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Dick LeBeau Out as Defensive Coordinator

SteelerFan448 said:
The defense is close to being rebuilt.

DL: Tuitt, McLendon, Heyward
LB: ??? Timmons, Shazier, Jones
DB: Allen, Thomas, Mitchell, Gay

You're looking at a need at LOLB and potential upgrades at CB and S, but overall, many pieces already in place. From what we've seen, many of those pieces do not fit under the description of "aggressive," "hard-hitting" or "turnover-inducing."
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Allen and Jones will need to be upgraded.......
 
slashsteel said:
Allen and Jones will need to be upgraded.......
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Good pass rushers don't grow on trees and take time to develop. Will be interesting to see how they approach this. Allen has a nice contract that will give him another chance.
 
pittbull said:
Though none of us really know what goes on behind closed doors, I tend to agree with this. Tomlin has a "vision" of what kind of defense he wants...athletic, fast, "splash" type players within the system. He drafts those guys and expects the coordinators to make their systems work with those players.

I think LeBeau was a scapegoat. It's obvious those players don't work in a 3-4. I don't think keeping Butler as a DC will change that...nor would any coordinator with a 3-4 base...like Haslett, for instance. I predict they go outside the organization. If they don't things wont change. If they do, we're in for years of growing pains.
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Well with the personnel they have now with guys like Jarvis Jones & Ryan Shazier these are the type of players that you need to switch to a Tampa 2 style 4-3 Defense. Shazier is a prototype 4-3 MLB for a Tampa 2 system because you need a MLB who can cover downfield and almost act as a 3rd Safety so he needs good speed and coverage skills. If they do switch to a 4-3 I'm not so sure if the Steelers will hang onto Timmons. He could be moved to the outside but I think his pass coverage skills in a 4-3 Tampa 2 style Defense are just not good enough. So if they do go 4-3 does that mean the end is near for Timmons? Timmons would be an $8MM cap hit if they cut him. He did have a great year and his trade value is pretty high.....do you think the Steelers try to trade Timmons who is due $7.5MM in the 2015 season with a $2MM signing bonus & $1.525M roster bonus this year.
 
slashsteel said:
Allen and Jones will need to be upgraded.......
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Jarvis in a 4-3 Defense could be much better than a 3-4 system for him. Same goes for Shazier. The problem is what do you do with a guy like Timmons who is not suited for a 4-3 unless he could be moved to the outside.
 
All we as Steelers fans need to know about Dick Lebeau is that when he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, the entire Steelers team made a 2 1/2 bus ride to Canton to be there.

He was a great, great coach for excellent Steelers teams, and was respected and loved by his players. I don't know how anybody can find fault with that.

Oh, and as to the notion of DLB is somehow a part of the reason the Steelers' defense is "soft" ... DLB defenses featured players like Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Levon Kirkland, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Kimo von Oelhoffen, Chad Brown, Brentson Buckner, James Farrior, Joey Porter, Aaron Smith, and Brett Kiesel.

Suggesting that DLB is responsible for the recent Charmin-like play by the defense completely ignores what changed between 2005 and present that would and does explain the change.
 
Thanks for everything, DL! Hope they hire outside the org and not promote Butler who has been under Lebeau during his whole 11 year tenure. His style of D will undoubtedly be very similar. Need someone with a proven track record to shake **** up and instill that fierce D we used to love. One thing's for sure, I'm not going to miss those damn 10 yard CB cushions! Hated seeing that huge cushion on those 3rd and short situations....
 
Thankfully....it was past time......two years past time.....

Thanks Ol dude...appreciate all you did.......good luck in your lifes work, my man.......

Now, lets see if they remain loyal to Keith who turned down several jobs the past four or five years to slide into this position. Arians and Whisenhunt wanted his services when they got their head gigs
 
Chicoman said:
Jarvis in a 4-3 Defense could be much better than a 3-4 system for him. Same goes for Shazier. The problem is what do you do with a guy like Timmons who is not suited for a 4-3 unless he could be moved to the outside.
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can Timmons play a DE position in a 4-3
 
Makes for an interesting week or two around here in Steelers land.

Good luck in your future Lebeau, unless you're playing the Steelers. Thanks for a job done well over the last decade.
 
We ruled when we were one of the only ones running a 3-4 D. Now we need to move to something else that no one is using. Maybe the 4-4-4 or even a 9-0-3.
 
Supersteeler said:
Well this is what everyone wanted since his ways are "old and antiquated". Let's see what somebody with "modern football knowledge" can do with this defensive roster.


As TDX said, is this Tomlin taking advantage of this to switch to a 4-3 then? Yay or nay?
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Say goodbye to James Harrison.
 
Thanks for some amazing defenses coach LeBeau!! All the best and hope you go on to coach some more great ones.
 
Tomlin should install and run his own defense. He just spent several years working with - and learning from - the best in the game. Tomlin as DC/HC would be my vote, with Butler running things on game days. Scheme-wise I imagine it would be based on core Steelers defenses from over the years, and whatever he was doing in Minnesota.
 
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Just so people know, Butler is not currently under contract for 2015 with the Steelers.

We are kind of free and clear now of most (if not all) the coaches on the defensive side of the ball (contract wise). If Tomlin did want to make a splash and go a completely different way, it's not hard to do from a business management side of things.
 
Fire Tomlin and hire LeBeau as head coach

yeah - shake things up
 
deljzc said:
Just so people know, Butler is not currently under contract for 2015 with the Steelers.
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Wow, didn't realize that, kind of a game changer.
 
Uh, there is a wee bit of revisionist history going on here already, don't ya think? How many 3rd and for ******* evers did we give up in that damn ratbird game? I get so ******* tired of seeing wide open wr's run across the middle 2 yards from the 1st down marker on 3rd and 15 or more and just get the extra yards.

**** tackle the catch, I'm ready for a new direction on defense, let's play press and kill the ******* qb, if we give up some "big play" strikes from it, so be it, I'd rater get stabbed once, that die from 1,000 ******* paper cuts.

Joe
 
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