don't think this was the same quality #1 pass defense we saw back in 2009, despite having many of the same players on the field.
Or maybe it was, and Ike Taylor just had a horrible day. All I was saying is that they were rarely tested with a high caliber passing attach this year.
Bookmarks