William Lindner :: Blog

I visited my brother up in Boston last August and we went to see the Patriots practice. There was a heat wave going on the temperature was about 98-very hot for New England. The team had what looked like a fairly light practice and several of there offensive stars, Randy Moss and Lawrence Maroney, sat out with injuries. The quarterbacks went through some drills right in front of us and I got a good look at Brady. Every pass he threw, from thew beginning to the end of the practice, was perfect. He was accurate and every ball had a perfect spiral. He led the receivers and the balls just dropped right into their hands. On one play, the receiver ran an out pattern and there was a defensive back with him on every step. It didn't matter; Brady drilled it right into the receiver's chest.

From that brief look, you could tell that he was a special player. He stood out among the rest of the Patriots. The one thing he didn't seem to do well was move. He didn't roll out on any plays and looked kind of stiff when they ran some sprints at the end of the practice.

This makes me wonder why teams haven't tried to force him out of the pocket more. Sure, his offensive line protects him really well, but I wonder why teams don't try sending more and more people on every play to try to hit Brady and shake him up. Some might say Brady would burn teams if they blitzed too much, but teams haven't been successful trying to sit back and cover Moss and the others. Someone should knock Brady down on every play. He looks way too comfortable back there. The Chargers have nothing to lose, so why not focus on getting to Brady?

The bottom line here is that the Patriots rely more on Brady than any team relies on any other player in the league. Without Brady, the patriots would only be a .500 team. The Chargers should try something new to stop them. I am not suggesting they try to hurt Brady, just hit him and rough him up.  By the way, can anyone name Brady's backup?

As a life-long Steeler fan, I naturally don't like the Patriots. It's not just because the Patriots beat the Steelers this season. Mainly, it's because I don't want anyone to think the Patriots (cheaters) of today are better than the mighty Steeler teams of the 1970s. I really believe all Steelers fans were spoiled watching those great teams. I think that was the best team ever - not the Patriots.

Those Steelers were much better on defense than any team playing today. They could shut down any offense and I am sure they would get to Brady, who is stationary in the pocket. The Patriots are one-dimensional and rely too much on the pass. Also, take away Brady, and they are a .500  team at best.

Plus, the Steeler offense was balanced and there is no way the Patriots wold be able to slow them down. They had too many weapons and the patriots would not be able to slow them down. Bradshaw has four rings, not Brady. Until he gets there, and he may not ever do it, people should not consider the Patriots as the best ever. That title still belongs in Pittsburgh.

I was hoping Mike Tomlin would encourage Dick LeBeau to retire. LeBeau had had a great career, but the Steeler defense just isn't as sold as it should be. Never mind how they lead in some statistics during meaningless games early in the season. Too many teams, they gave up too many points, and allowed teams to score late on them. It happened in Denver, and it just happened again against Jacksonville. Sure the offense should have got that first down and iced the game, but how many people really thought the defense would stop Jacksonville on that final drive? Plus, someone (I'm not sure who) missed a tackle on Garrard on that long run he made to set up their game-winning field goal.

The offense, and Big Ben, had scored points all year. Big Ben is great at brining the team back from behind, but he shouldn't have to so much. It all comes down to defense. The Steelers have one of the top three quarterbacks in the league right now. It will be a shame if they don't win another Superbowl with him because the defense can't help him. I hope Tomlin reconsiders.

Every part of the team is somewhat to blame for the loss to the Jaguars. It is easy to point to certain areas - turnovers, penalties, play calling, etc. However, it really come down to poor execution on two key plays. First, the tackle missed a block on the Roethlisberger sweep on third down. Had he made the block and opened up a lane for Big ben, then we would be talking about how the Steelers would be trying to stop Tom Brady this week.

The second mistake, and in my opinion the worst error, happened on Garrad's long run which set up their game-winning field goal. One of the Steelers' defenders (I'm not sure who), missed a tackle on Garrard allowing him to run about 30 more yards. You can't totally miss a tackle like that. I mean, he totally whiffed; didn't lay one finger on Garrard. To me, it was the equivalent of a major-league baseball player dropping a popup. Had he made that tackle, then all the other mistakes from the game would have been forgotten and the Steelers would still be playing. 

This is the biggest game of Mike Tomlin's career. Some coaches, such as Marty Schottenheimer, never seem able to win big games. We will learn this week whether Tomlin has the ability to lead his team in important NFL games. We Steeler fans have been spoiled for a long time with Noll and Cowher and expect success in the playoffs. I think Tomlin has done a great job so far; I have liked every one of his decisions. However, if lame-duck LeBeau's defense lets us down, I hope Tomlin does the right thing after the season and puts in the 4-3. Go Steelers! 

People like to say that a team needs a strong defense to win a championship. I agree, and this is why I am worried about the Steelers. I think their offense is capable of taking them far into the playoffs, but I feel the defense might cause the most problems.

Staring with Jacksonville this week, the Steelers are going to have to stop the run. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew killed them a few weeks ago. The Steelers' defense may have been ranked number one for much of the season, but I Jacksonville had no trouble moving the ball. Their offense line was bigger and more physical than the Steelers' defensive line, and the Steelers showed poor tackling as a whole. To stop Taylor and Jones-Drew the Steelers must pursue better and gang tackle. The primary mission will be to stop the run.

Then they have David Garrard and the passing game. If the line and linebackers concentrate on the run, it will be up to the secondary to slow the Jaguar receivers. I think they can do this, but it would be easier if there was pressure on Garrard. Lack of pressure on the quarterback is my number one complaint about the Steeler Defense. Garrard has no experience in the NFL playoffs and some players seem to have trouble in big games. We'll see what kind of player Garrard is, but pressure would sure make it more difficult on him. I'm just not confident that the Steelers defense can stop the run and pressure the quarterback. I don't think the 3-4 scheme is the best system to do so.

