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Defense: First 25 Minutes of Game

M.S. : 9/15/2020 6:28 am
Dunno about you guys, but I was in a state of shock watching how dominant our defense was for most of the first half.

Maybe some of it was Ben Roth chipping off some rust, or the entire Steelers offensive unit, but whatever.

I swear I had a flashback to some of the GREAT Giants defenses of the past. Players were flying all around, smacking anyone with the ball, with numerous blue jerseys in on the tackle. No Steeler could ever really break free -- it almost seemed like we had 12 or more defenders out there!

Even when the Steelers made a play, like the amazing Chase Claypool catch along the sideline, the coverage was solid!

My wife asked me what happened to the Defense in the second half. Here are three thoughts:

(1) Pittsburgh attacked the Giants man-on-man coverage with several clever (maybe a few semi-illegal) picks/rubs;

(2) The inability to pressure Roth really took the wind out of their sails. They just looked blown, which really showed in their inability to stop the same damn running play where the Steelers called a short pull of their Guards with the RB going off tackle or between the Guard and Tackle;

(3) That heroic Daniel Jones drive that ended in an ugly INT maybe took the wind out of the entire team.
I really think people are forgetting that this was an uphill  
robbieballs2003 : 9/15/2020 6:38 am : link
battle with a new staff and new systems. It would have been pretty impressive to beat Pittsburgh on opening night. We had no barometer this preseason other than our own guys. You just cannot simulate certain things. This team will continue to get better.
There has been a lot of mention of picks  
SLIM_ : 9/15/2020 6:54 am : link
I think switching and communication of not getting picked will only improve once our secondary gets more time playing with each other.

I also think that the second interception really was the turning point. I think if we score there and go back up, we have the momentum and the defense steps up. Nobody mentions this but I think this was key also related to that play... the interception was huge but Pittsburgh getting the ball at the 20 instead of the 1 was huge. If Pittsburgh had to start the ball at the 1, I could see them playing a lot more conservative and running the ball out of a tighter formation. If we get the ball back at mid-field only down by 6, maybe our offense does something. Instead, Pittsburgh was able to take the momentum of the turnover and in effect, end the game there.

The difference in coaching was obvious  
George from PA : 9/15/2020 6:54 am : link
Still learning a new system....Peppers seems a little confused

hell some of the guys played only a couple of practices.

How many practices did Logan Ryan and Isaac Yiadom have? 3.

Those simple picks shouldn't cause that much problems....when they learn how to play with each other....


Very hopeful....that we can be proud of our defense again.
RE: I really think people are forgetting that this was an uphill  
Big Blue '56 : 9/15/2020 7:14 am : link
In comment 14972536 robbieballs2003 said:
Quote:
battle with a new staff and new systems. It would have been pretty impressive to beat Pittsburgh on opening night. We had no barometer this preseason other than our own guys. You just cannot simulate certain things. This team will continue to get better.


Mic drop. Moving on the Chicago
Defense played well  
ZogZerg : 9/15/2020 7:22 am : link
considering all new coaches and all of the new players.

Definitely encouraging.

If the O could have held onto some passes early on, it would have been a much tighter game.
uptick  
Simms : 9/15/2020 8:52 am : link
We have a long road ahead of us, and there signs of improvement. Pittsburgh's talent level dwarfed ours and many times we held your own. Its a good start.
Claypool  
Simms : 9/15/2020 8:52 am : link
Oh, and I really wanted us to draft him ...
if we were able to establish even a tiny bit  
UConn4523 : 9/15/2020 8:55 am : link
in the run game we'd be able to grind out that half and not fall apart at the end. They were gassed, and the turnovers were the dagger.

I was expecting a route and that isn't what happened. Defense played fast, made tackles, and overall seemed to play with more intensity. You have to be happy with that all things considered.
Defense wasn't half bad.  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 9/15/2020 8:56 am : link
Better than I anticipated.
Graham was as advertised being "multiple"  
mfsd : 9/15/2020 9:32 am : link
with his defensive fronts. I think we confused the Steelers early on, and got pressure that threw Big Ben and their offense off

Then he dialed up a classic 2 minute drill, and they won the "halftime" adjustment game.

In the end, it still comes down to talent. Our better players played well: Lawrence, Williams, Martinez, Bradberry, and even Carter played strong.

But we're still short on talent at the other CB spot, the rest of the LBs, and safety
RE: The difference in coaching was obvious  
ArlingtonMike : 9/15/2020 12:30 pm : link
In comment 14972544 George from PA said:
Quote:
Still learning a new system....Peppers seems a little confused

hell some of the guys played only a couple of practices.

How many practices did Logan Ryan and Isaac Yiadom have? 3.

Those simple picks shouldn't cause that much problems....when they learn how to play with each other....


Very hopeful....that we can be proud of our defense again.

Great effort by the D. Dex is going to be a monster and LB were solid. I expectRyan to play a much bigger role as he learns the system. The rest of the secondary outside of Bradbury is talent deficient. I really don’t think Love or Peppers are the answer. Two guys playing out of position.
I want to believe  
mittenedman : 9/15/2020 12:46 pm : link
the difference in coaching was obvious - and I was saying the same thing into the 2nd half.

But then all the usual stuff happened - an inability to defend the middle of the field, shooting themselves in the foot and ultimately getting blown out over the course of a 60 minute game. By the end of the game - there were all those familiar smiles and laughs on the opponents' face.

The Get Right Team. And they still are, until proven otherwise. In this game, the Steelers had questions about Big Ben, their WRs and their OLine. Not anymore, at least for this week.
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