As we approach the draft, I wanted to do something a little different and get an outsiders point of view  about some draft philosophies and prospects with respect to the Pittsburgh Steelers. One draft site I like to look at and sort through mock drafts and analysis is www.walterfootball.com. There are thousands of sites out there, but theres alot of stuff on this one I tend to agree with and and I like the '09 projections as well. The site creator of www.walterfootball.com , Walter Cherepinsky, was kind enough to give an exclusive draft interview to SteelerFury. For any self proclaimed draftnik, www.walterfootball.com is definately a site you should bookmark for analysis and mock drafts. I'd like to thank Mr. Cherepinsky in advance for taking the time out of his schedule to answer a few questions I asked of him.  So please take the time to look through Mr. Cherepinsky's website at your leisure.

On with the Show

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the background of you and your draft website and the time and research that goes into it and what makes your product unique?

WC -I started my Web site back in 1999 as a project for an internet class. I graduated that spring, but kept maintaining the site as a hobby. Eventually, I changed my major at Penn State to sports journalism, and decided to use the site as a resume-builder. Eventually, I thought I could do this as a full-time gig, and that's what I'm doing now in addition to a few other things. Something that makes my site unique is that I'm more than just a draft site; I have weekly picks against the spread, power rankings and weekly write-ups during the season, fantasy football information in the summer, detailed free agency lists and trackers, and I even delve into college basketball, NBA and MLB

2. Jumping right into the draft, most Steeler fans recognize our need to reload the offensive line. Some fan favorites are guard Brandon Albert from Virginia and local kid Jeff Otah from Pitt. Can you tell us a little bit about these 2 guys and if you feel they'll be available at pick #23?

WC - In one of my recent mocks, I had the Steelers going after Branden Albert, but in the wake of the Justin Hartwig signing, which kicks Sean Mahan out to guard, the Steelers will likely look elsewhere in the first round. I had Jeff Otah before, but his stock has soared (I have him going 14th to the Bears right now). So, while Albert should be there, Otah won't be. Albert has everything you want in a guard; he's big, but he's also athletic. He has really long arms, so he won't suffer from Robert Gallery Syndrome. He's extremely quick for a man his size, and there is speculation that he could play tackle in the NFL.

3. Continuing with that thought, can you give us some insight on the depths and strengths of this offensive line class in the first 3 rounds and which direction do you see the Steelers going?

WC - Gosder Cherilus is an option in the first round. If they go after a receiver instead, like Malcolm Kelly, they might have a chance of landing Carl Nicks in the second round. Nicks has first-round talent, but his recent legal troubles have dropped his stock just a bit. I don't consider his issues anything major, but teams may overreact, making him a huge steal toward the end of Round 2. If Pittsburgh passes on him, the team could go after Heath Benedict, Tony Hills or even Barry Richardson in Rounds 3-4.

4. Its a well known fact that Coach Tomlin found his niche and earned his pedigree as a DB coach. Taking future expiring contracts into consideration, what kind of quality CB's can we expect to be available in the mid rounds that would be a good fit for Steeler football?

WC - This class is really deep at defensive back. The Steelers should be able to acquire guys in the middle rounds like Trae Williams, DeJuan Tribble, Dwight Lowery, Chevis Jackson, Simeon Castille and Marcus Griffin, all of whom would be solid fits in Mike Tomlin's scheme.

5. The Steelers starting defensive line starters are all entering the later stages of their careers and are all over 30, so it may be time to think about getting younger. Couple that with the Steelers sack production being down last year, can you talk a little about any quality 5 technique DE's that may be available in the mid to late rounds.

WC - Two five-technique guys you might be able to get in the middle rounds are Keilen Dykes and Kendall Langford. Dykes will be available a bit later than Langford because he had a mediocre Pro Day (he wasn't invite to the combine), but I still think he'll be a solid player up front in the 3-4

6. Another area that could use an overhaul are the special teams. What prospects do you feel could come in and make an immediate impact the coverage and return games?

WC - The guy everyone knows about is Corey Lynch, the Appalachian State safety who blocked the Michigan field goal in the upset. His teammate, Dexter Jackson, ran a 4.33 at the combine and will be a solid punt returner in the NFL. Then, you have the obvious guys like DeSean Jackson, Eddie Royal, Donnie Avery and the like.

7. Now that the combine is over, who would you consider combine "winners" and "losers"?

WC - We're in the Pro Day part of the schedule now, so I have a link for some of the guys who have improved or worsened their stock in the wake of their Pro Day: http://walterfootball.com/draftproday.php 

For years,  the NFL has widely been known as copycat league.  Modern day schemes evolve and vary week to week in hopes to countering specific offensive plays,  players,  and tendencies.  Modern day coaches who have achieved success have roots firmly embedded in coaching trees of past innovators.  Schemes such as Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense (WCO) have changed the way the game is played today.  But none may have shown as much wisdom and success as the defense of the 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers. 

After a history of losing and a combined zero career postseason wins for the franchise,  it prompted Art Rooney to make a decision that would forever change the direction the franchise was heading with the addition of head coach Chuck Noll in 1969.  After a rocky 1-13 start,  Noll began to overhaul the roster and coaching staff.  Of all the proclamations of the great past Steelers drafts and signings,  none could possibly be more valuable than the addition of then,  Georgia Tech head coach,  Bud Carson.  Carson developed and refined a style of defense at the collegiate level known as the Cover 2. 

The cover 2 defense is defined as 2 players manning the post snap safety positions whose responsibility is the last line of defense for an eleven man unit in pass coverage divided up into equal halves of the field.  The name "cover 2" is a technique of defending the pass,  otherwise known as scheme.  It is most often associated with the 4-3 defense because it is the base set its most commonly run from,  but the cover 2 scheme can be run from nearly any defensive formation.  The defense relies on disciplined players who possess above average speed and tackling ability who swarm to the ball and are sure tacklers because often one slipped tackle can result in a big gain.  In todays NFL the cover 2 is the most prevalent defense and continues to be refined by successful teams such as the Colts,  Bears,  and Buccaneers.  Indinapolis head coach Tony Dungy was a safety for the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers directily attributes his defensive philosophies to those Carson implemented in his playing days,  specifically the 1975 playbook.  Dungy has since put his personal refinements on scheme in his days as the Tampa Bay head coach having modern day NFL'ers rename the defense as the Tampa 2.  Its no coincidence that the teams previously mentioned (Bears,  Bucs,  Colts) implement the defense as head coach Lovie Smith installed it with the Bears,  Dungy with the Colts,  and Dungy's defensive coordinator  Monte Kiffin remains in Tampa Bay. 

