Steelers GDT, Week 1: Steelers vs. Cheaters

[grunthy]

The steelers didn't lose because of the headsets, they lost because of their **** stain of a defense. But the arrogance of the Patriots is why everyone **** ing hates them. Bending the rules in plain sight, and disrupting communications in front of a national audience. They just cannot help themselves. They are a great team that doesn't need to cheat and be douchebags to win, yet they do it anyway.

[CBear3]

Was amused to watch Tom shake like two hands and then sprint to the locker room like his feet were on fire.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Now the Steelers TE coach is being investigated....for kicking a Masshole on the way to the locker room last night?

WTF was a fan doing near the visitor's locker room? During halftime? I get MAYBE at the end of the game...but come on now.

http://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/828212

[dodint]

Tight End coach is a thing. Cool.

[LITT]

The steelers didn't lose because of the headsets, they lost because of their **** stain of a defense. But the arrogance of the Patriots is why everyone **** ing hates them. Bending the rules in plain sight, and disrupting communications in front of a national audience. They just cannot help themselves. They are a great team that doesn't need to cheat and be douchebags to win, yet they do it anyway.

do people really think they lost because of the headsets?

[tifosi77]

Why did Boykin not play any defensive snaps last night? Has he been that terrible?

[slappybrown]

The Boykin thing is exceptionally strange.

Especially bc Boykin is one of the best guys in the slot in the NFL (part of his beef in Philly was he wanted to prove he could be a no. 1 And move outside) and Brady/Edelman were killing them on the short crossing routes out of the slot (like they always do to us and everyone else). Boykin is tailor made for that. Cortez Allen is not.

[slappybrown]

Many Eagles fans wondered why, with their outside cornerback duo of Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher getting toasted on an alarmingly regular basis, Chip Kelly didn't direct defensive coordinator Billy Davis to put Brandon Boykin out there as a "starter" more often. After all, when he was an outside corner in 2014, Boykin was more effective than either Williams or Fletcher—not that he had to clear a very high bar. But to ask the question is, perhaps, to misunderstand the definition of a starting cornerback in today's NFL. Boykin was a starter: He played 150 snaps outside and 374 snaps in the slot, allowing no touchdowns on all his targets. Williams and Fletcher allowed a combined 14 touchdowns. It could easily be argued that Boykin was the team's most valuable defensive back, which the Eagles seem to have confirmed by the fact that he's the only one of the three still on the team's roster.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/05/27/hidden ... ey-hayward

That's pre trade obv but boykin playing no snaps is incomprehensible.

[tifosi77]

The steelers didn't lose because of the headsets, they lost because of their **** stain of a defense. But the arrogance of the Patriots is why everyone **** ing hates them. Bending the rules in plain sight, and disrupting communications in front of a national audience. They just cannot help themselves. They are a great team that doesn't need to cheat and be douchebags to win, yet they do it anyway.

do people really think they lost because of the headsets?

Part of the problem was a complete lack of organization and cohesion on the defense in lining up coverage pre-snap; two of the big completions to Gronk he was completely uncovered..... not wide open, uncovered. Is it too much to suggest that the inability to communicate effectively (or at all, even) from the coach's box to the sidelines might have been a factor in this? Of course, it could have just been rank incompetence.

It's just staggering to me that the first frickin' game after all the offseason shenanigans and there's noise around the Patriots and cheating.

[slappybrown]

I know I am repeating myself, but on his debut, Keith Butler -- yikes. They looked clueless way too often, even in the second quarter and on when the headset issues were allegedly resolved. Ill-prepared all around, even allowing for the headset shenanigans. Add in the personnel choices and refusing to give Boykin a single snap when Brady was at 95% completion rate, and it was not a good sign for his being able to fill the DC shoes.

[Craig]

"The home team is responsible for the installation and maintenance of that equipment.

Ok so the patriots almost definitely did this. Another bizarre thing here. Why is either team given this responsibility? Maybe they should turn over drug testing to the teams too. That seems to follow tge same logic as the rest of what the NFL does.

[Dickie Dunn]

Boykin hasn't been with the organization long enough to understand the intricacies of the Steelers defense, yada yada yada. The clowns running the show are idiots. That's why Boykin didn't see any snaps. Butler looks like he hasn't had an original thought about football in two decades. The game has passed LeBeau by and it was time for a change, but a 59 year old first time coordinator isn't exactly going to bring something new to the table.

[Rocco]

Now the Steelers TE coach is being investigated....for kicking a Masshole on the way to the locker room last night?

WTF was a fan doing near the visitor's locker room? During halftime? I get MAYBE at the end of the game...but come on now.

http://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/828212

Saw an assistant coach was in trouble and I hoped it was Haley.

[Rocco]

I know I am repeating myself, but on his debut, Keith Butler -- yikes. They looked clueless way too often, even in the second quarter and on when the headset issues were allegedly resolved. Ill-prepared all around, even allowing for the headset shenanigans. Add in the personnel choices and refusing to give Boykin a single snap when Brady was at 95% completion rate, and it was not a good sign for his being able to fill the DC shoes.

In fairness to Butler, what does he have to work with? NT has been a problem since Casey Hampton's knees fell apart in 2011. In 2012 Ike Taylor started to show his age. In 2013 Ryan Clark passed his sell-by date. In 2014 Troy fell apart. The only CB/NT/Safety they've taken in the first 3 rounds since the 2012 draft is out for the year (and wasn't even the guy they wanted, if reports were true that they were all set to take a TE before the Ravens snagged the guy they wanted). They signed Mike Mitchell who has been a disaster. They brought back William Gay who is basically the one eyed man in the valley of the blind that is the Steelers secondary. That's it in terms of major investments into fixing problem areas. None of these issues crept up on the team. They've been present for years, but the team has spent high draft picks on linebackers, hummingbirds and extra wide receivers (did Archer even touch the ball once last night?).

