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The Steelers’ pass defense: a problem or not?
Written on August 30, 2011 by Ed Smallwood
[url="http://isportsweb.com/2011/08/30/steelers-pass-defense-problem-or-not/"]http://isportsweb.com/2011/08/30/steele ... em-or-not/[/url]
The conventional wisdom among writers, bloggers, coaches, and pretty much anyone who analyzes the Steelers is that the way to beat them is through the air. This theory emanates from a lot of factors: (1) the complete hopelessness of running the ball against the Steelers, (2) the success that some elite QB’s had against the Steelers in some nationally televised games, including the Super Bowl, and (3) the Steelers’ personnel in the secondary is generally less intimidating than the front seven. During Saturday’s preseason game, the Falcons decided to test this theory by having Matt Ryan throw 42 times in the first half alone. Given that this issue tends to dominate discussions about attacking the Steelers’ defense, I thought I’d analyze its legitimacy as the season approaches.
THEORY #1: YOU JUST CAN’T RUN THE BALL
The 2010 Steelers possessed one of the best run defenses in modern NFL history. The Steelers allowed only 62.8 yards per game on the ground, holding opposing carriers to a 3.0 ypc average and didn’t allow a run of longer than 24 yards all season. The dominance of the run defense can best be summarized by analyzing these statistics against the rest of the NFL:
1. Steelers – 62.8 yards per game
2. Chicago – 90.1 yards per game
20. Tennessee – 115.7 yards per game
The Bears ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing defense, but were actually closer to finishing 20th than they were to finishing 1st. Simply, running the football against the Steelers did not work, not even a little. As such, teams generally abandoned the run early and often against the Steelers, attempting only 333 rushes for the season, the fewest in the NFL by a significant margin (Atlanta faced the second fewest rushing plays at 366).
As a result of the inability to run the ball and frequently being behind, opposing offenses aired it out against the Steelers. Opposing teams attempted 593 passes, the 4th highest total in the league, in addition to being sacked 48 times, the most in the NFL. Despite facing such a prodigious amount of passes, the Steelers’ pass defense posted good-to-excellent numbers in most categories:
214 ypg allowed - 12th in the NFL
15 pass TD allowed – 3rd
6.3 ypa allowed - 1st
73.1 OPP QB rating – 2nd
For those of you who enjoy the sabermetric analysis of football, the folks at Football Outsiders rank the 2010 Steelers as having the 2nd best pass defense using their intricate formula for determining their ratings. No one told me there’d be math when I began writing this column, so you can read more here:
Looking at all of these numbers, the conventional wisdom that the Steelers are vulnerable to the pass seems erroneous. So the question becomes from where does this theory come?
THEORY #2: ELITE QB’S SHRED THE STEELERS’ DEFENSE
As discussed above, the Steelers’ pass defense’s total numbers were very good across the board. There were, however, three very notable exceptions to this rule, and these exceptions certainly create the idea that an elite QB can gash the Steelers:
On Halloween night in New Orleans, Drew Brees was 34/44 for 305 yards and 2 TD’s, completing 20/22 passes in the second half of the game. Brees only averaged 6.9 yards per attempt (below the NFL average of 7.1 yards per attempt), but his QB rating was 101.0 for the game and the Steelers simply couldn’t get off the field in the second half, with the Saints’ 4 possessions ending in 2 TD’s, a FG, and a fumble deep in Pittsburgh territory.
Two weeks later on another Sunday Night Game, Tom Brady, who has been one QB that has routinely dismantled the Steelers over the years, absolutely destroyed the Steelers’ defense. Brady’s final numbers of 30/43 for 350 yards and 3 TD’s with a passer rating of 117.4 actually seem to understate how badly he shredded the Steelers’ secondary.
Finally, in Super Bowl XLV, Aaron Rodgers had his way with the Steelers’ secondary most of the night, going 24/39 for 304 yards and 3 TD’s with no picks and a passer rating of 111.5.
Three big games on big stages against elite QB’s, and three very bad defensive performances against the pass. It can be further argued that the Steelers faced a lot of average-to-bad QB’s during the 2010 season, with the other 16 games not described above being started by: Joe Flacco (3 times), Mark Sanchez (2), Colt McCoy (2), Carson Palmer (2), Jimmy Claussen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Ryan, Chad Henne, Vince Young, Josh Freeman, and Jason Campbell. Ryan is generally considered a top 10 QB in the NFL, and some would argue that Flacco is in the top 10 or close thereto, but the Steelers did not face a lot of elite QB play in 2010.