The Formation

Figure one takes us to the eye in the sky and shows the most common base formation of the cover 2 defense.  It begins with 4 down lineman consisting of 2 defensive tackles (DT) and 2 defensive ends (DE),  3 linebackers (LB),  2 conerbacks (CB),  and 2 safeties (S).  Each has a unique responsibility that differs against the run and pass alike. 

Figures 2 further explains the zone coverage responsibilities for LB's and secondary when an offense is attempting a pass play.  The 1st level of coverage responbility awarded to LB's and CB's splits the field into equal 1/5's across the entire field with assignments that range from the line of scrimmage up to and including 15 yards deep with the 2 remaining players in deep alignment as the safety valves with whose main responsibility is not to let a route runner behind them.  Modern day spinoffs that will be addressed later have the middle linebacker drop up to 20-30 yards in coverage in the deep middle with the safeties effectively turning the cover 2 (deep 1/2's) into cover 3 (deep 1/3's). 

As previously mentioned,  it takes unique players with unique skillsets to effectively play the defense. 

The Players

Defensive Tackles:
Two specific types of DT's are needed whose assingment differ from one another and different techniques and alignments make the two unique of one another also.  Defensive lineman in this formation usually play a one gap responsiblity where their main responsibility is to attempt to split 2 blockers while not giving up any ground and maintain assigned rush lanes. 

Figure one shows gap designations to clearly help define a DT rush responsibility in the run and pass game with A gap between Center and Guard, B gap between guard and tackle and so on.  Figure 2 is a technique scale showing where the player is to line up.  A "0" technique DT lines heads up on the center,  2 technique heads up on the guard and so on. The odd number designations have the player lining up in gaps such as a 3 technique player on the outside shoulder of a guard and a 5 techniqe player in the outside shoulder of the tackle. 

The 2 DT's aforementioned in this alignment are as follows:

Nose Tackle:  A tall bulky player in the desired 6'4" 310 lb range is utilized mainly as a run stuffer.  His alignment will normally be a "0" shade technique to the weak side (side opposite tight end).  This player must possess tremendous core strength to move an anchored blocker in the run game and pass protection as well as have long arms to raise them while rushing the passer in hopes of cluttering a QB's throwing lanes and batting down passes. 

Under tackle (3 technique):  This player,  as mentioned,  normally lines up in a 3 technique position on the strong side.  His role is greatly expanded from the nose tackle.  This player must be very athletic,  strong,  and agile at the same time.  He is responsible for his gap designation against the run but is also relied upon to apply the bulk of the interior pressure on the quarterback while maintaining his assigned rush lane.  By effectively pushing the pocket applying pressure and hopefully sacks,  he also shortens the depth of the pocket not allowing the QB to step up giving the outside rush more of a chance to reach the QB. 

3 technique DT's are some of the hardest players for NFL talent evaluators to find due to the fact that NFL big men are not always as athletic as takes to play this position.  The competition for their services is so great that these players,  when on top of their game,  demand some of the highest salaries in football.  A deep rotation of DT's (wave players) are also an asset as to keep these big men fresh for 60 minutes.

Defensive Ends:
In this defensive set,  the DE's are the pass rushers.  The players given the enviable job of grabbing headlines rushing the QB.  Different coaches employ differnent variations of the defense so the style of player they covet can vary.  Some coaches prefer DE's with a smaller body type who bring an explosively quick first step as an edge rusher to effectively beat tackles to the edge reaching the QB from the backside.  This style of player isnt always the adequate vs. the power run game and normally attempts to play the run on his way to reaching the QB as opposed to having a run first assignment. This is the desired body type in Dungy's new Tampa 2.   Other philosophies search for somewhat larger players who can equally play the run and rush the passer as well.  On the strong side,  the players usually have to beat a tackle and tight end alike to apply pressure so the strenght attained from the extra bulk helps to play stout at the point of attack.  Think Will Smith in (NO) or Aaron Kampman (Green Bay). 

Middle Linebacker (MLB):
Or "mike" backer as commonly referred to.  Again different cover 2 philosophies employ different types of players for this position.  It is commonly preferred to have players athletic enough to play both run and pass to effectively  call them a "3 down backer" where he is able to stay in the game in any situation.  This applies to all LB's in this scheme.  If the scheme only calls for the Mike to take short drops in coverage and man the underneath zone,  a run stuffer is preferred in the mold of Jeremiah Trotter.  On the other hand,  certain coaches prefer the mike backer to able to take the deep middle drops into the secondary creating the cover 3 defense as previously mentioned. This player must also be able to be stout in the run game with strength to fight off blockers as well as footwork sort throught trash at the point of attack to run down a ball carrier.  Good horizontal skilles are needed as this player must be a "sideline to sideline" player to be most effective ala Ray Lewis in his hey day.  The deep coverage responsibilities require this player to also show good agility and ball skills to be able to turn and run with tight ends on seam routes and the unenviable task of running with deep post patterns.  Brian Urlacher may have said it best when he described his pass coverage responsibility as:

"My primary purpose in that defense is to run straight down the field with a tight end and then come back to the huddle to congratulate the player that made the tackle".

 The depth of the drops the mike backer takes is first and foremost the biggest difference from a standard cover 2 to a Tampa 2 and the other players zone responsibilities that come with it.   The deeper drop will cause the underneath defenders to play a zone composed of 1/4's instead of 1/5's.

Weakside Linbacker (WLB):
The WLB,  or "Will" or "Jack",  is usually the most athletic backer on field.  The weakside designation is from his alignment to the opposite side of an unbalanced set.  His primary responsibility in the run game is back side pursuit where he must be disciplined enough not overrun plays and be accountable for cutback lanes.  His pass coverage assignment is usually an 8-12 yard zone in attempts to discourage WR's and TE's from running underneath crossing routes..

