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Team speed in the front seven will be better this year

C

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Last season we played the majority of games without Shazier. This season we added Durpee. Both players are very fast for their position and can defend the edge. Shazier I think can add a lot in coverage.

With the Steelers playing more nickel defense, a faster front seven is needed. I think the difference between 2014 and 2015 will be noticeable. Agree or disagree?
 
I agree that the team speed will be faster not because of their pure speed, but because they should have a better knowledge of the defense and play faster. You figure guys like Jones, Shazier, Thomas and even Mitchell now all have at least one full year in the system (even with Butler taking over) and they should do less thinking and more reacting on the field now. If this defense could finish in the middle of the league, the Steelers will be in very good shape.
 
Yep, I do think the team speed will be faster this year. Shazier,Jones,Bud,will aid greatly to the need for speed for this football team. I think guys like Golson,Grant depending on the amount of snaps they get will certainly add younger,faster legs coupled with Blake, Mitchell and Thomas. Now, lets make sure we practice the lost art of proper tackling please. I saw so many missed tackles with this team last year and that has got to stop.
 
I agree. With a healthy D, we will be much better. Shazier can cover RB's and TE's out of the backfield and even WR's coming over the middle. We saw glimpses of that last year before he go injured. Just with his speed and him being healthy will be huge.
 
I'm not sure we're playing "more nickel" defense.

According to my snap count history, we actually played (slightly) more nickel coverage in 2011 than we did in 2014. And in fact it's surprisingly consistent in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

The only exception was the wacky 2013 season when we lost Larry Foote week 1 and didn't have any type of backup plan that season.

Here the total number of DB snaps per defensive snap count by year:

2011: 4.54 DB's per play
2012: 4.40 DB's per play
2013: 5.05 DB's per play
2014: 4.47 DB's per play


It will be very interesting to see if Butler adhere's as strictly as Lebeau did to the "Four Linebacker" tenet because the only time Lebeau ever varied from that is when forced to by injuries (i.e. the New England game in 2011). If you take out that one game in 2011 and the 2013 season, we averaged almost exactly 4.00 LB snap counts per defensive play.

It's always hard to know exactly what the coaches want because injuries can end up changing the coaches' plans but it's still interesting to follow.
 
We have a couple other things to add to team speed. McCullers, is catching on and is lighter he will play faster when given the chance, Tuitt has spent a year in the system and by the end of the season was ready to be a starter. McClendon might be fully recovered from his shoulder issue and that should have him playing better.
 
Coach said:
Last season we played the majority of games without Shazier. This season we added Durpee. Both players are very fast for their position and can defend the edge. Shazier I think can add a lot in coverage.

With the Steelers playing more nickel defense, a faster front seven is needed. I think the difference between 2014 and 2015 will be noticeable. Agree or disagree?
Click to expand...

how hard is it to spell correctly D U P R E E ?

back to topic, of course the team will be faster, all the LBs are very agile, there are no old farts on D and even the DLine players are relatively light (compared to Big Snack, Kimo, Smith)
 
I'm hoping Tuitt will make a big jump. If him and Heyward are playing well and taking on the blockers there should be big matchups for our linebackers. I think Tuitt could be something special.
 
Durpee, has been NOTED as a S-L-O-W sumbieotch. That in itself will greatly hamper overall team speed. I'd say so much, that we talk this same conversation next year. Maybe, just maybe, we could trade Durpee to the ravens for a first round 2015 draft pick. Maybe take some one like a guy named Bud Dupree, he dang well would increase over all team speed.



Salute the nation
 
If healthy, our front 7 could be good this year and that would be a major improvement over the past 2 years.
 
Coach who is this Durpee you speak? Was he possibly our 1B pick in the draft? He must be Sud Durpee the guy we drafted 1B from Pottstown State.
 
steelhurt said:
Coach who is this Durpee you speak? Was he possibly our 1B pick in the draft? He must be Sud Durpee the guy we drafted 1B from Pottstown State.
Click to expand...

You'll have to live my my typos. DUPREE What can I say. I'm a busy man and post when I have a chance with multiple windows and calls. Maybe I should just call him Bud?
 
Team speed might be better, but team height/length could be very bad.

I was thinking about this driving last night that if we field a secondary of Mitchell, Thomas, Gay and Golson that could be the shortest secondary in the league (I didn't prove it, but I can't imagine a shorter secondary). That's 5117, 5087, 5101 & 5085.

Then I started thinking about our linebackers and there's a lineup that could be the shortest THERE too: Moats, Harrison, Timmons and Shazier

That lineup (which I am sure will get reps together) is 6002, 6000 (maybe), 6007 and 6011. For a 3-4 team, I would bet money that's the shortest group of linebackers in the league as well. Obviously Dupree helps that when he starts (and one of the reasons I liked the pick was his size), but until that happens we might need all that speed because we're not a particularly long team in coverage with arms/size in the throwing windows.
 
Well being closer to the ground will let them get the other team on the ground faster.:biggrin-new::hopelessness::wtf:
 
Wingman said:
Well being closer to the ground will let them get the other team on the ground faster.:biggrin-new::hopelessness::wtf:
Click to expand...

And I anticipate that's the exact type of defense we have. Giving up tons of completions, but Tomlin will talk about how great they tackle....
 
Drink IRON City said:
Do you have a urinary tract infection?????? LOL




Salute the nation
Click to expand...

not yet

perhaps early in the season when the D hasn't jelled and our RB is out, get back to me.

:wave:
 
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