THEORY #3: LACK OF INVESTMENT IN THE SECONDARY
Setting Troy Polamalu aside, here is how the other members of the 2010 Steelers’ secondary were obtained:
S Ryan Clark – signed as a free agent from Washington – undrafted out of college
S Ryan Mundy – 2008 6th round draft choice
S Will Allen – signed as free agent from Tampa Bay – originally a 2004 4th round draft choice
CB Ike Taylor – 2003 4th round draft choice
CB Bryant McFadden – re-acquired in trade from Arizona for 5th round pick – originally a 2005 2nd round draft choice
CB William Gay – 2007 5th round draft choice
CB Anthony Madison – signed as undrafted free agent
CB Keenan Lewis – 2009 3rd round draft choice
CB Crezdon Butler – 2010 5th round draft choice
Thus, of the 9 defensive backs that played in the Super Bowl for the Steelers (Butler was inactive), only Polamalu, Lewis, and McFadden were drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, and the last defensive back drafted in the first two rounds of the draft was McFadden back in 2005. No team knows better than the Steelers that good players can be found as undrafted free agents (James Harrison, Willie Parker, Doug Legursky, Ramon Foster, Darnell Stapleton, and Ryan Clark have all been starters on Steelers’ Super Bowl teams despite being undrafted out of college), but the lack of investment in top end talent in the secondary may lead to the impression of vulnerability.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2011
The Steelers return 8 of the 9 defensive backs that played in Super Bowl XLV (Anthony Madison signed with Detroit over the offseason), and also return Butler. The club also drafted CB Curtis Brown in the 3rd round and CB Cortez Allen in the 4th round of the 2011 draft. The Steelers have been absolutely riddled with injuries during the preseason however, with Taylor playing in only one preseason game and with McFadden and Cortez Allen appearing in none. The club has high hopes for Curtis Brown, but he simply hasn’t had enough reps to overcome the lack of OTA’s and minicamps in order to crack the rotation at CB to start the season. Keenan Lewis has been impressive in camp and in the preseason play he has seen, but he went down with a minor knee injury early in the Atlanta game. The Steelers are likely to go into the season with the same top 6 DB’s as in 2010 – Taylor and McFadden at starting CB, Polamalu and Clark at S, Gay as the nickel back and Mundy as the 6th DB. Lewis will either displace McFadden as the starter or be the 4th DB, as the Steelers like Gay in the slot.
Looking at all of this in its entirety, the truth is probably (as usual) somewhere in the middle. The Steelers’ pass defense is definitely more vulnerable than their run defense, and elite QB’s will likely continue to have success against the Steelers. There are, however, only a few QB’s good enough to consistently exploit the Steelers’ secondary and, as discussed above, average and merely good QB’s don’t generally get it done.
Written on August 30, 2011 by Ed Smallwood
[url="http://isportsweb.com/2011/08/30/steelers-pass-defense-problem-or-not/"]http://isportsweb.com/2011/08/30/steele ... em-or-not/[/url]
The conventional wisdom among writers, bloggers, coaches, and pretty much anyone who analyzes the Steelers is that the way to beat them is through the air. This theory emanates from a lot of factors: (1) the complete hopelessness of running the ball against the Steelers, (2) the success that some elite QB’s had against the Steelers in some nationally televised games, including the Super Bowl, and (3) the Steelers’ personnel in the secondary is generally less intimidating than the front seven. During Saturday’s preseason game, the Falcons decided to test this theory by having Matt Ryan throw 42 times in the first half alone. Given that this issue tends to dominate discussions about attacking the Steelers’ defense, I thought I’d analyze its legitimacy as the season approaches.
THEORY #1: YOU JUST CAN’T RUN THE BALL
The 2010 Steelers possessed one of the best run defenses in modern NFL history. The Steelers allowed only 62.8 yards per game on the ground, holding opposing carriers to a 3.0 ypc average and didn’t allow a run of longer than 24 yards all season. The dominance of the run defense can best be summarized by analyzing these statistics against the rest of the NFL:
1. Steelers – 62.8 yards per game
2. Chicago – 90.1 yards per game
20. Tennessee – 115.7 yards per game
The Bears ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing defense, but were actually closer to finishing 20th than they were to finishing 1st. Simply, running the football against the Steelers did not work, not even a little. As such, teams generally abandoned the run early and often against the Steelers, attempting only 333 rushes for the season, the fewest in the NFL by a significant margin (Atlanta faced the second fewest rushing plays at 366).
As a result of the inability to run the ball and frequently being behind, opposing offenses aired it out against the Steelers. Opposing teams attempted 593 passes, the 4th highest total in the league, in addition to being sacked 48 times, the most in the NFL. Despite facing such a prodigious amount of passes, the Steelers’ pass defense posted good-to-excellent numbers in most categories:
214 ypg allowed - 12th in the NFL
15 pass TD allowed – 3rd
6.3 ypa allowed - 1st
73.1 OPP QB rating – 2nd
For those of you who enjoy the sabermetric analysis of football, the folks at Football Outsiders rank the 2010 Steelers as having the 2nd best pass defense using their intricate formula for determining their ratings. No one told me there’d be math when I began writing this column, so you can read more here:
Looking at all of these numbers, the conventional wisdom that the Steelers are vulnerable to the pass seems erroneous. So the question becomes from where does this theory come?
