Had to turn off the talk shows....

[drprwnap]

because I'M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT WE CAN'T BEAT THE *cheaters. I watched both WTAE & KDKA and NOT ONE of the sports guys came out and said we could beat the *cheaters.
Do I think the *cheaters are the best team in the league right now?
Yes.
Do I think they are unbeatable?
NO, NO, NO!!!

Remember the year they were undefeated going into the SB and everyone was gushing about the possibility that they were the best team ever? How'd that work our for them?
They laid an egg in the biggest game of the year.

With all that said, it will not be an easy task. I think that if we go up there with the offense we saw yesterday-attacking, short passing game, up tempo we have a GREAT chance, IMO. Plus, I think the D will step up BIG!
There is nothing I'd like more (other than winning another SB, or course) than to go to Foxboro and BEAT them in the AFCCG.
Fu*k the *cheaters, they are beatable and Pittsburgh is the team that WILL do it!

[ramblinjim]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

Any given Sunday baby! The Cheatriots are beatable!

[Notleadpoisoned]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

To beat the Pats we need to find someone willing to play the role of Kimo again.

[flippy]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

If the Browns fire Mangini, I think we should try to hire him as our DC. He's essentially built 2 defenses in the Jets and Browns that are designed to match up and stop NE.

As much as I like Lebeau, Tom Brady/Belichick have his number. And these 2 are gonna be around and competing with us for SuperBowls for the foreseeable future.

[Oviedo]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

Well...until someone beats them it is probably justified talk. They are clearly playing better than anyone over the second half of the season and going into the play offs. There is nothing wrong with giving them their due.

Given our 1-6 record against them I think that we will have to play an exceptional game on both sides of the ball to beat them. I think everyone else in the AFC would too.

[anger 82&95]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

Here's John Clayton's opinion on how to beat Brady:

"The unpredictability of the blitz schemes in the 3-4 will be a puzzle for all the quarterbacks. Brady has been clearly affected by blitzes from 3-4 defenses that have most -- if not all the defenders -- standing up to prevent Brady from reading how many players are coming or are in the box. The Cleveland Browns totally confused Brady with those types of looks. Of the AFC 3-4 defenses, the Ravens might be the best in creating those looks, and Brady is still stinging from last year's embarrassing home playoff loss to the Ravens. To win in the AFC, you must be able to hold up against the 3-4. Manning was 3-2 against 3-4s in the regular season and put up 28 points against the Patriots in a Week 11 loss."

[Eich]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

As much as I like Lebeau, Tom Brady/Belichick have his number. And these 2 are gonna be around and competing with us for SuperBowls for the foreseeable future.

I will be very surprised and disappointed if Lebeau doesn't have our unit doing better against them this time around. There are blueprints on video this year on how to counter the Cheater's offense. We have the players to do it, particularly if Troy stays healthy and our offense keeps its stride.

I won't be surprised if the Rats beat the Cheaters again this year. For the Cheaters to make the super bowl this year, they might have to beat the top 2 teams from the AFC North to get there. That's no easy task. If we play them, my only wish is that we play agressive from start to finish and throw evertthing we have at them.

[pick6]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

The problem is that most teams don't have the personel in their base sets ( the starters who make all the money) to match up with the cheats. The cheats are a great oline, an excellent qb, and creating matchup problems. Most coaches have the answers but they are on the bench and they are too stubborn and/or loyal to sit the entrenched players. For example, if you play a 3-4, then you need speed rather than power coming off of the edge (see the Packers vs cheats). Corner blitzes and speed rushers like Matthews that can get past the Pats tackles at a good angle to make Brady dance.

So alot of teams go with their starters which are good players but are not effective against the cheats. I know this may sound crazy but I'm not sure how effective Farrior will be against the cheats and how they like to play us. So I would play Worilds on the edge and move Harrison to the middle with Timmons or just replace Farrior with an extra DB. A safety if they are in a 2TE set or a corner if they are in 3 wide.

other than that I would use the corner blitz alot, I would do much less of that criss cross LB blitz in the A gap (it'll work if we use it less). Our corner blitz seems to be successful every time in at least causing a no gain. The other thing is that with Troy we can show cover 2 and immediately drop him into the box. Or start him in the box and drop him into the deep middle. I would show one thing, switch into another, then play the first thing I showed or something completely different from the 2 def's that I showed.

