Run Defense

[feltdizz]

Is this going to be a problem again this year?

[BradshawsHairdresser]

HS posted this in another thread:

Issues stopping the run

In contrast to Pittsburgh’s backs, the Philly runners netted 171 yards and a 5.5 yards-per-carry average. Those are the numbers of a contender. For the Steelers, those numbers are alarming. Those statistics were compiled largely against the team’s starting defensive combinations.

Ryan Shazier did not follow up his first performance with another gem, but he wasn’t alone. Pittsburgh’s linebackers looked lost at defending the run and frequently made mistakes that could have been easily avoided.

Pittsburgh’s run defense failures in 2013 were a big reason the team failed to qualify for the playoffs and a big reason that the defense was heavily retooled in the offseason. If this is the result, 2014 could be more of the same for a unit that still seems to need a lot of work.

[URL="http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/5_things_we_learned_from_steelers_eagles/17113646?linksrc=story_team_pittsburgh_steelers_au to_module_head_17113646"]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/ar..._head_17113646[/URL]

[feltdizz]

Yeah, the 5.5 ypc and the 73 yarder on the first play have me a little concerned. Usually I'm not a fan of bringing back aging vets but I'm happy Keisel is coming back.

[Captain Lemming]

It's not just this game.
While we got excited with all the plays made by both Spence and Shazier in games one and two we still got run over pretty bad.

[Triumph]

Longtime Lurker here. As far as the three starters at d-line, bringing Keisel back will help, but I'm not sure if he's penciled in as the starter. Also, I no longer believe Mclendon is going to develop into a force at the nose. Perhaps I've been spoiled in the past with the dominate play of Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke and Joel Steed, but I believe Mclendon's ceiling has been reached as just a role player or spot starter. Cam Heyward will be fine, but I'm hoping Cam Thomas and Tuitt can step up provide depth or even more.

[feltdizz]

Longtime Lurker here. As far as the three starters at d-line, bringing Keisel back will help, but I'm not sure if he's penciled in as the starter. Also, I no longer believe Mclendon is going to develop into a force at the nose. Perhaps I've been spoiled in the past with the dominate play of Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke and Joel Steed, but I believe Mclendon's ceiling has been reached as just a role player or spot starter. Cam Heyward will be fine, but I'm hoping Cam Thomas and Tuitt can step up provide depth or even more.

Welcome to the board...

The NT position definitely concerns me.

[Shawn]

I think NT is certainly part of the reason the Steelers can't stop the run. It's also how other teams are playing O keeping the Steelers in nickel.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I've been questioning McLendon for a long time, but was willing to wait and see his improvements for this year. So far, I've seen none.

I would give the mountain of a rook named McCullers a start. IMO this is one thing that must be stopped - allowing every team to run up the middle like they are facing a JV squad. Let the big guy see if he can occupy two blockers on a starting lineup and he has the job...let thew rest of the D get figured out from there.

I've been saying since Hampton left that the NT position is the key to this D. The D has been in decline since he started becoming less effective. Anytime I tried to stress the importance of the position, I was met with..."NT is not that important because whenever Casey was hurt we did just fine with Hoke". That is like saying that Joe Montana wasn't so good because after he left SF, Steve Young kept them winning.

Gotta get back to basics here. Fat guy in the middle forces two linemen to double team him. Frees up Heyward/Tuitt/Keisel/Thomas to roam a little more freely. That inturn gives the LBs a lot more space to attack. Given that, the CBs have less time required to follow their assignments around.

[steelsnis]

I think NT is certainly part of the reason the Steelers can't stop the run. It's also how other teams are playing O keeping the Steelers in nickel.

Shawn I think you're on to something here. I'm certainly not a football strategist, but it does seem that the Steelers end up playing a lot of nickel/dime packages vs "passing" and end up getting gashed in the run game because they only have 1 or 2 D-Lineman out there. I don't care how fast your LB's are, if 5 O-Lineman plus TE's are blocking them, there are probably going to be some holes for the RB's to run through.

They have to find a way to play more base defense.

One thing I read on another site was a reporter saying that he suspected the Steelers were working on the nickel/dime packages intentionally in this past game, and that could be part of the reason for the big runs. I don't know if that's true or not but preseason is a good time to test things out.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Shawn I think you're on to something here. I'm certainly not a football strategist, but it does seem that the Steelers end up playing a lot of nickel/dime packages vs "passing" and end up getting gashed in the run game because they only have 1 or 2 D-Lineman out there. I don't care how fast your LB's are, if 5 O-Lineman plus TE's are blocking them, there are probably going to be some holes for the RB's to run through.

They have to find a way to play more base defense.

This.

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