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So, who is it?

TDX27

TDX27

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It seems there may be a single person (although I find that hard to believe) for many of the Steelers woes on D. Cam, Queen, Tomlin, and a couple others on D have hinted as such. Who do you think it could be?

It's not the D line as coverage was talked about in the handful of players statements. Then, you need to figure out who has played in the last 3 games. I would assume it's not one of the men stepping up as they have been different in each game.

My thoughts are it probably comes down to Minkah, Roberts or Wilson (not Queen as he is one of the guys complaining), and possibly a CB but am not sure which as none of the guys I believe have played consistently in all 3 of these losses. My gut is actually leaning toward Minkah but I really don't know. Minkah was running around yesterday making tackles yesterday but how about his coverage and being where he is supposed to.

What do you all think? Is this all smoke coming from the "poor communication" pile of rubbish late in seasons we hear year in and year out with Tomlin teams or is there something to this?
 
Meh....our D is elite. We are told weekly by the takling heads. You watch next week. They will unleash HELL!!!! Count on it.
 
It's definitely a further sign of a season coming apart when players are starting to publicly question the focus and effort of others.

When it comes to Queen, it might be somewhat of a "whoever smelled it dealt it" kind of deal where some self reflection might be required.

Not to say he is definitely among the biggest issues, but I'm not sure he can totally be absolved from blame either, given the position he plays and how often opponents are wide open between the numbers.

Ultimately, they're paying him and Minkah too much for the middle of the pass defense to be this bad.
 
We can rule out who it isn’t…
1. Elliott
2. Queen
3. Cam
They talked about it.
4. JPN - he didn’t play
5. Ogunjobi - also missed time
6. Jackson - missed time
7. Watt - honestly, if he doesn’t produce the D sucks, but they aren’t calling him out for not doing his job
8. Highsmith - doubt it, he’s played well
9. Roberts/Wilson - weak if you’re blaming guys who split snaps with one being a rookie
10. Benton - hard to see it

Minoan is the only one that makes sense. Tomlin’s style is having stars take over and win one v. one as opposed to scheme. Minkah was off on the coverage on the Worthy TD while the D was still communicating.

I don’t think it’s fair to blame one player. The entire unit has been embarrassed the past three weeks and if they are, they need to look in the mirror. More importantly, Tomlin and Austin need to because this defense only works if they are generating constant pressure and they aren’t right now.
 
Punxsutawney said:
It's definitely a further sign of a season coming apart when players are starting to publicly question the focus and effort of others.

When it comes to Queen, it might be somewhat of a "whoever smelled it dealt it" kind of deal where some self reflection might be required.

Not to say he is definitely among the biggest issues, but I'm not sure he can totally be absolved from blame either, given the position he plays and how often opponents are wide open between the numbers.

Ultimately, they're paying him and Minkah too much for the middle of the pass defense to be this bad.
Click to expand...
Nailed it. Queen shouldn't be talking, are they going to hand him $7M bonus in March? Doubt it

Minkah won't be here if he doesn't restructure. Increasing cap numbers and decreased ability and production don't go together
 
SteelerFan448 said:
We can rule out who it isn’t…
1. Elliott
2. Queen
3. Cam
They talked about it.
4. JPN - he didn’t play
5. Ogunjobi - also missed time
6. Jackson - missed time
7. Watt - honestly, if he doesn’t produce the D sucks, but they aren’t calling him out for not doing his job
8. Highsmith - doubt it, he’s played well
9. Roberts/Wilson - weak if you’re blaming guys who split snaps with one being a rookie
10. Benton - hard to see it

Minoan is the only one that makes sense. Tomlin’s style is having stars take over and win one v. one as opposed to scheme. Minkah was off on the coverage on the Worthy TD while the D was still communicating.

I don’t think it’s fair to blame one player. The entire unit has been embarrassed the past three weeks and if they are, they need to look in the mirror. More importantly, Tomlin and Austin need to because this defense only works if they are generating constant pressure and they aren’t right now.
Click to expand...

Some reporters have kind of suggested the frustration is aimed at Sutton and Minkah in particular, but even if they're dogging it for whatever reason, they've been far from the only ones ******** the bed on the field.

Specifically, the overall CB play has been bad all season.
 
Yesterday was a brutal day for the secondary, and the 3rd very poor game in a row.....and while Minkah did make a few tackles, he has been nowhere near his $21M salary this season.

Many complained last year that the injured Heyward was robbing the Steelers and didn't deserve his offseason deal (which is team friendly) but his production per $$ is far, far better than Minkah's.

It's really a shame, but Minkah is now a Stinkah and needs a new deal with a better defined position or a new team.
 
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TDX27 said:
It seems there may be a single person (although I find that hard to believe) for many of the Steelers woes on D. Cam, Queen, Tomlin, and a couple others on D have hinted as such. Who do you think it could be?

It's not the D line as coverage was talked about in the handful of players statements. Then, you need to figure out who has played in the last 3 games. I would assume it's not one of the men stepping up as they have been different in each game.

