Why Are the Steelers...

[williar]

It is so amusing how some want to paint the HC with this big (Fail) paint brush. Like he hasn't done -*ish since he's been here. I understand the frustration and he has done some questionable thing, what HC hasn't. But really?

2016 - 11-5 AFC Championship game?
2017 - 13-3 AFC first round (yeah, that one stunk!)

Tomlin didn't go out there and stink it up against the lowly bears and blame it on the flag distraction. Nor, did he throw 5 interceptions against the jags at home. Nor, did he stupidly let the ball roll out of his hands for a sure TD to give away the all-important game against the Pats. Nor, did he hand the jags 14 points in a playoff game rematch!

Those, my friends, are the main reasons why we will be watching the SB from our couches.

[Iron Shiek]

Wow, going back to my post a few pages back, I just happened upon the perfect evidence to back my claims up that the Eagles adjusted to injuries where at times we haven't been able to. I think that goes back to coaching...specifically positional coaching working cohesively with the head coach to come up with a way to make up for the shortcomings of potential backups. Where I think the Steelers fail (usually) in this situation, is Tomlin has his next man up mentality, and expects the player who is replacing the star to perform on par to said star. It doesn't always work that way, and coaches should realize this. While the buck stops with Tomlin, I think the position coaches (namely the DCor) have to forsee a drop off (since they should know their personnel inside out) and recommend adjustments or changes to the status quo. This article nails that aspect of the Eagles offense. The gist is that with Wentz, they went downfield more than they do with Foles. Very simple adjustment given a backup qb one would deduce. Well, sometimes a simple adjustment is the one that is needed. Hope our coaches can learn from their mistakes this season.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nick-foles-is-not-carson-wentz-and-the-eagles-adjusted-accordingly/

(Sorry I have the slightest memory of how to post a link, but feel its changed in my long absence from posting)

[Buzz]

Unless his shoulder wasn't fit for every down duty...the Steelers will play injured guys on Special Teams if there is no danger to aggravating the injury...Sammie Coates was a good ST player with his broken fingers...

I don't think his shoulder was fit to line up and play defense, just like Coates' hand was not fit to catch passes...

Hard to believe a shoulder injury would render TM fine to play STs and unfit to play D. I mean, he was having to make contact and perform tackles either way. Do you tackle a different way on D than on STs?

Now I can understand Coates being able to play STs, but his finger making his hands "not fit to catch passes." Wait a minute ... were his hands ever fit to catch passes anyway?

[Buzz]

Sounds more like something that Yoda would say to Luke as opposed to something that they teach all you Space Rangers at Star Command as they prepare you to protect the galaxy from the evil Emporer Zurg.

OK, it's pretty cliche, I'll admit.

[Steel Maniac]

Tomlin didn't go out there and stink it up against the lowly bears and blame it on the flag distraction. Nor, did he throw 5 interceptions against the jags at home. Nor, did he stupidly let the ball roll out of his hands for a sure TD to give away the all-important game against the Pats. Nor, did he hand the jags 14 points in a playoff game rematch!

Those, my friends, are the main reasons why we will be watching the SB from our couches.

Okay..fair enough. But he did allow Blake Bortles to score 17 points on three, 4th quarters drives. Tomlin has stepped up and said Butler is running the defense that HE wants. So Butler wasn't fired.

The turnovers are something the Jags defense has done to everyone, all year. That's not shocking. But Bortles moving the ball up and down the field in the 4th quarter is what ultimately killed. Us.

But Butler has been retained and Tomlin has claimed responsibility for the defense he runs. Great. Glad he did that. The same Bortles who could barely move a week earlier against the Bills. ....at home.

[fordfixer]

Sounds more like something that Yoda would say to Luke as opposed to something that they teach all you Space Rangers at Star Command as they prepare you to protect the galaxy from the evil Emporer Zurg.

