24 Hour Cool-Down Period

[SidSmythe]

OK, we should be back down to earth by now as fans.
Last night we saw the STAMP on the finish of our season. Personally most of us saw it against the Raiders.

BUT I think our troubles are few and we need to keep things in perspective

- We did start 6-2 and beat some pretty good teams
- We have yet to be blown out, last night was our worst loss of the season (6 pts.)
- Our defense is misfiring a lot but we're still pretty good.
- I think we've found our RB, we just need an OC who can put the game in his hands.
- Our team rallied around Dennis Dixon and took the Ravens to O.T. in a game I thought was going to be a blow out, or at best a defensive battle ending in a 6-3 loss.

OUR PROBLEMS:
- DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Teams tend not to run on us, so they are putting the ball in the air often, you would think we could get INT's. It isn't happening. SOLUTION: get Troy healthy and watch out of Joe Burnett.

- MIDDLE LINEBACKER: I'm convinced James Farrior's best days are behind him and Lawrence Timmons might have the athletic ability, but I wouldn't give him a standing ovation when it comes to awareness on the field. SOLUTION: Let Farrior walk and go out and get a stud ILB who can move and fill.

- OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: I think this is our #1 problem. We need someone willing to stick to what's working and what will work. Arians reminds me of someone who's favorite plays aren't working on MADDEN, but they want to do them so bad, they keep running them even though the other teams counter punch is crushing you. I've watched it all year . . . Arians goes to NO BACKS to try to create coverage mismatches, BUT the only Mismatch he's creating is 7 showing blitz, 5 coming and at least 1 guy coming free b/c our O-Line has no help blocking. Watch the game last night and watch Ben get sacked on 3rd down from a free man coming on a blitz. A RB in the backfield would have stopped that. How many offenses that face the Steelers ever go NO BACKS??? NONE, ZERO, ZILTCH!!! Cuz if they did, they'd get sacked!! It's not rocket science.
SOLUTION: Fire Arians or make him scrap his NO BACKS garbage. Sustaining drives does nothing but score points, win field position battles and/or keep your defense fresh.

Having said all that, I really don't think our O-Line sucks that bad . . . I think they are left out there on an island at times. Ben holding the ball too long is one thing, but expecting your O-Line to block 5 men alone is asinine.

[Chadman]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

Good post.

Let Chadman just add..

1. Remove Zone Blocking on the OL. These guys are big & slow footed- not a good fit for Zone Blocking at all. Fire Larry Z.

2. Draft a FS. We need a guy that can take the ball away from the opposition. Some will call for a CB- but with Burnett & Lewis added last year, Chadman would be more willing to look at a 3rd/4th round selection at CB.

3. Sort out the NT position- either resign Hampton or sign a vet- don't leave the draft as the only option.

4. Insert Key Fox for Farrior. Draft an ILB early to mid round.

5. ask LeBeau to retire. It's not that the Steelers D is falling apart- it's that completely annoyong trait of having the CB's stand 10 yards from the LOS- teams have now worked out that to nullify the Steeler blitz- go short passing routes left open by CB's that stand so far away from the WR's at the snap. LeBeau has been great, but it could be time to move on.


6. Remove Arians. Insert a guy with a bit of flair & hunger. Get an OC that knows how to get the ball to RB's with a pass.

[SidSmythe]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

Good post.

Let Chadman just add..

1. Remove Zone Blocking on the OL. These guys are big & slow footed- not a good fit for Zone Blocking at all. Fire Larry Z.

2. Draft a FS. We need a guy that can take the ball away from the opposition. Some will call for a CB- but with Burnett & Lewis added last year, Chadman would be more willing to look at a 3rd/4th round selection at CB.

3. Sort out the NT position- either resign Hampton or sign a vet- don't leave the draft as the only option.

4. Insert Key Fox for Farrior. Draft an ILB early to mid round.

5. ask LeBeau to retire. It's not that the Steelers D is falling apart- it's that completely annoyong trait of having the CB's stand 10 yards from the LOS- teams have now worked out that to nullify the Steeler blitz- go short passing routes left open by CB's that stand so far away from the WR's at the snap. LeBeau has been great, but it could be time to move on.


6. Remove Arians. Insert a guy with a bit of flair & hunger. Get an OC that knows how to get the ball to RB's with a pass.

Thanks for adding,
Lets give the O-Line a new perspective and lets get rid of the MADDEN offense.

But i have to disagree w/ Lebeau ... honestly I think it's a great defense, just poor CB play and technique. I honestly believe Joe Burnett gets it ... Ike & Gay play ZONE like Man 2 Man ... they play the WR ... last night I saw Joe Burnett play perfect zone over top in the 4th Quarter. It was on the pass Brady Quinn threw to a curl but the WR kept running up field. Joe Burnett reacted to the ball (b/c he was playing the QB, thru the WR) but the WR ran into him, obstructing his break on the ball. Whenever you watch Gay or Ike on those plays, they stay w/ the WR as if they're in man.
Having Troy out kills us too.