Strongside Linebacker (SLB):
The SLB,  or Sam,  is the backer that lines up to the strong side of the offensive formation with very similar coverage responsibilities the WLB.  His run responsibility will differ a bit as offenses tend to run toward the strong side more often than not.  This requires a strong player who can at times line up on the line of scrimmage and fight off blocks from TE's and lead backs.   Taller players with longer wingspans are preferred to disengage from NFL caliber tackles.

Cornerbacks (CB):
This is where is gets tricky because its not always easy to find a CB with every desired skill to play the position.  Since the cover 2 plays mostly zone coverage,  the skillset needed includes good ball skills, good footwork,  and tough in run support.  Also,  great straight line speed isnt a necessity to play this zone coverage. The main focus in pass coverage is a 1/5 15 yard zone responsible for the flats and intermediate out patterns.  His objective is to keep everything in front of him in his zone until its stretched to the point where he must pass the receiver off to a safety.  In run support this player is responsible for outside contain and taking out lead blockers to string runners out to the sidelines.

In man coverage,  different,  or at least additional skillsets are needed.  This type of coverage requires the player to be able to run stride for stride with a receiver so the draft day terms we hear such as "loose hips" to be able to turn on a dime and run,  and 40 yard dash (straight line speed) apply here.  

Safety (S):
This position is what defines the cover 2 philosophy.  These players must be rangy with good speed and ball skills with the ability to play a 25 yard wide zone in their deep assignments.  As will be addressed later,  a huge soft spot in the zone is between the safeties so these players must be able to apply the big hit when needes to discourage route runners from re-entering their zone. 

Blitz Packages:
The cover 2 was designed for all the pressure to be applied by the 4 down lineman so all other defenders can play zone coverage.  Football is situational so every coach has an arsenal of blitzes unique to his scheme and players which are derivatives of others schemes. 

Examples could be DL stunts,  CB blitz,  LB blitz,  or safety blitz.  A variety of combination of any of these can be utilized but the more players asked to blitz,  the more holes that are created in the zone causing to the defensive secondary remaining to heavily rely on immediate pressure from the blitz package.  This is why it was mentioned in the player description of why it is so necessary to have quality DL to apply pressure with only 4.

Coverage:
As described earlier,  cover 2 is 2 safety valves each responsible for halves in deep coverage and the man that enters that specific zone by not allowing a receiver behind him.  2 general types of coverages are used.

Zone Coverage:

this diagram shows a nice breakdown of zone responsibilities for each player and where the "soft spots" lie that offenses will usually try and attack.  The prevalance of the Tampa 2 and the Mike backer taking a deep drop effectively helps eliminate that soft spot shown deep middle in blue in the diagram.  Which still leaves the deep sideline patterns as the remaining soft spots.  The effective use of Cover 4,  or quarters,  has become much more prevalent in todays NFL.  It allows a defense to pinch its safety play and help eliminate the soft spot (in blue) over the top in the center of the defense.  It helps hide inadequate safety play by having the CB's play with cushion and chasing after routes down their respective sideline still having safety help over the top.  The cover 4 style of play relies on pass rush from the front 4,  LB's cutting off underneath routes up the seam,  a converging secondary swarming to the ball.

With the 5 underneath defenders across the field,  coaches with utilize "inside out" bracket coverages meaning a player is responsible for a receiver and will run with him until he reaches the edge of his zone responsibility until the next zone defender in succession picks that man up.

Man to Man coverage:
Certain schemes will also employ this technique as each defender designated will have a specific man to cover.  Normally,  the desired coverage is called Man Under meaning the underneath defenders have man coverage while the safeties still have deep over the top zone assignments.  This idea is where cover 2 teams run the majority of their blitz packages.  It is used most often counteract an offense looking for holes in zones to create confusion and play break down.

Pattern Reads:
offense are always trying to attack soft spots on defense in attempt to move the ball.  This has caused the cover 2 defense to develop on-the-fly basic scheme changes known as pattern reads.  A pattern read is the ability of a defense,  through coaching and film study,  to immediately recognize where the offense plans to attack and adjusting accordingly. For example,  if a deep sideline route is being run to the blue soft spot shown on the diagram,  the CB must instantly play man coverage to assist the deep safety until he is able to get there to make a play.  What this does is run the CB out of his zone leaving that portion of the field wide open.  A pattern read adjustment would cause the WLB or SLB,  depending on the side,  to recongnize it and make a pattern read adjustment extnending his zone to the area of the vacated CB.  This is where defensive philosophies become complicated and what makes each coach unique.  This offensive strategy is known as a "hi/low stretch" which will be discussed later on. 

Zone Blitz:
the zone blitz is a call that will blitz one of the designated coverage defenders and drop one of the four down lineman back into the blitzers vacated short zone in attempts to confuse blockers and QB's.  This heavily relies on the athleticness of the lineman pass rushing ability of LB's. 

How to attack a Cover 2 defense:

1. Hi/Low stretch: - as previously mentioned its design is to run off an edge defender and then flood his vacated zone with other receiving targets such as a RB out of the backfield or a TE on a short arrow route. 
2. 4 vertical wide receivers: - when facing a cover 2 defense,  one of the first things an offense will do is test it deep to see how they will react as per the gameplan with the players on the field.  Any slip up or missed assignment could result in a big gain or touchdown.  To combat this CB's must attempt to flatten WR routes with a jam effectively forcing the receiver to run a crossing route as opposed to a free release off the line of scrimmage for him to get vertical.  Also,  it forces the LB's run get vertical with the TE's and RB's attempting seam routes as to aid the safeties shadowing the other deep receivers. 
3. In-out stretch: -  the same principle as the hi-low stretch but in a horizontal fashion.  As mention earlier,  a CB must jam a WR to prevent him from running a deep route up the sideline.   But once the WR does get free,  he'll run an out pattern stretching the CB to the sideline with creating an even wider void between the CB and either SLB or WLB in the zone.

