Is this The Time For The Steelers to Consider Moving To 4-3 Cover 2 team ?

[phillyesq]

I think it has less to do with scheme and more to do with our players not winning their 1-on-1 matchups.

Absolutely.

Whether a 3-4 or a 4-3, Woodley will be coming off the edge. He needs to win. His complete disappearing act this year was a major source of the Steelers problems.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

How are you guys so sure Lebeau is back? Cause he said he wanted to come back? Arians said much of the same, and Tomlin said he would be back as well only to go a different route later.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Tired of players finally becoming full time starters/ performing well in their contract year, only to leave in free agency.

[papillon]

4-3, 3-4 or 5-2 it really doesn't matter as Steelz09 mentioned the players need to win a 1 vs 1 battle to make any of those schemes work on the front 7. If the NT is getting pushed around the team will run, if the edge rushers are getting pushed behind the quarterback and a good pocket is there he'll step up and complete passes, it's when the defense wins a battle at LOS that they are successful.

I don't really care what formation they play, they need to win some individual battles and there wasn't a whole lot of that until the end of the season.

Pappy

[supersteeler]

Absolutely.

Whether a 3-4 or a 4-3, Woodley will be coming off the edge. He needs to win. His complete disappearing act this year was a major source of the Steelers problems.

I can agree with that, its been going on for two years now. Look at the sack totals the last few years....the lowest amount in years. Is this an indication of decline of our OLB play? Or is it a combination of scheme and underperformance.
When Aaron Smith was healthy and a younger Casey Hampton, Keisel, the front seven was damn good. we don't have the same production up front so that might be part of the problem why the LB's play dropped.

McClendon Kiesel DE's Hood and Fangupo/Ta'amu DT's, I wonder if that would be better. I still think Hood, Heyward, and Mclendon are better suited to play in a 4-3, could be wrong but we'll never know.

[flippy]

I think a better question is how do we improve our 4 man line on 3rd down/passing downs. If you look at the way offenses are evolving, there's more opportunity for a 4 man line. And if we get into 3rd and long, there's even greater time to get pressure.

I personally like the 3-4 as a base D and think it sets us up for 3rd and longs. And I prefer a more traditional 4 man line in passing situations. It feels like we just need better pressure from our LBs and we need to find some super big and super athletic guys that can play OLB.

More of these athletic freaks come around every year. We just need one of them. And picking 17 might put us in a position to get one of these guys.

There's more and more of them, but there's also a premium on those guys and they're becoming harder to find/get. Neither Harrison or Woodley fit the mold of the new prototype OLB. Harrison's too small and Woodley isn't athletic enough. We need to find a guy with Woodley's size and Timmon's athleticism.

I do think Worilds is one of those guys and I'm hoping he's ready to take the next step. Now lets find another.

[supersteeler]

I think a better question is how do we improve our 4 man line on 3rd down/passing downs. If you look at the way offenses are evolving, there's more opportunity for a 4 man line. And if we get into 3rd and long, there's even greater time to get pressure.

I personally like the 3-4 as a base D and think it sets us up for 3rd and longs. And I prefer a more traditional 4 man line in passing situations. It feels like we just need better pressure from our LBs and we need to find some super big and super athletic guys that can play OLB.

More of these athletic freaks come around every year. We just need one of them. And picking 17 might put us in a position to get one of these guys.

There's more and more of them, but there's also a premium on those guys and they're becoming harder to find/get. Neither Harrison or Woodley fit the mold of the new prototype OLB. Harrison's too small and Woodley isn't athletic enough. We need to find a guy with Woodley's size and Timmon's athleticism.

I do think Worilds is one of those guys and I'm hoping he's ready to take the next step. Now lets find another.

Thats a logical question you brought up. If I'm not mistaken New England uses both so its not out of the question that we could employ a similar scheme.
As it was said here, our players have to win the one on one battles, I agree with that too.
I don't see any harm in exploring different ways to employ our defense, now if we could get the next James Harrison in the draft that would probably shelve the 4-3 thinking for the short term.

[Slapstick]

I think it has less to do with scheme and more to do with our players not winning their 1-on-1 matchups.

In the case of our D-Linemen, they often need to win-or-stalemate 2 on 1 matchups...if you make them responsible for one gap as opposed to two, you can increase the chances of winning a 1-on-1 matchup...

[Oviedo]

In the case of our D-Linemen, they often need to win-or-stalemate 2 on 1 matchups...if you make them responsible for one gap as opposed to two, you can increase the chances of winning a 1-on-1 matchup...

Correct. That would enable them to influence plays by attacking the ball carrier or QB versus occupying Offensive linemen. We waste the talent of our DL but it will stay that way as long as the team is held hostage by LeBeau's "legend." No one will make a change as long as he is here nor will they even be allowed to consider it.

[phillyesq]

Correct. That would enable them to influence plays by attacking the ball carrier or QB versus occupying Offensive linemen. We waste the talent of our DL but it will stay that way as long as the team is held hostage by LeBeau's "legend." No one will make a change as long as he is here nor will they even be allowed to consider it.

And since he's been here (the second time) and since you've suggested that the Steelers abandon the 3-4, the Steelers have been to 3 Super Bowls and won 2.

[steelz09]

Correct. That would enable them to influence plays by attacking the ball carrier or QB versus occupying Offensive linemen. We waste the talent of our DL but it will stay that way as long as the team is held hostage by LeBeau's "legend." No one will make a change as long as he is here nor will they even be allowed to consider it.

I realize that and I knew someone was going to bring up the d-line 2-on-1 matchups. How about the d-line just PLAY better? You want to switch our entire defense because a old Hampton and an non-Smith-clone Ziggy Hood can't eat up 2 blockers? The Hampton situation is the Steelers own fault. Many of us were calling for a future NT to be drafted years ago.

How about we develop a NT or draft better? It's not the 3-4's fault. I have no problem with the 3-4. I do have a problem with the pressure when we bring 4 or more blitzers. Maybe Lebeau's blitz packages are getting outdated. That's possible. Is it the 3-4 scheme? Absolutely not.

[Slapstick]

I realize that and I knew someone was going to bring up the d-line 2-on-1 matchups. How about the d-line just PLAY better? You want to switch our entire defense because a old Hampton and an non-Smith-clone Ziggy Hood can't eat up 2 blockers? The Hampton situation is the Steelers own fault. Many of us were calling for a future NT to be drafted years ago.

How about we develop a NT or draft better? It's not the 3-4's fault. I have no problem with the 3-4. I do have a problem with the pressure when we bring 4 or more blitzers. Maybe Lebeau's blitz packages are getting outdated. That's possible. Is it the 3-4 scheme? Absolutely not.

The problem is not the 3-4 scheme...the scheme, executed properly, is what earned the defense a #1 ranking in yardage...

But, does that scheme best fit the players we have?

Again, I don't think the scheme will change...but, I do think that the coaching staff should follow the lead of Colbert and not take any considerations off the table...