Why this D can't stop anyone in the 4th Q.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Throughout DL coaching career he would take his foot off the gas when the Steelers had the lead. In todays NFL, no lead is unsurmountable but DL still believes this is the old NFL. Struggles in the running game & the pass rush being off at the start of the season only makes it worst. I am now confident knowing DL is still here to go out on top. I am also confident that his lack of acknowledgment in the evolution of the passing game is contributing to the defensive struggles. Coaching surfaces in the 2nd half of ball games. Predictability plays a huge part of the demise of a team on top going into the 2nd half. The late DL defenses can easily be summed up like this. DL's gameplan going into a game "MAKES" a QB beat his defense. In the 2nd half, DL "ALLOWS" a QB to beat his defense. Can't call a game in the 2nd half to sit on a lead...You have to call it from behind.

[lloydroid]

Excellent post. All this nonsense about all of sudden we have bad players is nothing but making excuses for the real problem.

The following quote hits the nail on the head


We are tying ourselves to a system because of who the DC is and not what our players can do best. It is like I have said, there is a template and hell or highwater we are going to squeeze people into that template. This is exactly what I have been saying for the past two season. Every year we "project" that a player can "maybe" convert to a 3-4 DE or a 3-4 OLB and then after 3 years whn it doesn't work we try to say we have bad players or the front office is all screwed up. What is screwed up is the whole conversion notion. Why not bring the players in to play the position you just spent a couple of years watching and scouting them playing in college? I bet we would see much earlier contributions and a faster learning curve in their adjustment to the NFL.

This. 1,000 points