The 34 defense has been used in the NFL for decades.  Wikipedia reports that at least one team that played in every superbowl from 1980 to 1993 ran some version of a base 34 defense.  Currently,  4 superbowls have been won this decade alone by teams using this defense as a base set with the New England Patriots winning 3 and the Pittsburgh Steelers winning 1.  Its creation stems from Superbowl IV where KC Chiefs head coach Hank Stram had a man named Curly Culp playing on his defensive line.  Culp was immensely strong and couldnt be blocked by just one man.  Stram moved him over center to tie up all pro Vikings center Mick Tinglehoff and additional guard support not allowing those offensive lineman to get outside and lead the stellar Viking perimeter rush attack.  It further evolved when Culp moved onto the Houston Oilers and coach Bum Phillips employed the defense full time as a coordinator under head coach Sid Gillman.

A total of seven teams ran a traditional 34 base set as the primary defense in 2006.  Some benefits of this base include include the fact that its cheaper to maintain as in todays NFL down defensive lineman are at much more of a premium with regards to getting paid and demand much higher salaries.  A rush LB in a 34 set is whats commonly referred to as a "hybrid" player converting from DE to OLB and normally the switch takes time for player development.  Linebacker salaries have not equaled those of traditional 43 pass rushers as a whole and alot more teams are competing for the services of these down lineman.  Another added benefit is the versatility the set allows.  Four athletic linebackers on the field as opposed to 3 allow a defense to become much more creative with its blitz and coverage packages.  One unfortunate downfall is these "hybrid" LB's are not easily found and are an essential for the defense to work. 

The Formation

The formation consists of 3 down lineman,  including one nose tackle and 2 defensive ends. Four LB's surrounding the line of scrimmage,  2 safeties,  and 2 cornerbacks. 

Defensive Line
There are 2 basic schemes surrounding DL in a 34 set.  One gap,  and 2 gap.  A 1 gap player has responsibility of just that.  His job is to man one gap in the run game whether it be "A" gap (between OC and OG),  "B" gap (between OG and OT) or "C" gap (between OT and TE)c and not give any ground.  The technique these 1 gap tackles use is to explosively burst upfield with at quick first step as trying get into the backfield to create problems for play development.  This has become the most prevalent style of DL play in the NFL largely due in part to when it is employed effectively and with the interior rush getting penetration,  it allows LB's and CB's to drop into coverage quicker thus becoming more effective.

A 2 gap DL has much different responsibilities.  His job is to explode into offenseive lineman occupying more than one blocker at a time allowing the linebackers to run free and make tackles.  His responsibility is to man the gap on either side of him. 
 
Nose Tackle (NT)
The nose tackle in a 34 base set has several different responsibilities than a tradition 43 DT.  His ideal frame is short, compact,  and stout with exceptional strength.  As opposed to a 43 Tackle,  he doesnt need to be taller with long arms to put an arm up in passing lanes on throwing downs because pass rush isnt his first responsibility  In the run game his job first and foremost,  is to occupy the Center with enough leverage that a guard must help block him.  He can never allow the post snap line of scrimmage to be pushed back.  Normally in pass rush,  his main goal is to push the Center back into the pocket far enough as to not allow the QB to step up in the pocket avoiding the outside rush.  A good Nose Tackle who does his job well is essential for this defense to be successful.

Defensive Ends  (DE)
They are also first and foremost run stoppers.  Their ideal frame is tall and athletic in the 290 lb range and good strength.  Taller players are preferred for this position as they usually have long arms to disengage from blockers in the run game.  Usually lined up in an elongated 3 point stance,  they also must explode into the OT hard enough that he cant be blocked by a single tackle or guard.  If this player occupies both blockers,  he successfully completed his job allowing the linebackers to run free.  He is also responsible for manning the gap on either side of him in the run game and collapse the pocket in the pass game not allowing the QB to step. 

Inside Linbackers (ILB)
As illustrated above,  they are usually lined up in what commonly referred to as a "bubble".  Heads up over an uncovered offensive guard.  These 2 players are commonly referred to as "dog" and "mack" as to separate with nomenclature to recognize responsibilities in the play call.  The players need to be very athletic  and sure tacklers as they are the playmakers in the run game and responsible for the majority of the tackles and pursuit.  The strong side ILB,  or "dog",  must have an attacking style of play to come up and meet a ball carrier at the line of scrimmage and be fast enough to string him out to the sideline.  Though his first priority would be to stand the blocking back up in the hole yet plugging another running lane.The weak side ILB,  or "mack",  is responsible for backside pursuit and must be disciplined enough not to overrun a play which could result in a big gain.  Both players also must be able to blitz the QB and be able to drop into short zone depending on the defense called. 

Outside Linebackers (OLB)
An OLB in this defense is the simply stated,  the pass rusher.  He is lined up outside of the DE as a 5/7 technique (outside shoulder of either OT or TE).  He is the guy who chases down the QB.  His ideal frame is tall in the 6'4" range and normally anwhere from 240-260 lbs.  Long arms are needed to disengage from NFL offensive tackles in the run game and also used in pass rush.  They must be very fast as to be able to beat a Tackle to the corner in pass rush but also strong and athletic enough to utilize bull rush moves when needed.  This player is also responsible for outside contain in the run game.  Again,  these players are commonly referred to as "hybrid" players as they are normally converted to OLB from a college defensive end

Cornerbacks (CB)
A CB in this defense has many different responsibilities from a traditional Tampa 2 CB.  This player needs to be very fast with good ball skills as he plays alot of man coverage due to the schemes employed,  dependant on what the front 7 does.  Certain packages will also ask this player to play a variety of zones.  The CB also be must tough enough to help support the outside run game.  Normally,  due to defensive formations,  these players will line up on the WR with a 5 to 7 yard cushion as to not get beat off the line scrimmage and surrender a deep pass play due to the extra safety playing in the box on run support,  better known as cover 3.  The roles of a CB vary greatly depending the defensive playcall and responsibility of the safety.

Safety (S)
Like a S in any defense,  they must be able to play centerfield to be successful.  Due to the versatility of the defense,  its common to only have one deep safety in the pass game,  which is why referring back the CB's will line up with a cushion b/c there isnt alot of help there.  These players make all the secondary calls and must be strong in second level run support. 

