Everyone knows the Steelers weakness and what has changed in 2017?

[In Ben We Trust]

Their secondary was the weak link in 2016 and it will be once again in 2017. If the d-line and backers fail to get consistent pressure the Steelers will get torched by the passing game all season long. Honestly, you tell me how the group has improved? A year of experience for Burns and Davis? Guess we shall see but Gay and **** have looked like crap in the preseason. Just once, I wish the Steelers were active in free agency or make a major trade to address their biggest holes keeping them from the 7th Lombardi. Everyone knew it, and it's going to be the same old same old. Frustrating. I for one think that our wide receiver group could certainly bring in a serviceable corner that would help. Anyone agree?

 

[slashsteel]

Well if Watt can catch fire, that should help the secondary. And if Burns can improve you can roll your coverage towards the weaker areas. Or if Sens takes over for Cockrell and is a upgrade and ditto someone for Gay.

I mean there is possibilities, not that I didn't want a CB in free agency I did.

In fact I think the DL and OLBers will be improved from last year.

So there is some pieces in place for improvement..........

 

[Hines57]

Lets see if the FO can make another deal. More than anything we need our top players to stay injury free. Losing Cam Heyward to injury didn't help. Drafting a dud at ROLB (Jarvis) set us back on defense. If Watt can put pressure on the QB it instantly makes our secondary better.

 

[wig]

I honestly think they hoped desperately that Golsen wouldn't be an epic bust.

He is.

 

[slashsteel]

Lets see if the FO can make another deal. More than anything we need our top players to stay injury free. Losing Cam Heyward to injury didn't help. Drafting a dud at ROLB (Jarvis) set us back on defense. If Watt can put pressure on the QB it instantly makes our secondary better.

man I would love one of the WRs to be moved and swap for a corner.

It just makes too much sense.

 

[deljzc]

If Coty Sensabaugh is in their plans to get snaps, than nothing has changed. He's pretty bad. Hopped around the league. At best a replacement-level talent. That can't be good with what they've seen in rookie Sutton or veteran Gay either.

I mean, I mentioned this before but even with three years paying A LOT of attention to the secondary we are not deep at all. If Burns, Mitchell or Davis get hurt for any significant time we are really screwed. I mean pushing guys up the depth chart and you get below-average is a hurry. Those three almost have to play EVERY snap this season. It's a little frustrating being this thin at those positions and be $10 million under the salary cap.

 

[ZACKB]

Watt will be good and Sutton will be the starter opposite Burns by midseason....

 

[SteelerSask2]

A couple points.
Cam Heyward is back and Jarvis Jones is gone. Gravedigger is in his second year and Tuitt could be another jump. Burns and Davis are second year guys. I expect more there.
Also, sure you can go by the Pats game but almost every team they play got tourched. If you look in totality the defense had a good stretch run. They need to produce takeaways. Plain and simple.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

All true, but real football geeks know that we needed to draft a ****** backup QB to back up our ****** backup QB. That took priority over the secondary. They knew they would be able to pick up a ****** undrafted CB in the preseason by trading another ****** undrafted player.

 

[awboatguy]

The short underneath pass is our weakness.


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[ark steel]

A couple points.
Cam Heyward is back and Jarvis Jones is gone. Gravedigger is in his second year and Tuitt could be another jump. Burns and Davis are second year guys. I expect more there.
Also, sure you can go by the Pats game but almost every team they play got tourched. If you look in totality the defense had a good stretch run. They need to produce takeaways. Plain and simple.

I've been trying to tell the chicken Littles this for a while.

The only D position I think is worse is ILB.

 

[Stryker]

I think we should just phone it in, half way through preseason. No way we win a Lombardi.

Let the D play a bit and get some cohesion. I actually am excited to watch the D this year. I really am. And being a child of the 80s, all I knew how to root for was defense!

 

[stillwright]

I've been trying to tell the chicken Littles this for a while.

The only D position I think is worse is ILB.

Well we have the exact same weakness that we have had for 5 or 6 seasons and we get exploited not just by the Tom Bradys of football but by mediocre QB's. So what is wrong in hoping/wishing that our FO signs not a tier one CB FA.....but maybe a tier 2 CB FA. Hell I would take a tier three at this point. Over the 5 or 6 seasons we have just bypassed the position in FA. Well we can always hope for someone ELSE to knock the Pats out of the playoffs I guess. There is always that.

 

[bigtwnvin]

Put up 45-50 points a game, win the TOP and the secondary can sleep walk through a game.

