Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

[MaxAMillion]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

The first step in recovery if acknowledging that you have a problem. I don't think we have done that yet and we will keep telling ourselves everything is OK and just trust the scheme.

Our defense sucks! Scrap it all and start over like the Browns do every other year.

It doesn't suck, but there is room for improvement. Pretending there isn't because we would have to ask some hard questions is counterproductive.

The offense is worse and it needs more improvement than the defense. I am not sure why the offense does not get looked at with a more critical eye. We would not have made the Super Bowl or even won the division if not for the defense. Even in the pre-season game, the focus seems to be all on the defense even though the offense could never stay on the field.

At some point your offense has to score to take pressure off the defense. Our offense doesn't score nearly enough (unless the defense is setting them up with turnovers),

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Are You There CBs?

Posted on August 16, 2011 by ryan



Curtis Brown

I don’t want to make too big a deal about this because, well, we’re one game into the preseason, and guys have been practicing a grand total of two weeks after no OTAs or minicamps. It shouldn’t be a surprise that last Friday’s effort was somewhere south of mediocre. It’s just hard to reconcile the Steelers’ no-show performance with Rex Grossman playing like a competent NFL quarterback.

So, yeah.

Next up: the Steelers host the Eagles. The last time these two met in a meaningful game it was early in the 2008 season and Philly’s defense absolutely dominated Pittsburgh’s offensive line and sacked Ben eight times before Tomlin took mercy on him and pulled him. This time, the Eagles come to town as the Dream Team, and if their Week 1 first-team effort against the Ravens is any indication, their defense is as tenacious as ever.

Hopefully, the Steelers decide to actually block defenders this time around. Which brings us to Tony Hills, seemingly on the coaches’ sh!t list his entire career only to suddenly emerge as a possible starting right guard candidate. Very weird. But, hey, if he’s the best guy for the gig, more power to him, and credit to Tomlin and Kugler for giving it a try. Hills is also the backup left tackle, although it sounds like rookie second-rounder Marcus Gilbert could assume that role in the near future.

JJ’s mentioned it previously, but Pittsburgh’s legitimate depth along the interior line borders on the absurd. I joked that the Steelers should regularly feature an unbalanced line made up of Pouncey and guards, and take it from there.



On the other side of the ball — and with nowhere near the depth — are the cornerbacks. Ike broke his thumb against the Skins and he’s expected to miss the rest of the preseason. That’s not a problem because we all know what Ike can do (cover and tackle) and what he can’t (catch). No amount of pretend games will change that.

For everybody else, though, questions remain. Chief among them: who can, you know, play cornerback well enough to earn some playing time? B-Mac will miss another game with a tight hammy. Going forward, I’m going to assume that B-Mac is hurt until I hear otherwise. He had six months off, and after a week of practice, he pulled up lame. Maybe this is a blessing — at the very least, we’ll get to see if anybody else can play, because at this point I don’t expect B-Mac to play more than four games all season. (Yes, I’m sorta frustrated.)

Also out against the Eagles: Crezdon Butler and Cortez Allen. I’m less concerned about Allen since this is a redshirt season for him anyway, but Crezdon needs reps. On the other hand, Keenan Lewis and Curtis Brown should be available. It’s something.

Perhaps I’m overreacting. DrObvious 2 Comments regarding William Gay — “I think you are a little too hard on Gay, suggesting that he should be moved to dime. When he plays over the middle as the 3rd CB, he’s done very well. It’s only when he’s been on the outside (or playing against NE…) that’s he’s really struggled.”

I don’t disagree with that — and, truthfully, my animosity was probably displaced after watching Lewis and Butler do little against the Skins and not watching B-Mac at all.

Here’s the bottom line: the Steelers need two CBs to step up over the next three weeks. Ike’s job is set, Gay’s nickel back job is set, but there’s a need for a No. 2 starter and a dime back. I know Juan sometimes assumes the dime roll, but when teams spread the Steelers out (and they will), it would be nice if, say, Butler or Brown, or, hell, Lewis, could contribute.

That’s all I’m saying.

[url="http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/08/cbs-ryan/#more-6023"]http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/08/c ... #more-6023[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

I'm very surprised (you could even say disappointed) that the Steelers have basically chosen to trot out the same group of CBs this season that we did last year. BMac and Willie Gay would be much better if they were the 3rd and 4th CBs, not the starter and first one off the bench...