Coverages

as defined by Wikipedia

• Cover Zero - Strict man-to-man coverage with no help from safeties (usually a blitz play with at least five men crossing the line of scrimmage)
• Cover One - Man-to-man coverage with at least one safety not assigned a player to cover who can help out on deep pass routes.
• Cover Two - Zone coverage with the safeties playing deep and covering half the field each.
• Cover Three - Zone coverage as above, but with extra help from a cornerback, so that each player covers one-third of a deep zone.
• Cover Four - As above, with the corners and safeties dropping into deep coverage, with each taking one-fourth of the width of the field. Also referred to as Quarters.
  The effectiveness of a defense against short passes and the run generally drops as it goes from Cover Zero to Cover Four, while their effectiveness against deep passes increases

These are basic secondary coverages that can be utilized by just about any defensive formation. 

What makes the 3-4 defense so unique is that if the proper players man the defense,  the extra LB allows more versatility in coverage.  An extra athletic player in the lineup can be used to confuse QB's of where his coverage responsibilities will lie.  For instance,  in a 43 defense zone,  its pretty common for the MLB to man the zone in the middle of the field.  But in a 34 defense,  either one of the ILB's could play middle zone,  or for instance,  a blitz could come off the edge and the extra LB could run to cover the blitzers area after the snap. 

Its also common for this defense to utilize bracket coverage.  There are two types:

1. short/deep...where one player will attempt to take away any underneath patterns without fear of getting beat deep because he will have help.  EX.  When you see a LB lined up on a WR,  he isnt playing him man to man,  he's merely attempting to take away slant and curl patterns with help over top
2. inside/out...this coverage is when one player attempts to take away out patterns and sideline patterns while another player attempts to take away underneath inside patterns. EX.  A CB on a slot WR will line up with outsided technique (outside shoulder of WR) only allowing him to release inside where a LB is waiting to take away slant patterns

bracket coverages are prevalent in this defense due to an extra athlete on the field.  Eight (4 LB's/4 secondary) versus losing the extra LB in a 4 man front.

Blitz Package
The 34 is similar to a 4-3 defense in that most often 4 players are rushing the QB.  In the 43 its recognized where the pass rush is coming from by the 4 down lineman.  In a 34,  at least one of the LB's will blitz each play,  not allowing the pass protection and Quarterback to know where its coming from until the ball is snapped.  Some scenarios could be:

1. OLB's blitz as normal man on man with an offensive tackle
2. ILB will blitz in unison with a stunting DL/NT hoping a gap opens

or zone blitz packages

1. A LB or S could blitz the middle of the line while a DE could drop into the short zone once occupied by the blitzer. 
2. A CB lined up on the slot WR could blitz while either an OLB or ILB would run after the snap to cover his vactaed zone or man

The versatility and possibilities are endless in play calling which commonly forces a tougher transition from college to pros when entering this defense.  When used correctly,  it is suffocating and creates a ton of confusion for opposing QB's.

Hope its educational..Enjoy

Know the Enemy:  Jacksonville Jaguars

As I sat back and read each and every post on SteelerFury.com this week,  I realized that there aren’t too many Steeler fans lacking perspective this week.  Thanks to a year long education from guys like FC and Hardnosed,  its made each of us more aware of Steeler football.  Though I cant name all of you,  to select a few all star posters such as Donnie Brasco,  LockdownRandyFuller,  Gonzo,  SteelerJones,  SteelStillSlays,  Bradshaw2Ben, and SteelersQT have shown me throwing stats at you guys this week means nothing as each and every poster is already aware of where we stand.  I’d also like to thank SteelFury! for allowing me the oppurtunity to pass along my perspective each week.

Im of the notion that everyone starts the postseason 0-0,  statistics and records out the door.  This is January football gentleman,  its more about whose been there rather than whose about to be.  We all know its more about who finishes strong,  rather than who starts strong.  The Steelers wrapped up the division in week 15 allowing them the luxury to cruise through the final week and not having the opportunity for a big win to gain some momentum.   Injuries have been and will continue to be a factor,  but if your as proud of a Pittsburgh Steeler fan as I am,  you realize we don’t make excuses.  The Jags have one of the most experienced coaching staffs in all football and Im sure they realize this as well.

That brings us to opening day 2008.   We all know what happened in the first meeting. 

• 20 play drives
• 224 yards rushing
• Franchise record for opponents rushing yardage at Heinz field. 

The Steelers bring back 12 returning starters from their last playoff victory with 4 more on the roster including Marvel Smith,  Willie Parker,  Aaron Smith,  and Max Starks sitting due to injuries.  The Steelers have not lost in the wildcard round since 1993 and haven’t lost their first playoff game since 1992.  And before that,  it was 1982 for each and only the Patriots and Broncos have won playoff games in Pittsburgh in the last decade which is another reason I like our chances.  Jacksonville hasn’t fared so well.  They are a roster lacking in postseason experience and their last oppurtunity was a 28-3 drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots.  Theres a lot to be said about playoff experience,  and the Steelers have the clear advantage.  Im not even going to get into how tough it is to beat a playoff team twice on the road in December and January.  Jacksonville came to town and beat the Steelers up physically a few weeks ago.  But after the AFCDG of ’05,  I will refuse to ever count this team out in the clutch as underdogs again.  The Steelers are the original smashmouth team that Jack DelRio has modeled squad after and even though they beat us at our game once,  they wont win in the same manner they did in December.  The Steelers must come in with a new gameplan.

Enough babble for an intro,  lets talk football..