My thoughts are it probably comes down to Minkah, Roberts or Wilson (not Queen as he is one of the guys complaining), and possibly a CB but am not sure which as none of the guys I believe have played consistently in all 3 of these losses. My gut is actually leaning toward Minkah but I really don't know. Minkah was running around yesterday making tackles yesterday but how about his coverage and being where he is supposed to.

What do you all think? Is this all smoke coming from the "poor communication" pile of rubbish late in seasons we hear year in and year out with Tomlin teams or is there something to this?
Click to expand...
It’s solely Tomlin.
 
Punxsutawney said:
It's definitely a further sign of a season coming apart when players are starting to publicly question the focus and effort of others.

When it comes to Queen, it might be somewhat of a "whoever smelled it dealt it" kind of deal where some self reflection might be required.

Not to say he is definitely among the biggest issues, but I'm not sure he can totally be absolved from blame either, given the position he plays and how often opponents are wide open between the numbers.

Ultimately, they're paying him and Minkah too much for the middle of the pass defense to be this bad.
Click to expand...
Maybe but Queen has been playing well since the first few games of the season. I wouldn't put him in the "who done it" category.
 
Sutton is just getting up to speed after his suspension and really hasn't played much. I'm thinking it has to be a starter. Again, my gut is telling me it's Minkah. Maybe he's lost a step. Maybe he doesn't like doing what they are asking him to do (kind of like what happened with him and Miami). I like Minkah and would hate to see him go out like that but if he can't do what is asked, then maybe he does need to go. They may be able to get a 3rd rounder for him. I doubt much more.
 
TDX27 said:
Sutton is just getting up to speed after his suspension and really hasn't played much. I'm thinking it has to be a starter. Again, my gut is telling me it's Minkah. Maybe he's lost a step. Maybe he doesn't like doing what they are asking him to do (kind of like what happened with him and Miami). I like Minkah and would hate to see him go out like that but if he can't do what is asked, then maybe he does need to go. They may be able to get a 3rd rounder for him. I doubt much more.
Click to expand...
Like I said with Roberts/Wilson, it'd be weak for guys to be calling out a part timer like Sutton who just stepped in. Could it also be that on any given play 1 guy isn't stepping up? When players are talking about the "want" to win again this year, it sounds like more than one player isn't putting in the necessary work. That's a culture issue more than anything else.
 
TDX27 said:
Sutton is just getting up to speed after his suspension and really hasn't played much. I'm thinking it has to be a starter. Again, my gut is telling me it's Minkah. Maybe he's lost a step. Maybe he doesn't like doing what they are asking him to do (kind of like what happened with him and Miami). I like Minkah and would hate to see him go out like that but if he can't do what is asked, then maybe he does need to go. They may be able to get a 3rd rounder for him. I doubt much more.
Click to expand...

His history of becoming malcontent in Miami is definitely something to consider given the rumors circulating right now.

One hopes that he would have grown out of that by now, being older and having accumulated a lot of money and success along the way.

I'm sure noone is more aware of him making less plays on the ball over the last couple seasons than him.

The question is how much of that is him compared to scheme and how much the lack of INTs and PDs is affecting his attitude.
 
The defense is bad period. Especially the last three games they are bad. Communication is bad, guys getting confused and out of position. My God yesterday I saw a fat, slow,old Kelce wide open sitting in the middle of the field totally unguarded.
Are you kidding me.
Terrell Austin needs to be fired day after season ends. He was terrible in Detroit and Cincinnati but yet Shades hires him.
This franchise is badly broken and it goes much deeper than just a bad, overpaid, overrated defense.
Rooney has to stop trying to apply gauze and bandaids to a badly broken franchise.
Non losing seasons are not where the bar should be set.
 
steelhurt said:
The defense is bad period. Especially the last three games they are bad. Communication is bad, guys getting confused and out of position. My God yesterday I saw a fat, slow,old Kelce wide open sitting in the middle of the field totally unguarded.
Are you kidding me.
Terrell Austin needs to be fired day after season ends. He was terrible in Detroit and Cincinnati but yet Shades hires him.
This franchise is badly broken and it goes much deeper than just a bad, overpaid, overrated defense.
Rooney has to stop trying to apply gauze and bandaids to a badly broken franchise.
Non losing seasons are not where the bar should be set.
Click to expand...
Kecle was wide open for another TD if not for a tipped ball by Highsmith. He was wide open quite a bit on Wednesday. That is a guy they should be smothering.
 
