This team blows, will be lucky to go 8-8

[BigRob]

It's only what I have been saying for a couple of years now. However, we are in a bind because we have "missed" on several of the conversion projects that LeBeau attempted and now we have some holes in the front seven. If we stay with LeBeau and his system help may be two to three years away. If we change the system we may be able to get players to come out of college and play the positions they always have and therefore get on the field sooner.

The problem with LeBeau and his system isn't that it is bad, if you have all the pieces it is outstanding. The problem is that it is too difficult to sustain because you have to take too many chances on "conversions" in the front seven and when you miss (like Bruce Davis, Oriel Harris, Ryan McBean, Thadeus Gibson, Doug Worthington) it forces you to go back again and take another chance on another guy for that position. When you are doing that you are not addressing other positions.

In my mind it has always be a sustainability issue with LeBeau's 3-4 defense. The problems started becoming visible a couple of season ago. IMO if we didn't get lucky with James Harrison and have an often cut UDFA become a star the problem would have been much worse, much earlier.

There is one area I would agree with you completely. Offensive college players are coming out of college much more prepared to excel in the NFL. college offenses are getting extremely complex and features the pass a lot more than in the past.

Whereas college defenses are not keeping up with them. It doesn't make a lot of sense to keep taking 4-3 college players and convert them to an unfamiliar system in today's NFL. So, that leaves two options. Switch to a 4-3 defense as you have been advocating and take the 4-3 college players and put them in a position to play instead of think or draft 3-4 college players for the same reason.

Being that the vast majority of college players come from the 4-3, it may be more productive to switch our defense rather than limit our pool of players that can excel in our 3-4 system.

I know you have argued this before Oviedo, and I am starting to ring this bell as well i think.

[Oviedo]

There is one area I would agree with you completely. Offensive college players are coming out of college much more prepared to excel in the NFL. college offenses are getting extremely complex and features the pass a lot more than in the past.

Whereas college defenses are not keeping up with them. It doesn't make a lot of sense to keep taking 4-3 college players and convert them to an unfamiliar system in today's NFL. So, that leaves two options. Switch to a 4-3 defense as you have been advocating and take the 4-3 college players and put them in a position to play instead of think or draft 3-4 college players for the same reason.

Being that the vast majority of college players come from the 4-3, it may be more productive to switch our defense rather than limit our pool of players that can excel in our 3-4 system.

I know you have argued this before Oviedo, and I am starting to ring this bell as well i think.

Never too late to join the party. Everyone is invited!!!!

Seriously though, it only makes sense. We could absorb some misses 5-7 years ago because we were looking for players others ignored. But with at least 50% of the league looking for the same type players you don't have that margin of error anymore. As you correctly stated there are many more schools playing a 4-3 than a 3-4 so the talent pool is larger and deeper. Just makes sense.

[Flasteel]

That is all on this miserable morning.

And I owe you a big apology BigRob. This is definitely not crazy talk anymore. Even with a healthy Ben.

[BigRob]

And I owe you a big apology BigRob. This is definitely not crazy talk anymore. Even with a healthy Ben.

I don't relish it, and I hope/wish I am wrong.

[papillon]

The "generational change" I have mentioned in the past needs to be accelerated. We may suffer for a year or two but time to play and get the players who will take us through the next 10 years not the ones who got us through the past 10.

If the players that are going to take the the Steelers through the next 10 years are on the roster it is going to be a long 10 years. Pouncey, Woodley, Brown, Wallace (maybe), Roethlisberger (5 more years), Miller (5 more years) after that, the Steelers don't have much from what I've seen so far this season, when young guys are asked to step up to the plate they haven't been able to even get into the on-deck circle.

Pappy