Rookies must know their roles in complex D.

[Oviedo]

What scares me is Lebeau saying he won't change philosophies... with 4 year rookie contracts we have to change. We cant wait until contract years to let players show out.

You have to change the Def Coord to see any change on our defense. Until that happens, just more of the same. LeBeau won't force LeBeau out so we are really between a rock and a hard place seeing any improvements

[sick beats]

You have to change the Def Coord to see any change on our defense. Until that happens, just more of the same. LeBeau won't force LeBeau out so we are really between a rock and a hard place seeing any improvements

Agreed, but that being said, we have lost how many starters in 2 years? 3? Smith, Farrior, Hampton, Harrison, Foote...and coming next year, Keisel, Clark, Hood, maybe Woodley. That's an awful lot of change. But none of that changes the fact that making guys sit for years has to change.

[Oviedo]

Agreed, but that being said, we have lost how many starters in 2 years? 3? Smith, Farrior, Hampton, Harrison, Foote...and coming next year, Keisel, Clark, Hood, maybe Woodley. That's an awful lot of change. But none of that changes the fact that making guys sit for years has to change.

If you don't have the right pieces why keeping trying to force the same thing

[SS Laser]

If you don't have the right pieces why keeping trying to force the same thing

ha you keep kicking the same horse. It is not changing much anytime soon. Unless Butler moves on after this season. Then DL after next. But I figure Butler will stick around for his shot as Steelers DC. I do like the idea of more of a hybrid 3-4 with some more 4-3 if needed. With the new rules NFL all teams have to think outside the box. I even like the 1/4 D with Troy as a ILB. But some times he gets eaten alive by linemen. Also I think you will always have to take college DE's with some rush and cover skill to convert to a OLB in any 3-4. Not a ton of true 3-4 OLB's in the draft. Even a very good prospect as a true 3-4 OLB has had trouble in his Rookie year. Just like Troy did. As many here say I don't think it is scheme. It has to be players not being as good as we have been spoiled with in the past. Plus the effect of "new" players getting used to playing with each other. That has to count some.

[BURGH86STEEL]

If you don't have the right pieces why keeping trying to force the same thing

If you don't have the right pieces the defense is going to under perform anyway. Agree or disagree, coaches are generally going to stick with what's worked for them.

[hawaiiansteel]

Terence Garvin assumes the role of Nickel Linebacker for the Steelers

By Paper Champions on Dec 24 2013



Sean Spence playing a hybrid safety/linebacker has been a hot topic for BTSC readers for two years now. All of a sudden, Terence Garvin has taken that role. While his snaps have been limited, it is an interesting and completely unexpected development.

One of the most frustrating things about watching a Steelers game on TV that the announcers are usually a few plays behind what is happening. For instance, Neal and I will normally be e-mailing each other asking why a player is not in the game, and if we had heard anything about an injury.

So, the first time I saw the number 57 in a game, my heart skipped a beat. Was Lawrence Timmons hurt? Jarvis Jones? Jason Worilds? I would frantically watch the next few plays looking for any of the aforementioned players to see if they were still in the game.

It finally dawned on me that Terence Garvin was in for Vince Williams. This left me a little perplexed since I thought that Williams was improving with more experience. After Mike Tomlin's press conference on Monday, the role of Terence Garvin in this defense seems to be becoming clearer.

Turns out, Garvin was a hybrid safety/linebacker in West Virginia's defense. A quick search led me to some of his highlights. It's obvious that Garvin played close to the line of scrimmage (but on the edge, not in the box) and also deep in the secondary. As a result of this unique skill set, Garvin has found a home in the Steelers nickel package. It is a home that many of us thought would currently be occupied by Sean Spence.

Spence had a much higher pedigree than Garvin, but Garvin has actual NFL game experience. Garvin started the game against Green Bay. This is now the fourth rookie gaining significant snaps with the "old" Steelers defense.

This will be an interesting development to keep an eye on this offseason. If the Steelers are excited about the potential of both Williams and Garvin, that will have an impact on the Steelers draft. If both Garvin and Williams, with Shamarko Thomas and Jarvis Jones, turn out to be contributors in this defense for years to come, what a draft we had in 2013. Hopefully, however, we will have a couple of more weeks before having to talk about the offseason and the 2014 draft.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/12/24/5239474/terence-garvin-assumes-the-role-of-nickel-linebacker-for-the-steelers[/URL]

[NorthCoast]

all you need to know about defenses, read up and educate yourselves:

[URL]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1074050-nfl-defensive-schemes-the-basics-of-the-4-3-3-4-and-ryan-defenses[/URL]

interesting to note that all pro defenses are 'complicated' to a rookie. None call for a player to be one-dimensional. It's those added dimensions that rookies struggle with learning.