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SteelerFan448 said:
Kecle was wide open for another TD if not for a tipped ball by Highsmith. He was wide open quite a bit on Wednesday. That is a guy they should be smothering.
Click to expand...
You would think! He’s 35 years old, slow and no one was near him. Very concerning to watch this crap.
If I’m the owner Art Rooney and I’m watching this and have to be wondering what the hell is going on with my franchise. Nothing is ever getting better season after season and there is one constant.
I don’t know what Art watched yesterday or the last three games but I saw a team get totally overwhelmed, overmatched, outclassed, totally outcoached. This is just past absurd now.
 
steelhurt said:
You would think! He’s 35 years old, slow and no one was near him. Very concerning to watch this crap.
If I’m the owner Art Rooney and I’m watching this and have to be wondering what the hell is going on with my franchise. Nothing is ever getting better season after season and there is one constant.
I don’t know what Art watched yesterday or the last three games but I saw a team get totally overwhelmed, overmatched, outclassed, totally outcoached. This is just past absurd now.
Click to expand...
Getting pounded by the league's best has been a constant over the last few seasons. I feel that the roster is better and deeper overall, but the results have been the same. Mike Tomlin and his approach is the only constant...unless you really want to throw Danny Smith in there.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
Getting pounded by the league's best has been a constant over the last few seasons. I feel that the roster is better and deeper overall, but the results have been the same. Mike Tomlin and his approach is the only constant...unless you really want to throw Danny Smith in there.
Click to expand...
Tomlin is not the answer. Neither is Terrell Austin, Arthur Smith, Pat Meyer, Danny Smith. It’s not a solid staff. Totally out coached, out schemed yesterday. They were no match for Andy Reid and Steve Spagnolla who is the DC.
****, they played without Chris Jones their best defensive player.
All that’s happening is guys like TJ, Cam, Minkah are getting another year older.
 
The issue on D is it doesnt generate the pass rush needed for austin's man press stuff... and they play mincah super far back to try to mitigate the deep **** if the pass rush fails

This isnt a talent issue.. we just run a really basic pass rush scheme. Its not exotic blitzes or coverage... good offenses can key on a couple things and know when to take their shots...
the olbs are gonna rush around the edge... the dl will try to run stop on tge way to the QB
The ilbs almost never blitz...
safeties and cbs rarely if ever blitz
 
TDX27 said:
It seems there may be a single person (although I find that hard to believe) for many of the Steelers woes on D. Cam, Queen, Tomlin, and a couple others on D have hinted as such. Who do you think it could be?

It's not the D line as coverage was talked about in the handful of players statements. Then, you need to figure out who has played in the last 3 games. I would assume it's not one of the men stepping up as they have been different in each game.

My thoughts are it probably comes down to Minkah, Roberts or Wilson (not Queen as he is one of the guys complaining), and possibly a CB but am not sure which as none of the guys I believe have played consistently in all 3 of these losses. My gut is actually leaning toward Minkah but I really don't know. Minkah was running around yesterday making tackles yesterday but how about his coverage and being where he is supposed to.

What do you all think? Is this all smoke coming from the "poor communication" pile of rubbish late in seasons we hear year in and year out with Tomlin teams or is there something to this?
Click to expand...
From what Ive watched the last couple of weeks...

Its the woman beater and charged felon who never should of been brought back to the organization.

They should release him tomorrow.
 
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TDX27 said:
Sutton is just getting up to speed after his suspension and really hasn't played much. I'm thinking it has to be a starter. Again, my gut is telling me it's Minkah. Maybe he's lost a step. Maybe he doesn't like doing what they are asking him to do (kind of like what happened with him and Miami). I like Minkah and would hate to see him go out like that but if he can't do what is asked, then maybe he does need to go. They may be able to get a 3rd rounder for him. I doubt much more.
Click to expand...
Disagree with the Sutton take TDX...
He knows how to play on the backend of the defense...
Nothing changed during the time he was locked up and was suspended by the league until today...same defense.
 
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It's more than one player...despite what the players are saying. The "communication problems" are occurring with multiple players. 3 times yesterday, when Kelce was UNCOVERD, the Chiefs either ran a 2 TE set or had their slot receiver in on Kelce's hip. All 3 times, Roberts double covered the second TE or slot receiver instead of staying on Kelce. The one catch, Minkah was screaming and pointing for him to stay on Kelce. Roberts is not alone however. Minkah has been caught looking in the backfield and being late getting over the top. Communication issues continues to be an issue EVERY game...eventually Austin or Tomlin need to be held accountable for not simplifying the scheme if necessary or benching players that keep under performing.
 
The defense is all about scheme, adjustments, communications, all things lacking with the Steelers.
Sure, there are really good players sprinkled among the defense but there’s more to it than that.
Have to know how to use your players and they do not.
Perfect example of the blind leading the blind.
 
steel dino said:
Disagree with the Sutton take TDX...
He knows how to play on the backend of the defense...
Nothing changed during the time he should be been locked up and suspended by the league.
Click to expand...
I get that. I just think he's just coming back and I hardly played until this weeks game so I think he is probably not the one potentially being called out by his teammates. It seem like it's a guy who has been practicing with the team and playing. I think it was Queen who said the mistakes being made are 1st or 2nd week mistakes and not week 14, 15,16 mistakes.

These communication issues are common on Tomlin teams but maybe this time there's more to it than just blaming it on communication. I guess we may find out if someone sits for any portion of this coming game or if throwing someone under the bus is in full swing if they lose out.
 
the NFL has adapted o what the Steelers do scheme wise and the Steeler have not.
remember when Cowher came back and called a few plays and was surprised at how little change there was? the 31 other teams realize this as well.
 
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