Finally, I want to see the Steeler defense play with the nasty, aggressive attitude that we haven't seen this year. At times they play well, but I want to see them play the attacking, disruptive style that we all grew up loving. That is Steeler football. However, I don't think Dick LeBeau coaches them to play that style. We'll see if Mike Tomlin gets them fired up and ready to play. I think they can win, but I also think the fans might be shouting "LeBeau must go!" by the end of this game. I hope he proves me wrong. 

Ok, forget the Patriots for a while. How are the Steelers going to do?

First, we start off with a rematch against Jacksonville. I think the key for the Steelers offense in this game, and for their chances throughout the playoffs, will be for them to establish the run. The Steelers' O-line can run block better than they pass block, and they must open some holes for Davenport. Jacksonville's line is very tough, but the Steelers need to establish the run. If they get the running game going, the Jags will be forced to load up to try to stop it, which will open up the passing game, and take some of the pressure off Big Ben. If Roethlisberger has time to throw, he is good enough right now to challenge any defense in the league. However, it has to start with the running game. That is Steeler football. Plus, it keeps the other team's offense on the bench. I would rather us run the ball well and win convincingly by a score 20 - 10, than get into a shootout where both teams score more than 30. Run the ball and leave Santonio Holmes in single coverage and good things will happen

Given all the attention being spent on the Patriots, it makes some sense that other teams in the AFC are being left out of discussions of who will go to the Superbowl. However, it appears that ESPN and all the other so-called NFL experts are convinced that the Colts, Chargers, and Jaguars are the only other contenders in the AFC.

But why is there no mention of the Steelers? Maybe it is because the Patriots whipped the Steelers a few weeks ago. Perhaps it is because of Parker's injury. Still, I think the Steelers deserve serious attention as valid playoff contenders for the following reasons.

1. Big Ben. Roethlisberger has been great this year and his numbers are not far from Brady's. Brady throws on almost every down and he even admits that sometimes he just throws it up and Moss makes the catch. Big Ben does everything to help the Steelers win. He moves around better than Brady, runs harder on QB sneaks, and in my opinion has just as good an arm as Saint Brady. I wish Big Ben had better protection and didn't have to scramble as much, but I bet that if Brady played for the Steelers he would have worse stats than Big Ben.

2. Playoff experience and results. In case anyone has forgotten, the Steelers have won a Superbowl more recently than the Patriots. The Steelers have many veteran players who know how to win in the playoffs. Plus, the addition of Santonio Holmes gives them a deep threat they haven't had in year, even with Randel El. I am sick of hearing about how good the Chargers can be. Phillip Rivers is not half the player Big Ben is and Tomlinsen has yet to play great in the playoffs. I am also tired of hearing about how great Jacksonville is. I can't remember when they even won a playoff game.

3. Running game. Sure, losing Willie Parker hurt the Steelers' chances, but Davenport stepped in and ran for over 140 yards. I think the Steelers offensive line is better at run blocking than pass blocking. Look for Davenport to get even more carries in the playoffs and if teams have to stack the line to stop the run, then Big Ben will pick them apart.

 

This is the official start of my LeBeau Must Go campaign. I believe it's time for Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to leave, or retire. I know the defense is ranked statistically number one, but there are problems that must be addressed before the Steelers can get back to the Superbowl. The main problem, in my opinion, is the lack of consistent pressure on the quarterback. The defensive line in only there to stop the run, leaving pass rush responsibilities on the linebackers. Now I think Harrison and Hagans and Foote are all good players, but they just don't get to the quarterback enough. I think the defensive scheme is the problem-not the linebackers. In LeBeau's 3-4 defense, the only time they get good pressure is when the blitz multiple players. This works ok, but when the opposing team picks up the blitz, receivers are left wide open. Mike Tomlin prefers the 4-3 defense and had success with it last year in Minnesota. Plus, he learned under Dungy when they were in Tampa Bay. Both of those defenses relied on on strong defensive lines that could pressure the quarterback with massive, and risky blitzing. 

Another problem with the defense is how they sometimes allow last minute drives as they did in the recent game against Jacksonville. I'm not what the problem is there-but it could be a lack of leadership. Troy Polomolu is their best defensive player, and makes exciting plays, but I don't think he is a firey leader like Joey Porter.

It's time for the Steelers to make some big changes on defense if they want to beat the top teams in the AFC and get back to the Superbowl.

LeBeau must go! LeBeau must go! LeBeau must go! 

 

I'm sitting here "watching" the Steelers play against the Rams on ESPN's Gamecast. Of course, I'm not really watching the game, but Gamecast is the next-best thing and it's free. I just don't like the idea of paying for the NFL Network. I have watched games on television my entire life and I just can't see paying for it now. I really don't know what I would do if every game was on a pay-per-view or subscription basis. I have always heard how mush the NFL makes on advertisements. If this is true, then why do they need their own pay channel?

On a more important topic, the Steelers are ahead 31-24 with 10:17 left to play. I'm glad they are winning, but I don't think they should let a team like St. Louis score 24 points. The Defense has me worried about their chances in the playoffs. I really think Tomlin should get rid of Dick LeBeau after the season and put in his 4-3 defense. LeBeau has been great, but I don't think his 3-4 defense puts enough pressure on the quarterback unless they blitz linebackers. Then, if the opponent picks up the blitz, receivers are left wide open. I think the 4-3 will allow them to bring more pressure from the defensive line without blitzing.