[flippy]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

1. We probably need an OC that doesn't get along with Ben. Someone who can push him to be better.

2. We need WRs that can get open. If Sweed isn't the guy, then let's go get someone. I wouldn't be surprised to see us draft a WR #1.

3. TE is a priority. Miller is slow after the catch and he's good at blocking or receiving, but not the best at getting off the LOS after blocking. Let's get one of the dominant receiving threats at the TE position that everyone else has.

4. OLine - They've become average. No one gets open quickly, so I expect they can do better if we can implement a quicker passing game. This goes back to OC and Big Ben. They have to help these guys out.

5. DLine - It's old. Do we need to replace the whole line? How many more years do any of these guys have? Injuries are starting to hit Aaron and Casey isn't as good as he once was.

6. LBs - Farrior's done. Timmons needs to get better.

7. DBs - Troy is injury prone and the rest of our secondary is sub par. I tihnk the guys we have can be adequate if we get a pass rush. But we really need to get better here too.

Bottom line there are so many holes on a team that just won 2 SuperBowls. How quickly we've fallen. It's crazy.

[JTP53609]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

i would give lebeau another year, I hate how our corners play 8 yards off every play...remember brett favre kept doing those quick passes picking up first downs because of it, it is a bad idea to do that when you cant tackle either....I have been saying farrior has lost a step ever since the bears game and especially after the bungles game, he is slow and cant tackle any more (no shame, he has played at a high level for 13 years)....

burnett should be a starter....

[Jooser]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

Let me just add that right now this team as a whole is an incomplete body of work, and we aren't minding the details.

[bostonsteeler]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

1. We probably need an OC that doesn't get along with Ben. Someone who can push him to be better.

2. We need WRs that can get open. If Sweed isn't the guy, then let's go get someone. I wouldn't be surprised to see us draft a WR #1.

3. TE is a priority. Miller is slow after the catch and he's good at blocking or receiving, but not the best at getting off the LOS after blocking. Let's get one of the dominant receiving threats at the TE position that everyone else has.

4. OLine - They've become average. No one gets open quickly, so I expect they can do better if we can implement a quicker passing game. This goes back to OC and Big Ben. They have to help these guys out.

5. DLine - It's old. Do we need to replace the whole line? How many more years do any of these guys have? Injuries are starting to hit Aaron and Casey isn't as good as he once was.

6. LBs - Farrior's done. Timmons needs to get better.

7. DBs - Troy is injury prone and the rest of our secondary is sub par. I tihnk the guys we have can be adequate if we get a pass rush. But we really need to get better here too.

Bottom line there are so many holes on a team that just won 2 SuperBowls. How quickly we've fallen. It's crazy.

Get rid of BA and Pervy Z.

Get a hungry mean OC who can tell Ben to toe the line and knows how to use an RB or a TE.
All of our O problems go away. Heath is good, just misused. Also, this year he's played horribly.

D: Get rid of Ike and Gay. Get CBs who play zone well. Get CBs who can *catch*.
Get Troy healthy.

We'll be fine.

Most of our problems are from piss poor O and OL. Ike and Gay have stunk real bad this year too.

[Steeler Mafia]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

1. We probably need an OC that doesn't get along with Ben. Someone who can push him to be better.

$$$$$$

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

1. We probably need an OC that doesn't get along with Ben. Someone who can push him to be better.

2. We need WRs that can get open. If Sweed isn't the guy, then let's go get someone. I wouldn't be surprised to see us draft a WR #1.

3. TE is a priority. Miller is slow after the catch and he's good at blocking or receiving, but not the best at getting off the LOS after blocking. Let's get one of the dominant receiving threats at the TE position that everyone else has.

4. OLine - They've become average. No one gets open quickly, so I expect they can do better if we can implement a quicker passing game. This goes back to OC and Big Ben. They have to help these guys out.

5. DLine - It's old. Do we need to replace the whole line? How many more years do any of these guys have? Injuries are starting to hit Aaron and Casey isn't as good as he once was.

6. LBs - Farrior's done. Timmons needs to get better.

7. DBs - Troy is injury prone and the rest of our secondary is sub par. I tihnk the guys we have can be adequate if we get a pass rush. But we really need to get better here too.

Bottom line there are so many holes on a team that just won 2 SuperBowls. How quickly we've fallen. It's crazy.

I can't understand how people think that our WR's can't get open and TE is a priority.

Santonio Holmes just went over 1000 yards for the first time in his career and is CURRENTLY LEADING THE ENTIRE NFL IN RECEIVING YARDS!!!

Hines Ward's 76 catches are 6th most in the league right now, and with 943 yards through 13 games, he is on pace for 1260 yards, WHICH WOULD BE THE SECOND MOST YARDS HE EVER HAD IN A SEASON behind only 2002 when he had 112 catches for 1329 yards.