Jacksonville showed their hand and how they want to attack the Steelers.  They’ll continue to have the same arrogance that they can put  up 200 yards on the ground again.  Garrard was able to establish playaction to take his shots downfield.  They boast an unimpressive WR corps at best to go with the 2 headed RB attack that they live and die by.  The Steelers need to come out with attitude on defense.  From the first series,  they need to keep a constant DL rotation to ensure fresh legs in the 2^nd half against the patient Jaguar run game.  First and foremost,  the defense needs to be sure tacklers and maintain gap responsibility to combat all the designed cutback runs from Fred Taylor. On 1^st and 2^nd downs,  I show a ton of cover 2 looks bringing Troy up in the box on the snap dropping into cover 3.  This is susceptible to slants and skinny posts,  but if it comes down to Big Ben vs Garrard,  I like my chances.  The front 7 needs to play first down with attitude forcing their hands on 2^nd down.  In the first meeting,  RT Tony Pashos ate up Eason and Kirchke and it may be worth it to give Chris Hoke some time on 1^st down at LDE and I also leave Clark Haggans in the game on 1^st and 2^nd downs as he is a better run stopper and bring in Lamar Woodley on 3^rd downs and go to a 4 man line including Casey Hampton and and Brett Keisel over the guards to stop those irritating draw plays on 3^rd and 13.  This will also leave meat in the game for quick snaps on 4^th down.  With Troy already up,  he needs to shadow Garrard until the back releases that they love to dump to and take MJD out of the equation on 3^rd downs.  Garrard is a pure game manager that relies on a rushing attack for success.  The Steeler secondary play has gradually decreased as the season wore on but it’s a direct correlation to inconsistent FS play and  lack of a pass rush.  I still have nightmares of everyones all American Anthony Smith doing two 360 degree spins with the ball in the air while with Dennis Northcutt walking into the endzone down the sideline.  Ty Carter needs be more disciplined this time around than the FS play was last time.

On defense,  the Jags are still without Marcus Stroud and and Mike Peterson in the front 7 coupled with 3^rd team LT Trai Essex getting the nod.  I think FC nailed it when he said Essex struggles against speed rushers and the Jags have nothing that resembles that so Im not as worried about that matchup as some. Coupled with a sloppy frozen field,  everyones timing will be off. Jacksonville has 700 lbs of meat between the guards on defense with John Henderson and Grady Jackson.  They are nearly immovable,  but don’t get much penetration.  Instead of running to them,  I make them come to me by running sprint draws on first down and wear their legs out by making them run to the ball on stretch plays and off tackle plays in the first half.  Najeh Davenpot needs to run behind his pads and keep his shoulders square,  he struggles when he tries to get cute and lose leverage.  He needs to finish every run with emphasis and low pad level to trade paint with the Jacksonville LB’s. I believe the Steelers need to stay patient in the run game as to not prolong the game. In the first meeting,  CB Rashean mathis did a nice job shadowing Santonio Holmes,  but they do get exposed by slow front 7 play and there are holes in the zone.  Heath Miller is a mismatch for everyone on the depth chart down the seam and giving him some early looks in the slot could benefit the 2^nd half run game as he would be able to get pads on SS when in the box.  Ben needs to be Ben. Poise and accuracy are the name of his game.  Feel the rush and get out of the pocket when needed.  In 4 years I could probably count on one hand how many times he’s thrown the ball away to avoid a sack,  but he’ll need to use good judgement as to not get in a hole on 2^nd and 3^rd down.  To me,  the biggest intangible coming into this game is Bens postseason experience over Garrard.  He knows how to win in the clutch and doesn’t fold when the chips are down.

Here are I_C’s keys to the game:

1. Stop the run.   Sell out with 9 in the box if you have to. Force Garrard into 30 attempts or more
2.  The offense must finish first half drives to build a lead.  Putting pts on the board and pressure on their run game is a must.  Make Garrard come out of halftime having to throw the football. 
3.  Limit penalties on offense. And that means you Kendall Simmons.  Know the snap count and keep your hands inside. Do not let penalties kill drives
4.  Finally,  its time for Troy to earn his trip to Hawaii.  Without a stellar performance from #43,  Im not sure how successful the Steelers can be.  He needs to wreak havoc at the point of attack and be a force. 

Know the Enemy:  St Louis Rams

• When:  Thursday Dec. 20^th,  2007 8:15pm
• Where:  Edward Jones Dome,  St. Louis MO
• TV:  NFL Network ,  KDKA (local)
• Series:  Rams lead all time 17-6-2,  11-0-1 road,  Steelers won 5 of last 8
• Primetime:  Steelers are 3-4 on Thursday nights,  2-1 vs NFC in 2007

Has your mouth ever written a check your ass cant cash?  Anthony Smith has,  and the defense has cosigned for the 2^nd week in a row.  Once if by air (NE),  twice if by land (Jax).  One week after taking a 400 yd aerial beatdown to the hands of the Pats,  the Jags came in and put the proverbial exclamation point down by racking up well over 200 yds of offense on the ground and the Steelers surrendered the greatest single game rushing performance by an opponent an Heinz field by allowing Fred Taylor 147 yds and a score along with outgaining the Steelers in time of possession by nearly 15 minutes. Except for a 4 play possession at the end of the half,  Jax offense controlled the ball for nearly 15 minutes of clock time including a 20 play scoring drive.  The Steelers have failed to execute on each front again and now find themselves fighting for their playoff lives.  I’ll be the first to attest that there are no moral victories in football,  QB Ben Roethlisberger hit 7 different receivers and 3 TD’s en route to becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers all time franchise leader in TD passes with 29,  a mark set by Terry Bradshaw in 1978.  Fast Willie Parker recorded hid 8^th 100 yd game of the year and still continues lead the NFL in rushing yards. 

Week 16 puts us in primetime.  NFL Network !!!!  If the league schedulers knew in advance this would be a matchup of 2 teams that have surrendered a total of 87 sacks on the year,  it may have been a different matchup.  But since the game goes on,  We’ll make the trip to STL to face the beat up Rams led by Head Coach Scott Linehan.  The Rams have a very poor showing this year and were the 31^st team to notch its first win.  Don’t be fooled though,  this team is loaded at talent at the skill positions and have been hampered by injuries like no other.  Offensive lineman (LT Pace,  LG Setterstrom,  RG Icognito,  KR Dante Hall,  CB Tye Hill, LB Pisa Tinoisamosa,  DE Leonard Little) are amongst starters this team has had to put on IR.  QB Marc Bulger and RB Steven Jackson have both missed significant time due to injury as well but both will be healthy enough for this game.  The emotions of the Rams will run high in this game as the Isaac Bruce needs only 22 REC yds to surpass James Lofton for 3^rd all time and they will retire Marshall Faulks #28 Jersey at halftime.

