On Thursday night, Steeler Nation paid its last respects to a legend, as the final, irrefutable evidence of the end of an era was witnessed.
The legend that has passed away is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense. The Steel Curtain defense, Blitzburgh, or any other appellation that may have been used over the past 20-plus years to describe the singular most widely recognized characteristic of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is dead.
What I'm talking about is the death of the legend of the Steelers defense. You remember that legend, don't you? The part where teams may defeat the Steelers, but they'd walk off the field at the end of the game bloody, bruised and battered. Where the Steelers defense made opposing offenses pay in blood and sweat for every yard and point. Where quarterbacks had to prove they could scramble and juke to their left and their right because they never knew from where a devastating hit was coming. A defense that may not always have prevented the opponent from scoring, but made them work for it.
Well, that Steelers defense is dead. What Steeler Nation witnessed on Thursday night, what the entire football world witnessed, was a travesty and a mockery of a once-proud Steelers defensive unit.
The overall lack of coaching fundamentals and the preparedness that Steelers defenses once were known for was nowhere to be found and can also be presumed dead.
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...n-the-death-of-a-legend-and-the-end-of-an-era
