Brett Keisel was quoted after the Steeler game saying that the defense was “surprised that the Patriots threw the ball as much as they did” and that they expected them to mix run and pass. Huh??? Are you kidding me? Keisel also went on to say that “the gameplan we had coming into the game needs to be thrown into the trash” and that the Steelers weren’t prepared for what the Pats did on offense. uuuummm yeah. Understatement of the year. But how can this be? Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Your good buddy, Dagger is here to take you back in time with a quick history lesson. Let’s hope this look into the past doesn’t dig up any old ghosts or fall into the hands of any more Offensive Coordinators.
Alrighty….let’s start off with the basics. The Steelers have lost 6 of the last 7 to New England. Wondering why? Well, the Patriots do what many teams in the NFL are unwilling to do….when they face the Steelers they toss aside conventional wisdom, they often abandon the run, and the attack the Steelers greatest weakness (their pass D). Sure our DLs and LBs are fantastic in the run game. Yes our LBs can blitz and pressure the QB in this complicated defensive scheme, but NO….this defense was not built to stop the spread offense. The spread offense is the Dick LeBeau 3-4 defense’s Kryptonite.
When the Patriots come out in a 5WR formation at their own one yard line, I think that tells you that they have spotted a weakness in the Steelers defense and they’re hell bent on exploiting it. Screw the running game. Who cares how many times you run the ball? Who says you have to be balanced on offense? If your strength just so happens to be your opponent’s weakness, then you’d be silly not to attack it.
I hate the Patriots but I LOVE the way they spit in the face of the old-timer “run-run-pass” offensive logic. One week their opponents dictate that they must rely on a passing attack, the next week they give the ball to Maroney all game, the next week Maroney gets 2 carries, etc….I just admire their aggressive nature. (But I hate them) I hope you understand. I guess I respect the fact that they PLAY TO WIN THE GAME by any and all means necessary. There are so many coaches and teams in the NFL that are so ultra-conservative that they almost handicap their own offense. The Steelers sit nearly $10 Million dollars below the NFL salary cap. This past offseason, the Patriots acquired Moss, Welker, Gaffney, Adalius Thomas, Stallworth, and others. Again, being aggressive and “going for it.” You have to respect that. They build from within just like us, they draft well and all that good stuff, but they compliment their homegrown talent with good acquisitions. While the Pats are out acquiring Pro Bowl talent, the Steelers are playing it nice and conservative….picking up Sean Mahan and Cedric Wilson.
To quote myself and a widely-used NHL saying “Safe Is Death” and the Patriots never, ever, ever play safe.
The Blueprint
The Patriots invented the offensive blueprint to beat the Steelers way back in week 1 of the 2002 season. Before we get into specifics, let me describe a defense and you tell me how you think you should/could attack it.
This defense is best known as a run-stuffing defense that plays with 4 LBs, gets 0 pressure from the DL. This team has had below average CBs for an entire decade, has “run stopping safeties…not coverage or speedy safeties” and loves to blitz.
OK….so you tell me. How do you attack this defense? Run, Run, Pass? A balanced offense? Play-action? Smashmouth? No. You spread them out and attack in the air.
Week 1 2002— New England opens up the season vs Pittsburgh and Brady goes 29/43 for 294 yards and 3 TDs. Steelers lose.
*very important note here is that in Week 2 of the 2002 season, the Oakland Raiders and Rich Gannon COPY the Patriots gameplan and come out throwing. Gannon goes 43/64 for 403 yards and 1 TD. Wow. Steelers lose.
2001: Brady/Bledsoe go 22/39 for 217 yards and 1TD. Steelers lose AFC Championship game.
2002: Brady goes 29/43 for 294 yards and 3TDs. Steelers lose.
2004: Brady goes 25/43 for 271 yards and 2TD. Steelers Win.
2004: Brady goes 14/21 for 207 yards and 2TD. Steelers lose AFC Championship game.
2005: Brady goes 31/41 for 372 yards 0TD. Steelers lose.
2007: Brady goes 32/46 for 399 yards and 4TD. Steelers lose.
TOTALS:
The Patriots have completed 66% of their passes against the Steelers since 2001. The Pats have only had a “ton” of offensive weapons at WR for one of those games. It’s not the personnel, it’s the scheme and gameplan that kills the Steelers. This 3-4 scheme CANNOT and WILL NOT beat the Patriots as currently constructed. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Steelers this year using 4WR and 5WR sets. The Raiders used the blueprint in 2002 and attempted 64 passes in one game against our D! Let’s thank the football gods that so many teams “play not to lose” and play so tight offensively. Let’s also be thankful that some teams can’t find 5 bodies skilled enough to split all of them out wide and use these formations against us.
The Steelers have had 6 or 7 years to come up with a gameplan to beat the Patriots and their 5WR spread offense and they simply can’t do it. If we see this team again (this year, next year, the year after), then we must come up with a completely different scheme. I don’t care if you drop 10 guys into coverage. I don’t care if you only have one DL on the field, I don’t care if you have 1 LB on the field. Make the Patriots run the ball. They WANT to pass on you, take away the thing they want to do and make them play to your strength. We’d have a better chance stopping their offense if you put the ball in Maroney’s hands and take it away from Brady.
