Defensive coordinator search?!?

[Steeler Hitman]

1 hour ago, 3rivers said:

it's bad because you keep the best players out there all game is how it should be other than specialty situations (removing 2 gap NT in obvious passing downs for  example).

The game has changed.  The information on managing and maintaining your reps is too prevalent. Example: When we played there was no concussion protocol. I can assure you that I played with concussions or times that I should not have. If you complained you were not tough.  I remember seeing a ESPN show with Packers HOF OL Bill Currey talking about  how he was told to go off to the side of the field and smack Ray Nitschke in the helmet. 🥴 

I am getting off track from the original point which is we are more informed today. I get wanting the best players out there at all times. To me the REAL issue isn't the rotation, but the lack of quality depth.

It's bad because when certain players are out there, the other team can run easily. Essentially it's 2 different grades of DL and it costs the team. I don't like it, no need for it. 

Cam couldn't make it  an entire season and was already playing at 70%-75% of who he is. He needs a breather. The  Steelers need quality behind him.

that's their philosophy, but there is a major drop off on the DL. 

I don't think it's a philosophy, but a necessity.

Steel Curtain, 85 Bears and lots of other top defences played all the time and never whined about being tired.  Specialty is when old NT  gets pulled  in dime etc. 

Again, the game has evolved. One of the problems was that they didn't use their players in positions to be successful. Having problems stopping the run, put Brendan Fehoko in the game instead of DeMarvin Leal. 🤔

keeps players healthy - if you can't play the game once a week most of the time, then find players that can. 

OMG. Really? 🙃 Did you see the amount of injuries the Steelers had on defense? They were not the only ones. I am not for taking the tough out of football, but being intelligent how you manage it. Cam, Watt, and Minkah all hurt. Roberts, Holcomb, Alexander hurt. Neal, Kazee, Thompson hurt.

Do OL play 60% of the snaps? Do QB's so their arm is healthy later in the season? Does the CB1  so he can be fresh?

The wear and tear on the body is different. RB's have a shorter career than Centers. Look at Ben near the end. Had the Steelers done a better job of protecting him his legs would have held up better. He even said, he had no issues with his arm after the surgery, it felt great. The issue was his legs and the rest of his body. Yes some teams even rotate CB's.  Don't be stubborn to be tough. You end up losing the battle of attrition.

I don't want to hear this lame excuse and approach for the DL ,   This is a major reason for the decline of the defence, the front gets ran over when the 2nd team DL is out there. 

My friend, just because you think it's lame doesn't mean it isn't true. The DL was getting run over when the starters were out there. The reason is a lack of depth and overall talent. One of the main things that you criticize Coach Tomlin about is not thinking. It's a 17 game season and potentially 3-4 more games. The regular season is as long as the season of the 74 Steelers including play-off games and the SB.

Also, if you play the best players all game, you get into a better lead and then rest and let the reserves finish the game. Instead it's the other way around here, the games are always close because of this rotation. 

I strongly disagree there. That has nothing to do with a defensive rotation. The Steelers had the most three and outs on offense and the time of possession was overwhelmingly in our opponents favor.  When our offense got a turnover we didn't convert. Our offense didn't sustain drives. That meant the defense was on the field getting beat up, worn down, and scored on. 

or perhaps, how about getting an offense that actually starts scoring in the 1st quarter and can take some pressure off the defence, what a thought.

B-I-N-G-O!

This might work if the DL is deep, but I don't like this DL at all actually, even the 1st team, not ideal and not even comparable to Smith, Hampton and Keisel for example. I don't like the DL that Tomlin has brought in and played over the years. Alualu was good, but not Wormley, he was not suitable.  Leal, Loudermilk and Adams, not suitable.  I have to believe there are issues with how they evaluate or this might be the tomlin defence taking shape. Either way, it's discouraging and bad to watch. But if you are a colts fan it was nice 

or 49'ers, Texans, Bills, Patriots, ................. They need to get depth and upgrades along the DL.  😁

guys like watts,leal,  adams and loudermilk get pushed around badly.  The first team DL is decent, but I am not seeing Hampton.2 with Benton either. Probably better off as a 3 Tech and in attack mode. 

Adams would not be a bad second tier guy. Loudermilk made some strides to get better, but doesn't look like anything but a back-up if he continues to develop. Leal is a man without a position. Benton is not 340-350 LBS, but can still be very good. He's just a rookie. He will get better. Get a few more guys like that and you have something to build upon in a rotation.

but remember when Cam and Tuitt were healthy and how good they were? That's  the standard I am talking about, not what we have now.

I am all for it. Problem was that Tuitt could rarely stay healthy all year. Then got a big contract, got hurt, then retired. They did the right thing keeping him over Hargraves on paper, but in the long run no. For the record, Hargraves still gets pushed around in the run game.