The Offense:  led by OC Greg Olsen

The Rams have used 9 different starting OL combinations in ’07 with 3 starters on IR and have only surrendered one more sack than the Steelers on the year.  That’s pitiful and true testament of turnover to come.  The offensive weapons run deep though, led by WR’s Torry “Big Game” Holt and Isaac Bruce,  who are the career statistical leaders for WR duos of 9 or more years in the league surpassing Steeler greats Swanny and Stallworth.  While not the greatest show on turf anymore,  they can still get the ball down field in a hurry as QB Marc Bulger has a very nice rapport with his WR’s and TE Randy McMichael.  Bulger has hit the turf 44 times this season and each time seems to outdo the display of physical agony on tape made famous by Terry Bradshaw as he roll around the turf in pain.  RB Steven Jackson is just OK,  if you like 240 RB’s with 4.5 speed that is a threat to catch 10 balls out of the backfield and take each one to the house. 

I truly believe the Steeler defense could be in trouble if they fail to execute.  If STL is able to establish any sort of run game,  and with Steven Jackson that’s not hard,  the defense could be in for a long day.  Steelers have failed to apply much pressure this year recording 33 sacks (35 was the low in the Cowher tenure),  and if you take away the CLE and BLT games they have registered just 21 sacks in 12 games.  STL has a clear cut speed advantage with their playmakers and the Steeler back 7 and another perfect opportunity to exploit the lack of coverage at the safety position.  They failed to tackle well and maintain gap responsibility against the Jags,  and Jackson is the same kind of physical type cutback runner that can gash a defense.  One thing has to change,  its time to get back to fundamentals instilled on the first day of camp.  The time for being cute is over and execute.  The injury absence of Clark Haggans will propel Lamar Woodley into the lineup possibly ensuring Haggans has played his last game at Heinz field.  The question I need to pose to the Steeler coaching staff is,  where are all the 4 man fronts you promised early on in passing situations telling us it would counter sprint draws on 3^rd and 13.????

The defense:  led by DC Jim Haslett

Cover 2,  man under,  4 man front.  Not the stoutest of units,  but they show multiple looks and and blitz the interior. They like to bring a safety down in the box setting up cover 3 looks that Ben should be able to exploit with his eyes closed if given time. The same looks that put Heath Miller on the map early in the season.   LB Will Witherspoon leads the team in sacks with 7 with the absence of pass rushing specialist Leonard Little.  Safety OJ Atogwe leads the team with 7 INTs.  Rookie Adam Carricker has become a huge addition to this line helping stabilize the middle which caused me to pose the question Sunday in the absence of Aaron Smith,  how nice would Carricker look in B & G about now?   The Rams boast the “no named” sort of OL that has mauled the Steelers in the past shutting down the run game.  No turf excuses this week as FWP needs to get the wheels in motion on a fast track.  They’ve done a nice job getting Willie to the perimeter lately,  but on paper at least,  we should be able to run between the tackles and take back the T.O.P factor.  It hurts your QB a lot more when he’s pile driven to the earth 7 times on turf much more than it does on grass so the OL needs to play with emotion and continuity coupled with quick reads to get the ball out on time. 

The Rams have nothing to lose and would relish playing the spoiler role. 

Facts that don’t really mean anything

• Hines Ward is T 1^st in the NFL in Red Zone TD’s since 2002 
• This is first time ever the Pittsburgh Steelers have traveled to St Louis to play a Rams team.   They’ve only ever been to face the Cardinals.

Know the Enemy:  New England Patriots

The immovable object vs. the irresistible force

Series:  Steelers lead 13-9, last won in Foxborough in ’97. 

Injury report:  click here

Mike Tomlin Press conference:  click here

Patriots Conference call:  click here

 9-3…Raise your hand if you gave this team even half a chance to have this record in August.  But now we’re entering a stretch run for the playoffs with 2 tough games ahead and this team needs to show more consistency on offense if it plans to make a splash in postseason.  Coming off of two less than dominating wins,  now have a 3 game division lead (including tiebreaker) and control their own destiny.  It was an ugly win Sunday night over Cincy,  the Steelers tried their best to give the game away,  but Marvin Lewis and his gang tried even harder not to take it.  The defense continued its run toward excellence as I remember a 4^th QTR Carson Palmer statline that read 13/33 at one point.

Week 14 brings the elite.  The hated New England Patriots.  The Steelers are early week 14 pt dogs heading to Foxborough and need to play with a  chip on their shoulders.  We seem to be getting healthy at the right time as it looks like Troy Polamalu,  Santonio Holmes,  and Marvel Smith all have a chance to suit up and play.  Lets Hope.  New England is coming off of 2 grind it out last minute victories that have left their bodies and psyches bruised a little and hopefully it’s the right time to catch them.  Randy Moss was quoted in an interview this as saying his body is tired and he needs Coach Belicheck to go easy on them this week,  but knows it wont happen.  His response to being called out by Ron Jaworskie of taking plays off was as eloquent as Randy has ever been,  “Man,  I play when I want to play”.  End of story.  New England is only the 5^th team since the 1970 merger to start 12-0 and the current Steelers are not unaware of what it takes to end a long Patriot winning streak as they put an end to a 21 game streak in 2004.  There isn’t a man,  woman,  or child that resides in Steeler Nation that doesn’t dispuise everything that franchise stands for as QB Tom Brady proudly wears 2 superbowl rings we handed to him on a silver platter.  I wont harp on spygate,  as I don’t believe it effects this game in anyway as new systems on both sides of the ball have changed the teams dynamics.