Dejan Kovacevic chat transcript

By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Thursday, August 18, 2011


Dejan Kovacevic: Afternoon, all, as we're only a handful of hours away from the official start of the unofficial NFL season in Pittsburgh. Let's get going ...

Mike: DK obviously the Steelers will have spots that are weaker than others but why isn't there more talk of bringing in a corner that could start??? McFadden still hasn't played this preseason and as the Lee Evans pickup by Baltimore proves good 2nd tier players can be had for mid round draft picks. I know we won't get Samuel due to finanicial constraints but Philly has a 4th corner that apparently would be better than almost every one we have besides Ike that I've heard could be had. Think Colbert makes a move aside from the Macho Man and Dockery? I know its later to bring in a potential starter but I think our corners keep us from the Super Bowl this year as is. Thoughts?

Dejan Kovacevic: It's very late in the process for that. It's one thing to bring in a Jerricho Cotchery who will have to learn plays and routes, but nothing approximating what a DB has to pick up, especially in the Steelers' complex defense. I share your view about right cornerback, but I'd think it's pretty clear at this point that the Steelers are hoping to get something more out of their current guys, whether that's McFadden, William Gay (gasp) or even a couple of the younger ones.

[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_751989.html#ixzz1VOkxKCjW"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1VOkxKCjW[/url]

[feltdizz]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

we are going with our average CB's because it takes 3 years to learn the motherf$#$$ playbook.

I gave up the Sweed
I gave up on having a strong OL
Now I'm giving up on our CB situation...

Prepare yourself to see a ton of completions between the 20's and wishful thinking once in the red zone. INT's and batted defended passes by our CB's will be slim to none.

As long as we don't play the Pats in the playoff we are still in good shape to make a SB run

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

we are going with our average CB's because it takes 3 years to learn the motherf$#$$ playbook.

I gave up the Sweed
I gave up on having a strong OL
Now I'm giving up on our CB situation...

Prepare yourself to see a ton of completions between the 20's and wishful thinking once in the red zone. INT's and batted defended passes by our CB's will be slim to none.

As long as we don't play the Pats in the playoff we are still in good shape to make a SB run

...Provided our offense can really crank it up and put a lot of points on the board.

[Oviedo]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

we are going with our average CB's because it takes 3 years to learn the motherf$#$$ playbook.

I gave up the Sweed
I gave up on having a strong OL
Now I'm giving up on our CB situation...

Prepare yourself to see a ton of completions between the 20's and wishful thinking once in the red zone. INT's and batted defended passes by our CB's will be slim to none.

As long as we don't play the Pats in the playoff we are still in good shape to make a SB run

Good to see you are finally on board and realize that our scheme sucks given our CBs. Instead of adjusting the scheme to match our players abilities we blindly adhere to the scheme.

Any decent QB and even some bad QBs will have big days against out pass defense because you already know that Harrison and Woodley are going to get held and the refs will ignore it.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Good to see you are finally on board and realize that our scheme sucks given our CBs.

ah yes, the terrible sh!tty scheme that annually has the steelers in the top 3 in the NFL every year.

you guys crack me up with this line of bull.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Saturday Practice Report: On the Steelers cornerback situation

Sat, Aug 20th, 2011
By Dale Grdnic



PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers opened training camp with nine cornerbacks and now have 11 after two recent pickups, but only two from the original group have remained healthy throughout and the two arrivals still don't know all the plays.

So, that has left the Steelers' secondary quite undermanned, as starters Ike Taylor (left thumb surgery) and Bryant McFadden (right quad, hamstring) might not hit the field again until the season-opener Sept. 11 at Baltimore.

"I'm still on schedule to be back for that Ravens game, and I've been working hard to stay in shape,'' Taylor said. "But Willie Gay and Keenan, and the other guys, they're doing a good job so far.''

Fifth-year player William Gay and third-year pro Keenan Lewis started against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Thursday night, and were in the top spots when practice resumed again Saturday at the UPMC Sports Complex.

"I'm just happy for the opportunity,'' Lewis said. "I started slow with some migraines, but I think I finished camp pretty strong and picked up where I left off once we got back here.''

The backups to Gay and Lewis Saturday were rookie third-round pick Curtis Brown and first-year player Donovan Warren, who left Michigan after his junior season and expected to be picked in the 2010 draft. But he never made it and had to sign with the New York Jets as a free agent.

However, once they cut him he never re-signed with anybody and basically sat out last season. The Steelers signed him to a futures contract in late January. He's been on their roster ever since and could stay there if he continues to have a strong preseason.