Heath Miller has career highs in both catches (61) and yardage (580). He has caught more balls than guys like Marques Colston, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Vincent Jackson, Steve Smith (CAR), and Calvin Johnson. HE IS CURRENTLY 20th IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE IN RECEPTIONS (and not just among TE's...that's among all WR's, TE's, and RB's).

Mike Wallace's 32 catches ranks 7th in the NFL among rookie pass catchers. His 530 yards so far put him on pace to be AMONG THE BEST PERFORMANCES FOR A ROOKIE WR IN STEELER HISTORY.

We do not need skill position players. All of these guys can do the job. They have proven that. We need a more efficient offensive scheme, better blocking, and an infusion of young playmaking talent on defense.

[Starlifter]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

1. We probably need an OC that doesn't get along with Ben. Someone who can push him to be better.

the scariest thing i ever heard was dierdorf commenting on the relationship between ben and BA during the raiders game when said 'ben admits he thinks a lot like bruce arians'........

my brother and I both looked at each other and said, so much for this game.....

[flippy]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

1. We probably need an OC that doesn't get along with Ben. Someone who can push him to be better.

2. We need WRs that can get open. If Sweed isn't the guy, then let's go get someone. I wouldn't be surprised to see us draft a WR #1.

3. TE is a priority. Miller is slow after the catch and he's good at blocking or receiving, but not the best at getting off the LOS after blocking. Let's get one of the dominant receiving threats at the TE position that everyone else has.

4. OLine - They've become average. No one gets open quickly, so I expect they can do better if we can implement a quicker passing game. This goes back to OC and Big Ben. They have to help these guys out.

5. DLine - It's old. Do we need to replace the whole line? How many more years do any of these guys have? Injuries are starting to hit Aaron and Casey isn't as good as he once was.

6. LBs - Farrior's done. Timmons needs to get better.

7. DBs - Troy is injury prone and the rest of our secondary is sub par. I tihnk the guys we have can be adequate if we get a pass rush. But we really need to get better here too.

Bottom line there are so many holes on a team that just won 2 SuperBowls. How quickly we've fallen. It's crazy.

I can't understand how people think that our WR's can't get open and TE is a priority.

Santonio Holmes just went over 1000 yards for the first time in his career and is CURRENTLY LEADING THE ENTIRE NFL IN RECEIVING YARDS!!!

Hines Ward's 76 catches are 6th most in the league right now, and with 943 yards through 13 games, he is on pace for 1260 yards, WHICH WOULD BE THE SECOND MOST YARDS HE EVER HAD IN A SEASON behind only 2002 when he had 112 catches for 1329 yards.

Heath Miller has career highs in both catches (61) and yardage (580). He has caught more balls than guys like Marques Colston, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Vincent Jackson, Steve Smith (CAR), and Calvin Johnson. HE IS CURRENTLY 20th IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE IN RECEPTIONS (and not just among TE's...that's among all WR's, TE's, and RB's).

Mike Wallace's 32 catches ranks 7th in the NFL among rookie pass catchers. His 530 yards so far put him on pace to be AMONG THE BEST PERFORMANCES FOR A ROOKIE WR IN STEELER HISTORY.

We do not need skill position players. All of these guys can do the job. They have proven that. We need a more efficient offensive scheme, better blocking, and an infusion of young playmaking talent on defense.

None of them seemed to be able to get open against single coverage last night. Ben needs a #1 WR he can go to even when blanketed.

And he doesn't have to be a big tall receiver either. Just a guy that can go up and make a play on a ball. Anyone from a Fitzgerald to a Steve Smith (Carolina) would do.

I like our WRs, but they are all #2s and could use someone to take pressure off them and to take a safety out of the box against the run.

I like Heath too, but he's more of an hback/blocking TE. I'd like to see us get a complimentary receiving threat a la Gates/Gonzo/Vernon Davis that can dominate between the hashes, pulling a safety/LB out of the box.

[Shoe]

Re: 24 Hour Cool-Down Period

OUR PROBLEMS:
- DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Teams tend not to run on us, so they are putting the ball in the air often, you would think we could get INT's. It isn't happening. SOLUTION: get Troy healthy and watch out of Joe Burnett.

Joe Burnett? I'm curious (not necessarily attacking) what you see in Joe Burnett that you like so much???

As for our needs, I don't think that ILB is as high as you say. True, Farrior is slipping... people tend to run through his tackles more than ever, and you hit Timmons right on the head. I think though, that both could still serve well behind a stronger D-line.

Smith will be back next year, but how much will he have slipped (reasonable to expect for a 30+ coming off a significant injury). Hampton is toast. And Keisel (while solid next to two Studs in their primes, is probably closer to average under lesser circumstances.)

So each of the D-line positions are questionable. We have Hood waiting in the wings... he's no guarantee at all either. What else do we have?

At worst = a bunch of average football players
At best a thin DL corps, still with no dynamic impact players (anymore).

I go for Best Available PLAYER all the time... but things being equal, I would want to draft DL first/foremost.