The Offense:  led by OC Josh McDaniel

Single back,  shotgun formation straight out of page 1 of Mack Browns Football 101 at Texas.  So simplistic Vince Young could run it,  yet so complicated noone can figure it out how to stop it.  It reinforces the fact that the game isn’t all “X”’s and “O”’s,  its “Jimmies and Joes”.  They have phenomenal athletes on offense and an arsenal of weapons.  It all starts up front with OL play.  The have been a rock.  McDaniel has changed their philosophy to pinch their splits to combat interior pressure and roll protection playside.  Its leaves the backside tackle on an island but Brady’s awareness and quick release help combat that.  The 3 interior OL are credited with a grand total of one sack b/c of this with the tackles making up the bulk of the statline.  LT Matt Light has played well this year,  but has shown to be susceptible to speed and rip moves.  If you get in his head,  he gets out of his game and the penalties and sacks start to rack up.  Silverback is just the man to do it as he has an underhook and body lean to crash the outside shoulder as well as anyone in the game right now.  I fully expect NE to show some early 2 TE sets to see if they are able to run the ball against a 7 man front.  I hope big Casey ate his Wheaties this week as he’ll be forced to go no huddle for 60 minutes.  They wont be able to run the ball and once they figure that out it will be back to 4WR sets 2X2 or 3 ‘n 1 stacked with Randy Moss alone on one side.  Brady calls the plays at the line once they come in barking bogus signals to his wideouts then calling the protections once he identifies the Mike.  He’ll then communicate with his wideouts which direction he is going.  His eyes tell the story as he stares down his playside coverage before the snap.  We all know the weapons they throw at you with Welker running underneath and Stallworth YAC he racks up.  What scares the hell out of me is the back coming out of the backfield and the TE up the seam.  5 guys in a route and all can ball,  how do you stop it?  Heath Evans is the only real goal line threat in the run game and his best and only attribute is he’s got size and body lean and always falls forward.  If Mike Vrabel or Junior Seau catch a red zone TD someone needs fired.

Its cliché and we’ve heard it all year,  but pressure the QB and hit the WR’s.  They’re starting to feel it.  Rex Ryan uncharacteristically took a page out Mr. LeBeaus play book Monday night overloading pressure to one side as they roll protection and it seemed to work.  NE didn’t have that much of an answer..  BLT is usually of the mindset of just bringing the house,  but it worked.  Im not sure if it’s a blueprint or not,  as NE could just be a in a flat 2 game lull just like the Steelers were against NYJ and MIA.  The ILB’s are a huge key in this game as they’ll need to shut down the underneath stuff early and often.  Its proven to be key to double Moss and and play 9 on 10 with them.  I sort of like the matchup of Townsend on Welker in the slot as DeShea is at his best against smaller WR’s withing 10yds of the line of scrimmage and I fully expect McFadden can play the physical game it takes to contain Stallworth.  But never put it by Bill Belichick to start in some exotic formation to get the #1 pass D on its heels.  He knows you cant spread this team out like you could when Cowher wore the headset.  Take a note from ’04 and it will tell you every time Troy is in single high,  Brady’s going deep. 

The Defense:  Led by DC Dean Pees

Standard 34 base,  single gap cover 2.  Zone dog with outside technique on the perimeter and  SS dictating underneath coverage.  All that means is they try and play the same thing we do,  they’re just not as good at it.  They’ll go a lot of single high safety looks early until they build a lead keeping Rodney Harrison up in the run game to combat screens and TE digs while rushing the passer if unassigned.  The front 3 (Warren,  Wilfork,  Seymour,  and Jarvis Green)  are immovable on paper.  The strength of the unit.  This was to be Vince Wilforks coming out year and it started just that way.  But over the last 2 weeks I watched OC’s Mike Flynn and Jamaal Jackson toss him like a rag doll which almost leaves the slightest glimmer of hope Sean Mahan stands a chance, but don’t count on it.  The key matchup here is watching Richard Seymour teeing off on Kendall Simmons when Ben takes his drop,  and it wont be pretty.  Until recent,  I would’ve said  you cant move the interior of this line and run plays to interior will go nowhere,  but they’re off their game right now.  Only zone style stretch plays have seemed to work and that could’ve been the fact the newly acquired Adalius Thomas was manning the middle until an injury forced Rosey Colvin to IR.  The inside is now manned by the ageless wonders Tedy Bruschi,  Junior Seau,  and Chad Brown.  An exploited matchup waiting to happen due to lack of interior speed at LB.  It should really hamper their underneath coverages in that alignment and force them to more nickel looks than they’d like.  Neither Marvel nor Max Starks should have much problems with Adalius Thomas coming off the edge.  He was great in BLT coming from different angles,  but straight up he’s not that vicious.  The secondary is opportunistic.  They like to jump routes and are susceptible to double moves,  especially CB Asante Samuel,  who is a very good CB.  Opposite of him is the weak link,  Ellis Hobbs who’s turning in a season much like the one Ike Taylor had last year.   The secondary also lacks ideal speed but every single one of them has ideal ball skills and route recognition,  staples of a Belicheck defense. 

The Steelers need to set the tempo and execute. Get FWP in space and let the wideouts run off safeties to exploit Hines Ward and TE matchups underneath.  Ball control is must to keep Brady on the sideline.  Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth are both mismatches for the ILB’s and a hamstring may keep SS Rodney Harrison out of the game.  Harrison isn’t the player he once was,  but is the captain of that back 7 and just seems to know where the ball is going.  [cough]signal stealing[cough].  Just as he jumped the TE route to Jerame Tuman in the 2004 AFCCG when the entire staff told the rook,  Big Ben,  that he would do exactly that and to hit the post to Hines Ward over the top. Result,  pick 6.    Its time to unleash the playbook.  Get Willie matched up on LB’s in the passing game and wide on run plays.  We have 2 Xtra large TE’s brought in for the purpose of sealing LB’s on the edge and now its time to execute.  Limit the sacks,  limit the penalties and get a hat on a hat.  It’s the simple lack of fundamentals that gets this unit in trouble.  The pieces are there,  use them. 

Special Teams

Ellis Hobbs is the return man.  While not flashy,  he gains field position and is very good at it.  He lacks breakaway speed,  but took one to the house from the back of the end zone early on this season.  The offense has been so dynamic that the NE punter hasn’t even had enough attempts to be able to register amongst league leaders. 

One thing of note a bright spot for the Steelers,  was a ST’s turnover last week against Cincy.  Hard to believe,  but Carey Davis made a play and Andre Frazier had a couple of nice tackles on returns.

Know the Enemy:  New York Jets