Thank God he stopped before he bought up Buck Rogers and Twiki

[feltdizz]

Wow, going back to my post a few pages back, I just happened upon the perfect evidence to back my claims up that the Eagles adjusted to injuries where at times we haven't been able to. I think that goes back to coaching...specifically positional coaching working cohesively with the head coach to come up with a way to make up for the shortcomings of potential backups. Where I think the Steelers fail (usually) in this situation, is Tomlin has his next man up mentality, and expects the player who is replacing the star to perform on par to said star. It doesn't always work that way, and coaches should realize this. While the buck stops with Tomlin, I think the position coaches (namely the DCor) have to forsee a drop off (since they should know their personnel inside out) and recommend adjustments or changes to the status quo. This article nails that aspect of the Eagles offense. The gist is that with Wentz, they went downfield more than they do with Foles. Very simple adjustment given a backup qb one would deduce. Well, sometimes a simple adjustment is the one that is needed. Hope our coaches can learn from their mistakes this season.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nick-foles-is-not-carson-wentz-and-the-eagles-adjusted-accordingly/

(Sorry I have the slightest memory of how to post a link, but feel its changed in my long absence from posting)

the Wentz injury is different. It’s much harder to replace a key player on defense than on offense. You can make all types of adjustments on offense with play selection to help protect a QB from himself.

What adjustments can can you make on defense with an ILB?

On offense if an OL goes down you can bring in a TE to help. If a WR goes down you insert another one and limit his route tree, if a RB goes down you insert another one and call running plays to his strength.

But what hat can you do to adjust when your best DL goes down? What adjustments do you make when your best corner goes down? You can roll coverage but that’s about it.

What do do you do when your ILB who calls all the plays and made half the plays goes down? What adjustments can you make?

You cant make adjustments. You throw him into the fire and hope he is up to it. Maybe there are adjustments and someone can point them out but I don’t know how you protect an ILB from being exposed. Only way I know is to score more points on offense and blitz more often on defense.

[Buzz]

Okay..fair enough. But he did allow Blake Bortles to score 17 points on three, 4th quarters drives. Tomlin has stepped up and said Butler is running the defense that HE wants. So Butler wasn't fired.

The turnovers are something the Jags defense has done to everyone, all year. That's not shocking. But Bortles moving the ball up and down the field in the 4th quarter is what ultimately killed. Us.

But Butler has been retained and Tomlin has claimed responsibility for the defense he runs. Great. Glad he did that. The same Bortles who could barely move a week earlier against the Bills. ....at home.

First, we were Tebowed, and now, we've been Bortled.

It's a loss either way, but somehow, it leaves a worse taste to have one of those guys score a bunch of points on us and beat us in the playoffs than it would to have Brady or Rodgers do it.

[Slapstick]

the Wentz injury is different. It’s much harder to replace a key player on defense than on offense. You can make all types of adjustments on offense with play selection to help protect a QB from himself.

What adjustments can can you make on defense with an ILB?

On offense if an OL goes down you can bring in a TE to help. If a WR goes down you insert another one and limit his route tree, if a RB goes down you insert another one and call running plays to his strength.

But what hat can you do to adjust when your best DL goes down? What adjustments do you make when your best corner goes down? You can roll coverage but that’s about it.

What do do you do when your ILB who calls all the plays and made half the plays goes down? What adjustments can you make?

You cant make adjustments. You throw him into the fire and hope he is up to it. Maybe there are adjustments and someone can point them out but I don’t know how you protect an ILB from being exposed. Only way I know is to score more points on offense and blitz more often on defense.

I think that a defense can absolutely make some adjustments...but, I don’t think that any adjustments are guaranteed to work. At any rate, Shazier was lost so late in the season, it made things more difficult.

[Iron Shiek]

the Wentz injury is different. It’s much harder to replace a key player on defense than on offense. You can make all types of adjustments on offense with play selection to help protect a QB from himself.

What adjustments can can you make on defense with an ILB?

On offense if an OL goes down you can bring in a TE to help. If a WR goes down you insert another one and limit his route tree, if a RB goes down you insert another one and call running plays to his strength.

But what hat can you do to adjust when your best DL goes down? What adjustments do you make when your best corner goes down? You can roll coverage but that’s about it.

