Can the Steelers Stop the Seahawks’ Tight Ends and Backs?
1. Better Disguise 3-5 Man Blitzes, Send More 5-7 Man Blitzes to Confuse Jackson and the O-Line
This aforementioned strategy is pretty much self-explanatory. The more guys sent to the QB, and the more guys blitzing or at least “threatening to blitz” from Dick’s supposed “bread and butter” exotic packages, the better chance the Steelers have at thwarting the Seahawks aerial attack and the underneath and middle of the field passing game.
The thing that probably had me screaming at my television the most last weekend that Dick LeBeau I feel needs to change “muy pronto” is the numbers of guys he sends at the QB on passing downs. Too often last Sunday (I know I should have counted each time but I seriously had to stop myself from yelling at inanimate objects, Lol) LeBeau sent 3-5 man rushes at Flacco. Being that he is not a complete and total moron, Flacco used Dick’s passive strategy to his advantage. And since Baltimore’s improved and new-look O-Line illustrated that they could block at the very least a “hat on a hat,” Borat just carved the Steelers apart with quick passes to his Backs and TEs. And when he didn’t, he took the intelligent checkdowns when Evans and Boldin were covered most of the day.
So how about some S/CB Blitzes to shake things up? I mean Carnell Lake and Rod Woodson ain’t walking through the front door. I’ll give you that, but sending only William Gay who can be picked up easier by a RB than a bar skank by a frat guy at closing time is not what I’d call a real Corner Blitz. So what do I propose? How about sending Ike who has shown on numerous occasions that he can get to the QB and make some splash plays? Or how about one of the Rookies? It’d give them some valuable game experience, and the Offense wouldn’t even expect it to boot. Every positive play these youngsters can get in game time situations builds their confidence. All they will be asked to do is blitz and get to the QB, not remember any sort of complex coverage scheme or be a liability in pass coverage because of their “green-ness.” Letting them rot on the bench does them no good, so why not throw them into the fire and into the game-plan, Father Time? It certainly couldn’t hurt.
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t send 6-7 guys on every play. That’s ludicrous and downright moronic and irresponsible. However only sending 3 guys from obviously identifiable fronts at the QB during 3rd and Makeable passing downs, where two of whom are 5-Techniques in their mid 30’s that can’t pressure the QB like they used to (Keisel and Smith) is downright moronic and irresponsible too. Flacco read that the Steelers were most concentrated on stopping Lee Evans (kudos to Ike Taylor BTW) and Anquan Boldin, that he just picked the Steelers’ coverage over the middle of the field apart and took what the Defense gave him because the Steelers’ D-Line was being dominated at the point of attack.
To win the game, the Steelers also need to disguise their defensive fronts and blitz packages better than they did last week. Much like they did last year against Vince Young and Colt McCoy, the Steelers need to pressure T-Jack into over thinking and making bad decisions. Granted, Tarvaris Jackson is one of the worst starting Quarterbacks in the N.F.L., yet he is still a professional and has a skill set that is still some-what starter material. If he is given enough time and telegraphed Defensive Fronts and blitz packages, he will take the intelligent checkdowns, quick hits, and underneath passes to his Backs and TEs all day if he is not harried when dropping back or at least confused by the Defensive Fronts and coverage schemes designed by LeBeau this week.