THEORY #2: ELITE QB’S SHRED THE STEELERS’ DEFENSE
As discussed above, the Steelers’ pass defense’s total numbers were very good across the board. There were, however, three very notable exceptions to this rule, and these exceptions certainly create the idea that an elite QB can gash the Steelers:
On Halloween night in New Orleans, Drew Brees was 34/44 for 305 yards and 2 TD’s, completing 20/22 passes in the second half of the game. Brees only averaged 6.9 yards per attempt (below the NFL average of 7.1 yards per attempt), but his QB rating was 101.0 for the game and the Steelers simply couldn’t get off the field in the second half, with the Saints’ 4 possessions ending in 2 TD’s, a FG, and a fumble deep in Pittsburgh territory.
Two weeks later on another Sunday Night Game, Tom Brady, who has been one QB that has routinely dismantled the Steelers over the years, absolutely destroyed the Steelers’ defense. Brady’s final numbers of 30/43 for 350 yards and 3 TD’s with a passer rating of 117.4 actually seem to understate how badly he shredded the Steelers’ secondary.
Finally, in Super Bowl XLV, Aaron Rodgers had his way with the Steelers’ secondary most of the night, going 24/39 for 304 yards and 3 TD’s with no picks and a passer rating of 111.5.
Three big games on big stages against elite QB’s, and three very bad defensive performances against the pass. It can be further argued that the Steelers faced a lot of average-to-bad QB’s during the 2010 season, with the other 16 games not described above being started by: Joe Flacco (3 times), Mark Sanchez (2), Colt McCoy (2), Carson Palmer (2), Jimmy Claussen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Ryan, Chad Henne, Vince Young, Josh Freeman, and Jason Campbell. Ryan is generally considered a top 10 QB in the NFL, and some would argue that Flacco is in the top 10 or close thereto, but the Steelers did not face a lot of elite QB play in 2010.
THEORY #3: LACK OF INVESTMENT IN THE SECONDARY
Setting Troy Polamalu aside, here is how the other members of the 2010 Steelers’ secondary were obtained:
S Ryan Clark – signed as a free agent from Washington – undrafted out of college
S Ryan Mundy – 2008 6th round draft choice
S Will Allen – signed as free agent from Tampa Bay – originally a 2004 4th round draft choice
CB Ike Taylor – 2003 4th round draft choice
CB Bryant McFadden – re-acquired in trade from Arizona for 5th round pick – originally a 2005 2nd round draft choice
CB William Gay – 2007 5th round draft choice
CB Anthony Madison – signed as undrafted free agent
CB Keenan Lewis – 2009 3rd round draft choice
CB Crezdon Butler – 2010 5th round draft choice
Thus, of the 9 defensive backs that played in the Super Bowl for the Steelers (Butler was inactive), only Polamalu, Lewis, and McFadden were drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, and the last defensive back drafted in the first two rounds of the draft was McFadden back in 2005. No team knows better than the Steelers that good players can be found as undrafted free agents (James Harrison, Willie Parker, Doug Legursky, Ramon Foster, Darnell Stapleton, and Ryan Clark have all been starters on Steelers’ Super Bowl teams despite being undrafted out of college), but the lack of investment in top end talent in the secondary may lead to the impression of vulnerability.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2011
The Steelers return 8 of the 9 defensive backs that played in Super Bowl XLV (Anthony Madison signed with Detroit over the offseason), and also return Butler. The club also drafted CB Curtis Brown in the 3rd round and CB Cortez Allen in the 4th round of the 2011 draft. The Steelers have been absolutely riddled with injuries during the preseason however, with Taylor playing in only one preseason game and with McFadden and Cortez Allen appearing in none. The club has high hopes for Curtis Brown, but he simply hasn’t had enough reps to overcome the lack of OTA’s and minicamps in order to crack the rotation at CB to start the season. Keenan Lewis has been impressive in camp and in the preseason play he has seen, but he went down with a minor knee injury early in the Atlanta game. The Steelers are likely to go into the season with the same top 6 DB’s as in 2010 – Taylor and McFadden at starting CB, Polamalu and Clark at S, Gay as the nickel back and Mundy as the 6th DB. Lewis will either displace McFadden as the starter or be the 4th DB, as the Steelers like Gay in the slot.
Looking at all of this in its entirety, the truth is probably (as usual) somewhere in the middle. The Steelers’ pass defense is definitely more vulnerable than their run defense, and elite QB’s will likely continue to have success against the Steelers. There are, however, only a few QB’s good enough to consistently exploit the Steelers’ secondary and, as discussed above, average and merely good QB’s don’t generally get it done.
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