"I feel like I've tried to make the most of my opportunities, maximizing my reps and doing what the coaches have asked me to do,'' Warren said. "I want to go out there and make plays to show the guys that I know this defense, that I'm not just a fast learner, but I also can play the game.

"So, I feel real comfortable in this defense now, the terminology, the chemistry with the guys, I've picked all that up already. So, that has allowed me to play a lot faster. All I have to do now is go out there and make some plays and get better each and every day.''

Warren did not finish practice Saturday due to a tight hip flexor, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. Brown had a sore hamstring nearly all of training camp, but he practiced the previous week and played considerably against the Eagles.

"There's an opportunity for me at corner, but I still have a lot of work to get in,'' Brown said. "I missed a lot of time, obviously, but I just had to stay in the study room to learn my plays during that down time. Now, I'm back on the field and just trying to get my conditioning better so I can finish my practices.

"And it's starting to look good for me. So, I've just got to go out there and do what I can, contribute in any way that I can, like special teams or even reserve cornerback. But I don't care how, just as long as I can get on the field and contribute. Hopefully, I get even more time in this next game.''

The Steelers play host to the Atlanta Falcons Saturday night at 7:30 at Heinz Field, and whichever cornerbacks remain healthy until then will get the reps. Cortez Allen (hamstring), selected in the fourth round this year, and second-year player Crezdon Butler (quad) aren't likely to be among them. those two maybe practiced once each so far due to their injuries.

The other corners on the roster include undrafted rookie free agent Niles Brinkley from Wisconsin, and newcomers Macho Harris, a third-year player, and sixth-year veteran Kevin Dockery.

The Steelers usually keep 10 defensive backs with six cornerbacks and four safeties. The four safeties are Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ryan Mundy and Will Allen. The regular starters, Taylor and McFadden, as well as top reserve Gay should be locks since they are the only ones with experience. But the Steelers also like Warren and Brown, whom they drafted from Texas this year.

If Butler and Allen don't get on the field soon, their days could be numbered. And it remains to be seen how Harris and Dockery fit in, if at all.

Notes: DE Aaron Smith (right knee) and OT Jonathan Scott (right knee) were riding stationary bikes during practice, while RB Baron Batch has begun rehabilitating his right knee after surgery last week to repair his torn right ACL. ... Ziggy Hood ran with the first team in place of Smith at left defensive end. ... OLB Jason Worilds (quad) could not finish practice. ... Tomlin said that OL Doug Legursky missed practice due to a lower-leg injury and would be out a couple days. ... Place-kicker Shaun Suisham recently had a laparoscopic procedure to remove his appendix and hoped it would allow him to return soon. ... Tomlin had the Steelers on the field for about 2 hours, 45 minutes, and then he hustled to Hempfield High School in Westmoreland County to watch Terrelle Pryor's workout for Monday's supplemental draft.

[url="http://insidepittsburghsports.com/story/saturday-practice-report-on-the-steelers-cornerback-situation/41867/"]http://insidepittsburghsports.com/story ... ion/41867/[/url]

[Steelerphile]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Good to see you are finally on board and realize that our scheme sucks given our CBs.

ah yes, the terrible sh!tty scheme that annually has the steelers in the top 3 in the NFL every year.

you guys crack me up with this line of bull.

I agree with you. There is nothing wrong with scheme. The Steelers have great coaches and the defense is always top-ranked. If the CBs play very close to receivers, which apparently some fans think is a cure-all, then a deft double-move, such as the one Antonio Brown did to the Philadelphia CB leaves a receiver wide open in the secondary for either a huge gain or a TD.

So, I've always thought a certain amount of carefulness in getting right on top of these ultra-althetic receivers is smart.

On the rare occasion when they meet a Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, who are crafty QBs and very adept of finding the underneath soft areas, then they have to try to adjust a little better than they have in the past.

As far as McFadden goes, I don't think he should be a lock to make to the team. He was injured most of the season in 2010 and was a certain liability. Now he is injured before this season. The guy might never be healthy again, and if he isn't, he's not that good.

I'm a little concerned with the DBS, but I'am always optimistic because Lewis is looking better; Mundy is looking better (I think), Brown is reported to be a talent (although I haven't quite seen that myself) and if younger guys Like Butler and Allen ever get well, then there might be some pretty good players there.