And finally with Moss gone they a limited in what they can do against us and we have to exploit it this time. Gronkowski must be covered.

[SMASHMOUTHFOOTBALL]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

We have to beat the Colts, Chiefs or Ravens before we can even worry about the Pats....but yes that will be my dream journey to the SB is to whip up on the Cheats.

[tiproast]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

For the Cheaters to make the super bowl this year, they might have to beat the top 2 teams from the AFC North to get there. That's no easy task.

True enough. But eminently doable with this year's edition of the NE Patriots, QED.

[Djfan]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

For the Cheaters to make the super bowl this year, they might have to beat the top 2 teams from the AFC North to get there. That's no easy task.

True enough. But eminently doable with this year's edition of the NE Patriots, QED.

True dat. Interesting that the team with the best record in the regular season doesn't seem to do very well in the playoffs lately.....

[Crash]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

LeBeau has to stop coaching scared against him. If you lose so be it, but don't just stand there and be afraid of getting beat.

[TallyStiller]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

No NFL defense can shut down a good NFL offense totally. Every coach's scheme has things that it prioritizes shutting down, and things that it is willing to, if not give up, then concede. For DLB's system, the takeaways are run yardage, period, and downfield pass plays. What he concedes is the short pass game, generally by dropping his corners off in deep coverage, which helps in accomplishing both of his other priorities... most of the time it keeps opponents of the scoreboard, because it makes them string together a long series of plus plays without making a mistake. DLB counts on a sack, penalty, or turnover derailing the opposition at least once before they hit paydirt, given the fact that his defense is stocked with pretty good players.

Unfortunately, the Cheats are built specifically to take advantage of what DLB is conceding. They love to play that dink and dunk passing game with short drops and quick rhythm throws. Brady is, with the possible exception of Joe Montana, to my mind the best ever at this type of passing game. He simply doesn't make the mistakes, and so we get picked apart.

I feel that this is, in turn, the Hoodie's strategic gambit. His first coaching gig was with the old Browns... and he spent his entire tenure getting his a** handed to him by the B & G, to the point where I believe he still coaches against us even now, believing that the road to the SB runs through the 'Burgh in the AFC. His teams are specifically set up to deny that which we do best and take advantage of our weaknesses.

I'm scarred from watching the offensive game plan in the '05 AFCC...plunge up the gut into 8 man front by JB for 1... plunge up the gut by JB into 8 man front for 1... incomplete pass by our rookie QB into 8 man coverage on 3rd and 8... punt. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The point of all this? IF I believed DLB would be willing to adjust the game plan to deal with the realities of what the Pats are likely going to do to us, in other words, PARTICIPATE in the chess match that an NFL playoff game ought to be, I believe we'd have an excellent chance of beating the Cheats. How EV ah, since DLB has been coaching it the same basic way since the Carter administration, I see us getting shredded if it comes to it.

My hope lies at this point in the fact that the Ratbirds play D a lot like we do, but would be more willing to mix it up and bring the pressure necessary to beat Brady, in part because they don't trust their secondary and would be forced to. So I'm calling it Rats upset the Cheats, we beat the Colts, then we take out the Rats like in '08 to go to Dallas.

[NorthCoast]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

The historical record tells us the talking heads are correct on this one. Brady has been apparently unchallenged by LeBeau's schemes, therefore it is LeBeau's game that must change for the outcome to change.

[Va Steelr]

Re: Had to turn off the talk shows....

I certainly wouldn't say we can't win a rematch with NE.In order to do that the offense would have to produce.Brady can't pick us apart from the sidelines.They don't have a strong deep passing game.Scoring puts pressure on them and makes ourD feel like they
don't have to be perfect,but DLB is going to have to take some chances to upset Brady's
timing and we make ALL tackles no YAC.