 

[Steelr4evr]

I have this bunch the Steelers will be a top 5 defense by seasons end. The offense has a real shot at being top 3 and maybe no.1. It all boils down to good health.

 

[ark steel]

Well we have the exact same weakness that we have had for 5 or 6 seasons and we get exploited not just by the Tom Bradys of football but by mediocre QB's. So what is wrong in hoping/wishing that our FO signs not a tier one CB FA.....but maybe a tier 2 CB FA. Hell I would take a tier three at this point. Over the 5 or 6 seasons we have just bypassed the position in FA. Well we can always hope for someone ELSE to knock the Pats out of the playoffs I guess. There is always that.

The *'s put up points on everyone. Why is that so haRd to see. Houston stopped Brady in the playoffs and still game up 34 points to the TEAM.

I don't care about how many yards we give up to good or ****** QBs. I care about points allowed. That ****** D did pretty well at that against everyone but one team that score's a lot of points agains everyone. Against teams, I add again, that are doing the very things you guys want to emulate.

Will you feel better I we stop Brady, but the ST scores along with a couple scores by a RB and we still lose? When your O scores 17 pts in the AFCCG, you will be lucky to win. Playing against a cheating team, well....

 

[stillwright]

The *'s put up points on everyone. Why is that so haRd to see. Houston stopped Brady in the playoffs and still game up 34 points to the TEAM.

I don't care about how many yards we give up to good or ****** QBs. I care about points allowed. That ****** D did pretty well at that against everyone but one team that score's a lot of points agains everyone. Against teams, I add again, that are doing the very things you guys want to emulate.

Will you feel better I we stop Brady, but the ST scores along with a couple scores by a RB and we still lose? When your O scores 17 pts in the AFCCG, you will be lucky to win. Playing against a cheating team, well....

I'm 47. I just want the 10 yard cushion on third and 4 to end. I have been waiting g for a long time. Yeah it worked 15 years ago. Rules have changed. Just a different game now. Time to move on. If that means you have to dip into FA to get an instant upgrade at a high cost so be it. I dont know what is worse. That we didn't even attempt to sign a top CB(again) or that we actually made a crazy contract offer to Hightower. ...simy mind-boggling.

 

[JGP77]

Problem is we have avoided a lot of the better QBs in the playoffs the last few years and get torched when we play the good ones.

 

[stillwright]

Problem is we have avoided a lot of the better QBs in the playoffs the last few years and get torched when we play the good ones.

As I said above....all we have to do is hope someone else take the Pats out. It a sound plan that has worked in the past.

 

[JGP77]

As I said above....all we have to do is hope someone else take the Pats out. It a sound plan that has worked in the past.

We have beaten backups AJ McCarren and Matt Mooore in the playoffs along with the mediocre Alex Smith. Not exactly confidence inspiring.

 

[SteelerSask2]

I've been trying to tell the chicken Littles this for a while.

The only D position I think is worse is ILB.

And not substantially. Timmons was a good LB but his coverage dropped big time. The run should be just as good and depth at the position is better.

 

[Chicoman]

Steelers should bring in Darelle Revis to the roster. I'd take him in a heartbeat. He's only 32 years old and I don't care who you are......any athlete will never! NEVER EVER maintain Pro Bowl status as a player year in , year out. He is certainly light years better than any DB we have on our roster right now and he can play press coverage....that is actually his specialty as a DB. Something the Steelers really need!

 

[ark steel]

I'm 47. I just want the 10 yard cushion on third and 4 to end. I have been waiting g for a long time. Yeah it worked 15 years ago. Rules have changed. Just a different game now. Time to move on. If that means you have to dip into FA to get an instant upgrade at a high cost so be it. I dont know what is worse. That we didn't even attempt to sign a top CB(again) or that we actually made a crazy contract offer to Hightower. ...simy mind-boggling.

The teams that don't give up that cushion still give up a ton of points to the *'s. I don't like it either, but for the team you people seem to be most bothered about (I'm not considering they are proven cheaters), less cushion isn't working for other teams.

The two CB's I can think of that were available were Bouye and Butler. IMO, neither were worth their contracts. They may be better than what we have, but they are not the price difference better. Same as when I go to the store. If I see a product for $10 and another brand for $5, I get to decide if the $10 is twice as good. It, rarely, is.

I don't understand the Hightower issue either. I wouldn't have offered him that kind of money in the first place. To me, that is irrelevant to the discussion of overpaying CB's.

 

[ark steel]

And not substantially. Timmons was a good LB but his coverage dropped big time. The run should be just as good and depth at the position is better.

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I hope you are correct.