Pittsburgh Steelers Secondary Deserves Credit in 6-2 Start
By Matt Shetler
Before Sunday’s win against New England, it was hard to take the Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2 start to the season that seriously. The combined record of the teams they beat is currently 9-28.
So while the black and gold seemed to turn things around after the loss to the Houston Texans, it was a little bit foolish to make a serious judgement on this team until they lined up against a good team and beat them.
They did that on Sunday and finally deserve the praise for doing so.
So while we throw praise to the like of Ben Roethlisberger (who was the best player on the field Sunday) and Dick LeBeau’s defense, let’s single out one unit that won this game for the Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers secondary.
That’s right, those guys in the defensive backfield who are so easy to criticize when things are going bad, too often go overlooked when things are going good.
They’ve had an outstanding season and made a statement on Sunday.
While everyone is quick to praise LeBeau (and he deserves a great deal of credit), remember that Tom Brady has been his kryptonite. He’s had LeBeau’s scheme figured out in the past and has exploited the weak Steelers’ secondary.
Brady gets in a rhythm that’s based on getting rid of the ball quick and the Steelers pass rush is usually worthless against him. Before Sunday, he hasn’t been sacked in his past three games against the Steelers.
But with the way the secondary excelled on Sunday, Brady didn’t have receivers running wide open. Even when he had time to hold onto the ball, he still didn’t have many options to throw to. By days end, the Steelers pass rush sacked Brady three times and pressure him a ton.
When’s the last time you could use the words coverage sack when talking about the Steelers defense?
Want further proof? They held Wes Welker to a mere six catches for 39-yards. Coming into the game, Welker seriously belonged in the MVP talks with 51 receptions for about 800 yards and six touchdowns. They took a guy who’s challenging the NFL record book and took him out of the game.
What’s the difference from pretty much the same secondary that Aaron Rodgers torched in the Super Bowl?
For one, the weak link of the unit Bryant McFadden isn’t out there getting torched. Instead a once paper-thin unit is getting fantastic play from corners Ike Taylor and Keenen Lewis. You could make a case for Lewis as the unsung hero of the team. He’s been that good.
Even the play of William Gay has improved and those are words I never thought I would say.
Of course a healthy Troy Polamalu makes a world of difference as well.
Add all of that up and the Steelers quietly rank 4th in the NFL against the pass. Judging by the past few season’s, and with the same personnel, who would have thought that would have been possible.
As for the win against the Patriots, it’s huge. But don’t put too much stock into a Week 8 win. You want to win the one against them in January. That’s the one that counts.
But for now, give the guys in the defensive backfield a ton of credit. They’ve earned it.
For more Steelers coverage, tune into Three Rivers….One Show, featuring myself and Matt Gajtka, Wednesday night at 6pm ET.
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