[MaxAMillion]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

we are going with our average CB's because it takes 3 years to learn the motherf$#$$ playbook.

I gave up the Sweed
I gave up on having a strong OL
Now I'm giving up on our CB situation...

Prepare yourself to see a ton of completions between the 20's and wishful thinking once in the red zone. INT's and batted defended passes by our CB's will be slim to none.

As long as we don't play the Pats in the playoff we are still in good shape to make a SB run

Good to see you are finally on board and realize that our scheme sucks given our CBs. Instead of adjusting the scheme to match our players abilities we blindly adhere to the scheme.

Any decent QB and even some bad QBs will have big days against out pass defense because you already know that Harrison and Woodley are going to get held and the refs will ignore it.

To say the scheme sucks is laughable to read. The scheme is the reason this team makes Super Bowls and wins championships. It has not been the offense carrying the Steelers to championships.

Sometimes I wish Labeau and the other "****ty coaches with the horrible schemes" would retire so some Steeler fans could see what a defense would like with average CB talent.

[fordfixer]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Kovacevic: Steelers' corners of little concern
By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, August 22, 2011
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_752702.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 52702.html[/url]

It's never tough to light up the live wire that is Ike Taylor. But prod him a bit further by mentioning the vast public concern over the Steelers' cornerbacks, and the man takes it to another level.

"You know, I don't get it," Taylor replied to my prod this weekend on the South Side. "The defensive backs get identified as the weak link every year. We've got three Super Bowl appearances in six years. We had the top-ranked defense. You know what? Let me ask everyone: What do we have to do? What do you want to see from us?"

He shook his head.

"It shows a lot of people don't know what they're talking about. Obviously, this organization knows what it's doing."

Obviously, right?

There's no other way to explain the Steelers barely lifting a pinky to address corner, even with a wave of injuries. They've wooed Plaxico Burress and other wide receivers from the outside. Some tight ends and offensive linemen, too. But the only corners brought into camp were journeymen Kevin Dockery and Macho Harris, the latter a natural safety who will try corner for the first time in his NFL career.

Obviously, they know what they're doing, right?

Taylor is a fine cover man. But Bryant McFadden, the default starter at the other corner, gets picked on more than Charlie Brown carrying a Christmas tree. William Gay, the nickel back, wears just as big a target.

Taylor, McFadden and youngsters Crezdon Butler and Cortez Allen are hurt right now, and Curtis Brown, Keenan Lewis, Donovan Warren, Butler and Allen have zero NFL starts between them.

Tell it to me again, Ike.

Tell me that broken thumb will be healed by the Baltimore opener Sept. 11.

"I'll be there," Taylor said.

Tell me, Mike Tomlin, that you're encouraged that Lewis deftly broke up Michael Vick's deep ball for DeSean Jackson on Philadelphia's first play Thursday, as well as producing one of the Steelers' four interceptions. Or that Warren had a team-high six tackles and a half-sack.

"I'm not looking for encouragement. I'm just looking for improvement," the coach said. "Those guys did a better job in that game, and we'll expect it to continue."

Tell me, Carnell Lake, that your top priority as the new defensive backs coach is making something out of McFadden.

"Bryant's got the talent. It's a matter of getting back to basics, and he's doing that," Lake said. "But you know, I've set the bar high for all our guys, and I think these players will reach that. I know there are doubts out there about cornerback. But I also know that the Steelers don't have those doubts."

For now, I'll share that view. But it has little to do with any of the above.

Rather, it's that the Steelers' corners don't matter all that much.

As Taylor pointed out, their defense ranked No. 1 in 2010. Within that, the pass defense ranked 12th, the 21 interceptions ranked fifth, the 15 passing touchdowns allowed ranked third, and the opponents' third-down conversion rate of 33.5 percent was third-lowest. That's outstanding, even if only five of those interceptions came from corners.

Bear in mind that the Steelers treat their corners much the same as the offensive line: The scheme is the thing. All that the coaches ask of their corners is to keep the play in front of them and make the tackle. Sooner rather than later, the thinking goes, the playmakers at the line will get sacks or hurries. Not many teams will march 85 yards.

A select few will, of course. The Steelers have shown to be vulnerable if an opponent has a quick-strike passing game. We've seen it for years against New England and Tom Brady, and we saw it in the Super Bowl when Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers dissected the defense for 304 yards. But safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark bore just as much responsibility that day as Taylor, McFadden and Gay. So did the lack of pressure up front. That was a universally lousy defensive effort.