It`s a very interesting column, Dagger. I am resigned to the Steelers being a 2nd level team this year but the loss to the Patriots felt like old times that you don’t really want to revisit.
I think we lack basic talent. John Madden said that we don’t have (besides Polamalu) any Grade A dominant players on D. I like many of the guys and in fact, the now out for the seaon Aaron Smith is my fave Steeler. But don’t you think if we had even one “great” LBer or lineman, we would overcome many of the problems with the Patriot matchups?
Anyway, very nice write up. Give Belichick Brady and he turns into Darth Vader. Give Tomlin Lawrence Taylor or a modern day Joe Greene?
Dagger,
“If we see this team again (this year, next year, the year after) we must come up with a completely different scheme. I don’t care if you drop 10 guys into coverage. I don’t care if you only have one DL on the field, I don’t care if you have 1 LB on the field. Make the Patriots run the ball. They WANT to pass on you, take away the thing they want to do and make them play to your strength. ”
Eureka!! You took the words out of my mouth. Steelers have to “out-belichek the Pats”. Take away their best weapon and make them go with their second best option. despaerate times call for desperate measures. The only way you will do this is with something as unconventional as you stated. Throw 7-8 DBs out there. All but invite them to run. Dare them to do what they hate doing. Take the ball out of Brady’s hands and make Maroney carry it 12 straight times . Make them take long drives to shorten the game.
Look, it may blow up in your face, but the alternative hasn’t worked. And please let’s not use the Eagles and Ravens game as a blueprint. That was more an offensive blueprint. defensively, Brady still lit up the Eagles and the Ravens practically mugged Pats receivers all night. I don’t think you can count on the officiating to let that go week in and week out.
Yup, I pretty much agree with everything in this post. The Pats have had our number for a while, and we haven’t done much to throw them off.
I think the fact that the Steelers lack a serious pass rush, is the problem. Those run stopping linebackers and dlinemen are also meant to get to the quarterback before they can dissect our db’s. That was how we beat the colts in the playoffs. The Steelers don’t have great corners but the pressure is supposed to make up for that.
FYI, the offense devised to beat the Steelers originally came from the lowly 2001 Cincinnati Bengals. Belichick improved on what they did, obviously, but he didn’t magically create it out of thin air.
I agree with mindset that the Steelers need to forget about trying the stop the run versus NE. 7 DBs and 4 LBs. Bump every receiver of the LOS, and cover every lane. If the Pats change personnel, then you can trot out your 3-4.
Hi – new here… Dagger is dead on. Cowher was outcoached long before Tomlin and Co. Effort and results are not always linked in a linear or proportional relationship. Just because the Steelers’ players are giving it their all doesn’t mean they will win the battle. They are getting beat because they are not in position to make plays. They are in short being out-schemed then out-executed. I believe it was late 3rd qtr when 2 or 3 plays in a row we got pressure on Brady from his left and he threw in the direction of the blitz. He overthrew a receiver to his left each time because he could not anticipate where the WR would be, he had to get rid of the ball early. His WR was not in position to make a play in the time alloted. That lasted about 2 minutes and then the Pats adjusted. No more throw aways at that depth. Coaching and talent…..
Actually, the Bengals invented this method of beating the Steelers and LeBeau’s defense in 2001…when the team was coached by…wait for it…DICK LEBEAU!
Dont forget the Bruce Arians offense in that infamous Steelers-Browns game back when BA was the OCoord in Cleveland….
Nice article…I agree with most of it.
Daggar … I always look forward to your articles.
100% spot on!
How could I forget! Cincy WAS responsible for creating this monster. Jon Kitna…that game is the reason he still has a starting job today.
Dagger, don’t give “BA” credit for anything, not even Clev’s playoff performance …I’m convinced he is an idiot who has proven to be that he is not capable of divising any scheme that will beat a good defense (something we could count on Whiz to do). Unfortunately, the Steelers org won’t realize this until 3 years in and only then will fire him.
Problem is…. Tim Lewis was the defensive coordinator then.
Honestly I think its time to move Deshea Townsend to free safety.
Scoring against the Patriots really solves this issue. You aren’t always going to be able to shut a team down, especially when they’re a hall of famer. I’ll bet Woodley would have beaten his man….
Lewis learned under LeBeau. Lewis ran the 3-4 defense. In fact, back then the Steelers were the ONLY team that ran the 3-4. I’m not attacking Lewis or LeBeau….I’m pointing out that you can’t play a 3-4 vs a 5WR offense. Been proven since 2001/2002….as far as Steelers and this defensive scheme are concerned.
Tim Lewis was a horrible D coordinator, his Defenses were soft an uncreative! They seldom blitzed and when they did you could see it coming from your couch or in the stands! Remember the Steelers D did not get respectable again until 2004 when Labeau came back after a short stint as Cincy’s head coach! The “Blue Print” to beat the Steelers D is not pass happy offenses, it is simply patience and balance! If you can’t run the football the Steelers will pin their ears back at abuse your QB! Trust me no O-Coordinator wants to drop back and throw the football 40x vs Dick Labeau! Learn some football before you start posting nonsense!
read the comments directly above yours in regards to Lewis and Lebeau, the 3-4 defense, etc..