None of this is to absolve Butler. There's no way you can just forget to cover Gronk multiple times. He should be the focal point. What we saw in the first game mirrors the general confusion we saw in preseason. There's no reason to expect anything to get better. But Colbert's built this unworkable machine on defense. They don't have the parts they need and seem unaware no matter how often results on the field remind them. It's even weirder when you look at the job they did fixing the offense over the years. You might think someone's job would be in danger, but Colbert got an extension to further confirm that Rooney is swimming in his Scrooge McDuck money pit and not paying attention. Maybe they'll scapegoat Carnell Lake at the end of the year.

[large garlic]

I'm oddly encouraged by the performance last night, but maybe it's just because I had really low expectations. I was thinking the score would be more 40-21 than 28-21. The Steelers have legitimate problems as far as personnel goes (especially in the secondary), but you can easily make the case that they would have won this game in spite of that if not for the missed field goals and Heyward-Bey having an appallingly bad sense of where he is on the field.

The o-line looked good despite missing Pouncey. Brown still got his catches despite being the focus of the Pats' D. Williams was a pleasant surprise. Miller seems like he still has a bit of gas left in the tank.

[slappybrown]

I know I am repeating myself, but on his debut, Keith Butler -- yikes. They looked clueless way too often, even in the second quarter and on when the headset issues were allegedly resolved. Ill-prepared all around, even allowing for the headset shenanigans. Add in the personnel choices and refusing to give Boykin a single snap when Brady was at 95% completion rate, and it was not a good sign for his being able to fill the DC shoes.

In fairness to Butler, what does he have to work with? NT has been a problem since Casey Hampton's knees fell apart in 2011. In 2012 Ike Taylor started to show his age. In 2013 Ryan Clark passed his sell-by date. In 2014 Troy fell apart. The only CB/NT/Safety they've taken in the first 3 rounds since the 2012 draft is out for the year (and wasn't even the guy they wanted, if reports were true that they were all set to take a TE before the Ravens snagged the guy they wanted). They signed Mike Mitchell who has been a disaster. They brought back William Gay who is basically the one eyed man in the valley of the blind that is the Steelers secondary. That's it in terms of major investments into fixing problem areas. None of these issues crept up on the team. They've been present for years, but the team has spent high draft picks on linebackers, hummingbirds and extra wide receivers (did Archer even touch the ball once last night?).

None of this is to absolve Butler. There's no way you can just forget to cover Gronk multiple times. He should be the focal point. What we saw in the first game mirrors the general confusion we saw in preseason. There's no reason to expect anything to get better. But Colbert's built this unworkable machine on defense. They don't have the parts they need and seem unaware no matter how often results on the field remind them. It's even weirder when you look at the job they did fixing the offense over the years. You might think someone's job would be in danger, but Colbert got an extension to further confirm that Rooney is swimming in his Scrooge McDuck money pit and not paying attention. Maybe they'll scapegoat Carnell Lake at the end of the year.

The line does have talent and high draft picks on it, however. I agree they've never filled the NT role, but with them moving to more multiple fronts, it lessens the importance (side note -- did McCullers dress/play?). The LB corps is filled with first rounders all around a former DPOY (albeit on his last legs).

I think the talent issues you identify with respect to the secondary are certainly fair. Its a disaster, and I loved the Boykin move as a relatively low cost (we cut 4th rounds, so what's the use of keeping a 5th round pick?). Apparently Tomlin/Butler did not, which makes little sense to me especially vs. the Pats, who have spent the past 15 years slicing and dicing this defense with the same shallow routes over and over and over again.

Butler got outmatched both times at the goal line; failed to play let alone start Boykin; and seemingly had them ill-prepared for the Pats primary offensive weapon in Gronk, to the point he was uncovered on two huge receptions. The communication was a farce, and I am still unsure how they wound up with only 28 points.

The talent isn't what we wanted it to be, but the notion that Butler can coach them up to cover over the creaky back end took a hit last night. Its only one game against the defending champs on the road, so I am hoping they get this straightened out come week 2. Its not like Butler forgot what he knew in one night, so I am hopeful they can turn it around from "we are a bad defense because we lack talent, are ill-prepared, make curious personnel decisions, and are at a decided schematic disadvantage (shout out to Charlie Weis)" to "we are a bad defense because we lack talent."

[doublewinder]

Yah I am waaay late but I just gotta say this whole cheating stuff is non-sense...EVERY **** TEAM bends the rules....in ALL sports...they open the gates at the Meadowlands to let wind in to make field goal kicking harder, they curve sticks, doctor balls, it's GAMESMENSHIP and is not a big deal.

It's not like in little league using ineligible players who are 18 instead of 13.
Moreover, Stillerz fans your dynasty in the 70s would clearly be tainted under your standards as it is WELL known those Stillerz defenders were on roids...the first prominent time in sports.

[tifosi77]

It sounds petty, but 1) PEDs weren't against the rules in the 70s, so it could not have been cheating; and 2) the Steelers were the first team to have an organizational approach to anabolic steroids, but there were individual players all around the League who had been using 'roids for years prior.

Every team cheats, I do agree; I'm a motor racing lifer, and the concept of not cheating simply doesn't exist, and the exercise is often who has the better cheat. But part of the compact in sports is that when you get caught, you don't act holier than thou.

Also, there is a big difference between cheating (breaking rules) and gamesmanship (skirting rules). Roger Penske calls this the 'unfair advantage', where you use the specific wording of the regulation to defeat its intent.