Post-Patriots thoughts

[mesaSteeler]

NFL from the sidelines
http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/
After hobnobbing around the NFL in the press boxes and sidelines, sports reporter Dale Lolley will let you know the insider scoop. Dale can also be heard as a sometime host on ESPN 970-AM. Follow him on Twitter at dlolleyor.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Post-Patriots thoughts

Tom Brady was supposed to own Dick LeBeau, but that was LeBeau's defense on the field Sunday - minus several stars - that shut down the vaunted New England offense.

Or was it Bruce Arians' offense that did that?

The Steelers offense did a great job of keeping the chains moving via the short passing game and the defense was outstanding when it was on the field, particularly in forcing three and outs in the first series of each half.

Part of the reason for that was Ike Taylor's blanket coverage all day on safety net Wes Welker, but the Steelers also got a strong game from youngster Cortez Allen, who had Rob Gronkowski one on one several times, forcing Brady to hold the ball.

If Taylor doesn't make the Pro Bowl off of what he's done the past two weeks - shutting down Larry Fitzgerald and Welker - they should just stop playing the game.

But the addition of the likes of Allen, Stevenson Sylvester, Cameron Heyward and even Chris Carter bodes well for the Steelers the rest of this season.

© LeBeau showed that you can teach an old dog new tricks by stepping out of character and having his corners play a lot of press man coverage.

According to Tom Brady, it was more than the Steelers had shown all season. And the Patriots couldn't beat it.

The same plan should be used against Baltimore next week. The Ravens receivers can't beat and egg and Joe Flacco looks to have completely lost his confidence.

Or, as Bill Hillgrove put it, "Flacco is playing like Tyler Palko's backup."

© Don't look now, but the old, slow and done Steelers now have the best record in the AFC.

Wonder if anyone will bring that up to old, slow and done Warren Sapp this week?

© The Steelers could get James Harrison back this week against the Ravens, but it looks like they could be without LaMarr Woodley, who sacked Brady twice in the first half, then went down in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.

The beat goes on for the Steelers, who have had their worst season for injuries in quite some time.

© Loved the play by Troy Polamalu to bat Brett Keisel's sack-strip backward toward the end zone. Polamalu was going to have to fight a couple of offensive linemen for the ball.

Instead, Ziggy Hood nearly recovered it in the end zone before it went for a safety.

© On a final note, this is why you play the games instead of just figuring out who is going to beat who on paper.

[DanRooney]

Press man on Baltimore's offense? Flacco is not a guy that spreads you out for an all-out air assault. Ray Rice will eat us up if we use that against them.

[ETL]

Originally Posted by DanRooney

Press man on Baltimore's offense? Flacco is not a guy that spreads you out for an all-out air assault. Ray Rice will eat us up if we use that against them.

I don't see why playing press will free up Rice. If anything, if our CBs man up, that will leave more in the box to stop Rice.

Are you concerned that we are such a zone team that playing man will leave holes in the run defense gaps?

[OX1947]

Rice didn't really do anything this last Sunday. He was fortunate that Boldin got 15 PI calls in the end zone so all he had to do was go one yard to pay dirt.

The last thing im worried about is the ratbirds offense. I just want our offense to play well and not get Ben killed. If that happens, then this game might be a blow out.

[Curtain_of_Steel]

I agree on rice, BUT we may be missing only THREE starting LB's... That causes an impact of large proportions. Harbuagh won't let flacco pass much till he sees we can stop the run. They have less than zero confidence in their QB to let him make mistakes early.

Ben needs to come out passing, just like the pats game and back them off. They can not block 4 wr's and Heath. Quick dink offs and slants. They will than back off on the blitz and bring 4-5 as oppose to 8..

[DanRooney]

Bump.

Rice was contained pretty well, but Baltimore's receivers feasted on the press coverage. I really can't believe we used pretty much the same tactic for Flacco that we did with Brady. With enough time, Smith and Boldin were able to get behind our DBs being so close to the line. We should of stuck with zone and rushing 5 and 6.

[tanda10506]

Originally Posted by DanRooney

Bump.

Rice was contained pretty well, but Baltimore's receivers feasted on the press coverage. I really can't believe we used pretty much the same tactic for Flacco that we did with Brady. With enough time, Smith and Boldin were able to get behind our DBs being so close to the line. We should of stuck with zone and rushing 5 and 6.

Exactly. We had to change to beat the pats, we've been beating the rats with zone for years. What pisses me off is that we played the same man/press all game after it continued to fail.

[StainlessStill]

Originally Posted by tanda10506

Exactly. We had to change to beat the pats, we've been beating the rats with zone for years. What pisses me off is that we played the same man/press all game after it continued to fail.

Including that WHOLE last drive! No adjustments whatsoever the entire football game. Baffling. We will NOT run press against Baltimore again. Make Woodley, Harrison and our pressure to beat them next time (if there is one) running zone behind them.

[tanda10506]

Same thing as last year vs the pats, didn't change anything. We know how good LeBeau is, it doesn't make sense that he can't make in-game changes.