There aren't many quarterbacks or offenses capable of matching what the Packers did, but he might see one of them Saturday in Atlanta's Matt Ryan. Should be telling.

"We'll go out there looking to prove everybody wrong, just like we do every week," second-year man Butler said. "And I think we're doing a great job so far."

Obviously, right?

Read more: Kovacevic: Steelers' corners of little concern - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_752702.html#ixzz1VjoVu0U6"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1VjoVu0U6[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Steelers’ DB Coach, Carnell Lake, Breaks Down The CB Position

August 22, 2011 9:31 AM



PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Steelers’ Defensive Backs Coach, Carnell Lake spent a few minutes with Jim Colony to talk about the defensive backfield Monday morning.

They mainly focused on the cornerback position. Ike Taylor’s injury has given the younger guys more reps and they have gotten better looks than normal.

Carnell said that Keenan Lewis has the ability to be a staple in the Steelers’ dime packages, but he has to prove that he belongs.

Finally, they talk about cornerback, Donovan Warren and how he has stood out. Carnell is impressed with the way Warren has played, He has shown that he is a contender to make the team.

click on link below to hear Carnell Lake's interview:

[url="http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/08/22/steelers-db-coach-carnell-lake-breaks-down-the-cb-position/"]http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/08/ ... -position/[/url]

[NorthCoast]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

Ranked 5th in interceptions by the defense last season.....the way some are talking about our secondary we should have been ranked 32nd.

The previous article was right on. Very few teams are able to take advantage of the Steelers defensive weakness. NE and GB are the two obvious, but it appears from what I am hearing, the Browns are attempting to put together such an offense. Whether they are successful remains to be seen.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Steelers Should Cut Either William Gay or Bryant McFadden



I wrote about it a few weeks ago; in terms of talent and depth, the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest weakness is their secondary. Troy Polamalu is the best safety, and arguably the best defensive player, in the NFL, Ryan Clark is good enough to start for almost any team and Ike Taylor is a shut-down corner.

After that, the Steelers don't have much. William Gay has made zero progress since his rookie year. Gay gets picked on all day like he's a wimpy school-yard boy and the opposing receiver-quarterback tandem is the school-yard bully.

If you watch the Steelers losses last year to the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, you will see Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady immediately look Gay's way to make a throw. Of course, Gay got torched.

Bryant McFadden is better than Gay, but not by much. McFadden, who turns 30 this November, often struggled in coverage last year. Right now he's hurt, and has yet to play at all this preseason.

After the 2008 season, the Steelers let McFadden walk. McFadden signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but struggled and was then traded back to the Steelers during the 2010 draft.

Young cornerbacks Keenan Lewis and Donovan Warren have both looked very good this preseason, especially Lewis, who got to start alongside Gay this past Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Lewis broke up a Mike Vick deep ball and later picked Vick off.

Warren has shown to be very good in zone coverage, which the Steelers play a lot of, and has been a very good tackler, which the Steelers ask their corners to do a lot.

I think Lewis has shown enough to get more playing time this year. I don't think Gay has shown anywhere near the same level of improvement, which begs me to question why he was given a brand new contract.

Gay sucks. There, I said it.

McFadden's best days are behind him. I know the Steelers' scheme doesn't ask for the cornerbacks to be All-Pro. It's as if the Steelers are almost content with average and/or mediocre cornerbacks, with the exception of Ike Taylor.

Honestly, can Lewis really be any worse then Gay or McFadden? I don't think so.

[url="http://www.412sportstalk.net/"]http://www.412sportstalk.net/[/url]

[birtikidis]

Re: Cornerbacks situation biggest concern

we are going with our average CB's because it takes 3 years to learn the motherf$#$$ playbook.

I gave up the Sweed
I gave up on having a strong OL
Now I'm giving up on our CB situation...

Prepare yourself to see a ton of completions between the 20's and wishful thinking once in the red zone. INT's and batted defended passes by our CB's will be slim to none.

As long as we don't play the Pats in the playoff we are still in good shape to make a SB run

Good to see you are finally on board and realize that our scheme sucks given our CBs. Instead of adjusting the scheme to match our players abilities we blindly adhere to the scheme.

Any decent QB and even some bad QBs will have big days against out pass defense because you already know that Harrison and Woodley are going to get held and the refs will ignore it.

whaaa whaaa whaaa i hope y'all cry all the way to the playoffs that our defense once again carries us to.