If Cam is a 50% snap player at his cap, he is the highest paid DL in the league per snap then and that's not good . Rotation is only good if there isn't much of a drop off, but here even DL1 isn't good anymore, then DL2 is another problem.

Cam had a 12 week injury and returned in 6 weeks. He was never healthy and never returned to the level of dominance that he usually has.

Until proven otherwise, I think the DL weakness will continues and I am waiting to be proved wrong.  Who gets the most blame doesn't matter, they should all agree on the players they get for the scheme they run or I would expect them to. 

That's something we agree on. The DL needs upgrades. I think  that they draft a guy or two and they sign a veteran. They need Cam healthy and more from Ogunjobi to start. They also need someone to spell Cam every now and then. 

 

[August4th]

Austin back with a 2 year deal

[zflairway]

On 1/22/2024 at 8:06 AM, Dcash4 said:

f money has really been an issue for this team in hire coaches you need to find solutions to the problem. 

These names do not excited me, but I see the offense following the Haley mode: Head coaching experience, now in charge of just the offense. Frank Reicht, Arthur Smith, Hugh Jackson (I said these wouldn't be exciting...). Maybe a very experienced OC like Bienemy who is very respected. But someone that can be left alone on that side of the building to run the offense. Tomlin has overarching control, but they try to silo as much as they can.  

Man, re-reading that list I just have zero trust of this team making a good hire. 

Austin hire screams cheap. 

I was watching the Bama-UGA game with offensive play design and I thought these guys must be making a $1m a year or pretty close to it.

Then you look at the oc names and you think $500k a year for one of these guys so you can up Austin at just $350k bc of the inexperience.

[rlon]

7 hours ago, August4th said:

Austin back with a 2 year deal

Thank god for that…such big changes so far…resigning a very mediocre coordinator.

[Dcash4]

11 hours ago, August4th said:

Austin back with a 2 year deal

Is this a two year deal or is it a two year extension and he was signed though 2024 already?

If it’s a break from the general 3 year coordinator deals that feels significant  

 

[warfelg]

27 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

Is this a two year deal or is it a two year extension and he was signed though 2024 already?

If it’s a break from the general 3 year coordinator deals that feels significant  

 

New 2 year deal. His expired at the end of the season. 

[armsteeld]

Would you guys prefer Steelers hiring either of their former players as the Assistant Defensive backs Coach? Mike Mitchell, who was not retained by the Indianapolis Colts, has openly stated how "It would be an honor to coach for the Steelers" while Deshea Townsend was recently fired from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both are currently available.

[bigben07MVP]

It looks like Vrabel will be without a HC job this year. I wonder if he would come on and help our defense for a year like Flores did. 

[MOSteelers56]

2 hours ago, bigben07MVP said:

It looks like Vrabel will be without a HC job this year. I wonder if he would come on and help our defense for a year like Flores did. 

I’d love it. This is mostly a joke, but I’d reach out to Darth Bill too.

[armsteeld]

 

 

[jebrick]

20 hours ago, bigben07MVP said:

It looks like Vrabel will be without a HC job this year. I wonder if he would come on and help our defense for a year like Flores did. 

Listening to the Titan fans, you would not want Vrabel as a DC as he is very bad at play calling.  Hew might be the case of a better HC then coordinator.

[warfelg]

12 hours ago, armsteeld said:

 

 

I heard that Butler never wanted his DB’s on the Juggs machine and for Austin it’s a requirement.  

[armsteeld]

21 minutes ago, warfelg said:

I heard that Butler never wanted his DB’s on the Juggs machine and for Austin it’s a requirement.  

Why would he never want them on it? That's weird as to cause an interception, you must catch the ball regardless of the position you're in.

[warfelg]

26 minutes ago, armsteeld said:

Why would he never want them on it? That's weird as to cause an interception, you must catch the ball regardless of the position you're in.

No clue.  It was from a lot of beat writers.  Apparently he rather they work on positioning and play recognition than securing the ball.  Rumor was he had the old “your a DB for a reason” thinker.

[Steeler Hitman]

34 minutes ago, warfelg said:

No clue.  It was from a lot of beat writers.  Apparently he rather they work on positioning and play recognition than securing the ball.  Rumor was he had the old “your a DB for a reason” thinker.

I actually loved Keith Butler as a player, LB coach and DC, so this is a head-scratcher for me. Example: Ike "Swaggin" Taylor. I used to say that Ike couldn't catch a cold, taking an ice shower naked, in a blizzard, while standing in Antarctica. 😆

This thinking did a huge disservice to him. Truthfully, Ike could have been an all pro for two-three seasons if he could catch the dang ball. He definitely had some lock down ability as a CB. That ability was underrated and underappreciated by his peers because he didn't have INT's.

Some of the Steelers old thinking, that is so antiquated like this, just needs to go! I am 100% ole' school, but not at the expense of being foolish. That just blows my mind.