What do do you do when your ILB who calls all the plays and made half the plays goes down? What adjustments can you make?

You cant make adjustments. You throw him into the fire and hope he is up to it. Maybe there are adjustments and someone can point them out but I don’t know how you protect an ILB from being exposed. Only way I know is to score more points on offense and blitz more often on defense.

I admit I'm not as educated in playcalling as some of the guys on this board that do some coaching, but surely there are ways to alleviate the pressure. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

But Wentz called the plays on offense, how is that different than Shazier? They both have a coach talking to them in their helmet and call for pre-play adjustments.

And I'd like to repeat, Wentz was on pace to be MVP OF THE LEAGUE. Your argument that Shazier made all the plays and was more important does not hold up in my eyes. You are diminishing what Wentz was doing, creating his own time in the pocket and being as accurate as he was while being near the top of the league in Yards Per Attempt. He was just as important to the Eagles offensive and team success as Shazier was to our success I feel.

[papillon]

The Eagles had the better backup when losing a key player, Foles > Spence

Pappy

[feltdizz]

I admit I'm not as educated in play calling as some of the guys on this board that do some coaching, but surely there are ways to alleviate the pressure. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

But Wentz called the plays on offense, how is that different than Shazier? They both have a coach talking to them in their helmet and call for pre-play adjustments.

And I'd like to repeat, Wentz was on pace to be MVP OF THE LEAGUE. Your argument that Shazier made all the plays and was more important does not hold up in my eyes. You are diminishing what Wentz was doing, creating his own time in the pocket and being as accurate as he was while being near the top of the league in Yards Per Attempt. He was just as important to the Eagles offensive and team success as Shazier was to our success I feel.

No, you are totally missing the point. Shazier was more important to OUR success on defense. Wentz is a beast BUT, BUT.. at the end of the day he is a beast because he finds creative ways to extend plays and get the ball to his play makers on offense. This is why it's a bad comparison.

Take Landry Jones.. he isn't a Nick Foles but Landry can put up 280 yards in our offense with ease and it's because we can adjust the playbook to his strengths and get the ball to guys like AB, Bell, Bryant, JuJu.

It's TOTALLY different and a terrible comparison to use a back up QB vs a back up ILB when talking about adjustments. Same reason you see a guy like Keenum have success in Minnesota. As long as you can throw it to your guys you will have more success than not IMO.

It's not like an ILB can call plays that put their best defender in a position to make plays. You still have to react to the offense at the end of the day.

Then you have to remember the Eagles were 3rd in rushing yards per game. No knock on Wentz, I'm sure his passing made it easier to run but it's another way you can "adjust" on offense when a QB goes down.

it's just easier IMO to make adjustments on offense for a QB in my opinion.

[feltdizz]

The Eagles had the better backup when losing a key player, Foles > Spence

Pappy

this too.. it's really the best answer. LOL

[Slapstick]

I think that if the Steelers has lost Shazier in the first quarter of the season instead of the last quarter, it would have made a world of difference.

[Iron Shiek]

Fair enough...so I think it goes back to preparation, both from a personnel perspective and a coaching perspective. The Patriots seem to find ways to plug in big holes and makeup for shortcomings of backups. For pete's sake, they used a WR as a cornerback for a prolonged stretch. Obviously the argument still persists, their loss is not as big as the loss of Shazier. We can keep coming back to that. But this all lends to my initial post that the position coaches should know if we are exposed if a key player like Shazier goes down. You can't have All Pros as backups at every position, but to me its a failure to not have someone competent enough to at least 'keep the lights on.' I know, I know, the backup got hurt too. Which further pushes my next point.

Many are saying you can't replicate what Shazier does. Fine. Well, then you make adjustments, which was my next thought. So I'll ask again, some defensive X's and O's genius on this board should hopefully be able to enlighten us all on what can be done.

I refuse to believe the tired argument (read: EXCUSE) that Shazier's loss was too big to overcome. Good and prepared teams find ways.