like_that;1520914 wrote:The AFCN is just not that good this year.

I thought just 2 weeks ago that it was much better than I think it is now. The Bengals have the necessary talent but still not sure they can muster a playoff win. Browns having/choosing to go with Weeden knocked them from looking pretty formidable. Baltimore is very average and Pittsburgh is the +/- nightmare.

Good game to at least prove they've got the dedication to rise above being awful to just being mediocre this year. If only Cincy didn't have this ugly habit of always pulling out close games, we'd have a really riveting division battle to see who gets to 7 wins first!

sad sad day when the browns packers game was the feature over the steelers ravens on all 3 of the cbs channels I get...

Ironman92;1520828 wrote:Steelers have played 5 1/2 games with having a takeaway via the fumble.

2 whole sacks

In the past teams that threw the ball well in the quick passing game always gave the steelers fits. Some teams tried to run the ball which was not very effective.
The league is going full bull pass mode nowadays and the quick passing attack is becoming the running game for alot of teams.

Always been a fan of the 3-4. Always thought that the more athletes you have on the field the more versatile you could be, and it held true many years. 3-4 gets it pressure many times from the scheme and blitzing and confusing the OL and QB. Overload a spot, fake a blitz one way, and go another. Depended alot on those factors. The DL wasnt asked to do much more than occupy the OL.

Now with the passing you need to really drop more guys in coverage, and 3-4 defense wasnt always that great in rushing the 3DL and 1 OLB and getting pressure. At the very least a good pressure is both OLB and the 3DL and leaving 6 to cover.

I think moving forward we may see a premium on DE and DL creating the pressure on the QB and more in coverage. Always loved the 3-4 but I wonder if the short passing attacks in the NFL offenses will make it obsolete.

Yeah, I remember a number of years back when the Steelers started 0-2 with Brady and Rich Gannon (Raiders) both riddling them with short passes while their teams seemingly never called actual run plays. I remember thinking then that opposing defenses had figured out Pittsburgh's defense and the days of prosperity were over.

But then...it seemed no one else went back to that tactic against them and they even made the second round of the playoffs that year (it was the one where Maddox replaced Kordell partway through the third game, when they beat Cleveland, if I remember correctly). I remember thinking that the bull-headed alpha male nature of things ("We'll beat them with our style of play and not come up with a specific gameplan for them and THAT'S THAT!!!!") helped them out, but now offenses have gradually shifted towards more of an efficient passing style where it's a lot easier to shift into slicing through that sort of defense without making wholesale changes to an offensive scheme.

Heretic;1521286 wrote:Yeah, I remember a number of years back when the Steelers started 0-2 with Brady and Rich Gannon (Raiders) both riddling them with short passes while their teams seemingly never called actual run plays. I remember thinking then that opposing defenses had figured out Pittsburgh's defense and the days of prosperity were over.

But then...it seemed no one else went back to that tactic against them and they even made the second round of the playoffs that year (it was the one where Maddox replaced Kordell partway through the third game, when they beat Cleveland, if I remember correctly). I remember thinking that the bull-headed alpha male nature of things ("We'll beat them with our style of play and not come up with a specific gameplan for them and THAT'S THAT!!!!") helped them out, but now offenses have gradually shifted towards more of an efficient passing style where it's a lot easier to shift into slicing through that sort of defense without making wholesale changes to an offensive scheme.

Yep, totally remember that as well and thought every team would try it.

But many stuck with trying to run the ball. Hell, I used to enjoy when teams would try and stick to the ground game as long as possible. Clev was famous for that. A shift may be needed on the scheme becuase I see more teams going that route. The 3-4 blizting, zone blitzing scheme was great for a long time, and maybe it can continue, who knows. 1 OLB pretty much always comes and it is easy to chip against that guy, so ya then go to the blitz packages and tha opens you up to bigger plays.