Who exactly are the Pittsburgh Steelers anymore?
It always seemed like the one constant for the Steelers was a tough as nails defense that made it tough on opponents to score. Hard hits, Brutal physicality, intimidation, well I think you get the point.
This isn’t the Pittsburgh Steelers we’re accustomed to. What’s happened to the “Big Nasty D” or “Blitzburgh” defenses of the past? More importantly, whatever happened to the Steelers ability to prevent the big play?
Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau always likes to keep the plays in front of his defense. It’s a big reason why the corners play off so much. While it can be frustrating to fans watching the game, those who knew the defense understood the purpose. Lately it seems like they not only play off the ball, but are slow in getting into position to make tackles. Sometimes they flat out miss the tackles.
The words of Warren Sapp come to mind, old and slow. I’ll take it one further. I don’t think the Steelers have ever fully adapted to Roger Goodell’s less physical brand of football. They seem hesitant to attack the ball fully anymore and it shows. The game is moving more and more towards the offensive spectrum every day. Some hardcore fans find that OFFENSIVE.
Can anyone out there say this Steelers defense is as intimidating as it was before Roger Goodell decided to hand out fines to James Harrison on a weekly basis? You can’t hit receivers hard anymore without drawing a flag.
These last two games have shown a blueprint for how to attack the Steelers. If you have a quarterback capable of quick reads and a quick release, you can get rid of the ball to the receivers before the secondary can close that ten yard gap. The pass rush just isn’t getting there like it used to.
Tim Tebow of all people exploited these secondary issues and broke the hearts of the Steeler nation last year in the playoffs. Of course there was no Ryan Clark in either Denver game, but you’d think some of the veteran depth behind Clark on the roster would be able to handle their duties for a game or two. Ryan Mundy got torched on that wide receiver screen pass for a touchdown yesterday.
I won’t be naïve to think this defense is completely done. I like to think that a lot of what we saw last night was a rested hall of fame quarterback with an ax to grind against the experts who said his career was done. The other team gets paid to play too.
I’m not convinced it’s crazy to think the identity of this team is evolving towards the offensive side of the ball. That’s the new NFL. That’s what Roger Goodell wants. Light up the scoreboards, make it exciting! Each and every passing game is starting to look more and more like an arena football game. I personally like the AFL game, but mostly as a diversion away from the NFL in the offseason. I don’t know if I could stomach a full year of football in that style.
I’m not sure that the NFL fans out there in this city want that either.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not just the Steelers with the identity crisis, maybe it’s the NFL in general.
