Steelers/Vikings D vs Cowboys Defense - Whats the difference?

[yimyammer]

Can all you x & o guys explain the difference between Dallas's defense vs Pittsburgh's and Minnesotas?

I was watching the Minnesota v Pittsburgh game and it just seemed like these defenses were so much more aggressive than Dallas's. They both seem to be attacking the offenses and putting constant pressure whereas, in my naive eyes, it seems like Dallas is reacting to the offense and I don't get the same sense of aggression/pressure from our guys.

Did anyone see the Steelers v Vikings game? If so, am I crazy, can anyone see a difference in our defense versus Minn/Pitts?

I'm not criticising our D, I'm merely trying to understand if my eyes are decieving me and if the type of defense/philosophy might be the explanation for why the defenses seem different to me.

Or maybe I'm just seeing things and there is really no difference?

thoughts?

 

[ScipioCowboy]

Can all you x & o guys explain the difference between Dallas's defense vs Pittsburgh's and Minnesotas?

I was watching the Minnesota v Pittsburgh game and it just seemed like these defenses were so much more aggressive than Dallas's. They both seem to be attacking the offenses and putting constant pressure whereas, in my naive eyes, it seems like Dallas is reacting to the offense and I don't get the same sense of aggression/pressure from our guys.

Did anyone see the Steelers v Vikings game? If so, am I crazy, can anyone see a difference in our defense versus Minn/Pitts?

I'm not criticising our D, I'm merely trying to understand if my eyes are decieving me and if the type of defense/philosophy might be the explanation for why the defenses seem different to me.

Or maybe I'm just seeing things and there is really no difference?

thoughts?

The real different is thus:

The Vikings' offense is terrible, and Ben Roethlisberger had a poor game.

Two weeks ago, Seattle's starters eviscerated Minnesota's defense.

 

[Brandon]

The Steelers are a very aggressive defense. They run stunts and blitzes more than anyone in the NFL.

They have about 20x more movement in their 3-4 than the Cowboys have and that is all thanks to Polamalu, arguably the best safety in the NFL. Polamalu has the ability to fake a blitz by standing on the line of scrimmage and being able to back pedal and get into a zone or cover a slot receiver.

They also have Dick LeBeau, who is a godfather of the 3-4.

 

[Rampage]

don't know much about the vikes but the steelers have better coaching on defense imo.

 

[Hostile]

Can all you x & o guys explain the difference between Dallas's defense vs Pittsburgh's and Minnesotas?

I was watching the Minnesota v Pittsburgh game and it just seemed like these defenses were so much more aggressive than Dallas's. They both seem to be attacking the offenses and putting constant pressure whereas, in my naive eyes, it seems like Dallas is reacting to the offense and I don't get the same sense of aggression/pressure from our guys.

Did anyone see the Steelers v Vikings game? If so, am I crazy, can anyone see a difference in our defense versus Minn/Pitts?

I'm not criticising our D, I'm merely trying to understand if my eyes are decieving me and if the type of defense/philosophy might be the explanation for why the defenses seem different to me.

Or maybe I'm just seeing things and there is really no difference?

thoughts?

There are always differences between defenses even when they run the same schemes.

The difference in Minnesota is obvious as they are primarily a 4-3 scheme designed to get pressure from the DEs.

A 3-4 is designed to get pressure from the OLBs who are usually smaller and faster than 4-3 DEs.

Our scheme is different from Pittsburgh's 3-4 mainly in that we pursue the football from the edges while trying to collapse the middle.

Pittsburgh pursues mostly up the middle while trying to contain on the edges. This is mostly because of their great NT, Casey Hampton.

They play more physical at the corners while we play more to angles and zones looking to create mistakes.

 

[Dayton Cowboy]

The Steelers are a very aggressive defense. They run stunts and blitzes more than anyone in the NFL.

They have about 20x more movement in their 3-4 than the Cowboys have and that is all thanks to Polamalu, arguably the best safety in the NFL. Polamalu has the ability to fake a blitz by standing on the line of scrimmage and being able to back pedal and get into a zone or cover a slot receiver.

They also have Dick LeBeau, who is a godfather of the 3-4.

I hadn't seen any of the previous games for the steelers, I did hear in the broadcast that #43 hasn't played at all in the preseason thanks to a bad hammie.

LeBeau isn't bad for a 70 year old guy. Good D coordinator, not so great as the HC. Seems I have heard that story before.

 

[Brandon]

I'd like to add that Pittsburgh doesn't ask their defensive line to pressure the quarterback. Their defensive lines main goal is to collapse the pocket.

They ask their safeties, corners, and linebackers to pressure.

While us on the hand, want guys like Tank, Canty and Spears to get sacks, while collapsing the pocket, which is near to impossible to do consistently.

 

[I LOVE ME SOME ME!]

The Steelers are a very aggressive defense. They run stunts and blitzes more than anyone in the NFL.

They have about 20x more movement in their 3-4 than the Cowboys have and that is all thanks to Polamalu, arguably the best safety in the NFL. Polamalu has the ability to fake a blitz by standing on the line of scrimmage and being able to back pedal and get into a zone or cover a slot receiver.

They also have Dick LeBeau, who is a godfather of the 3-4.

That was a joke right?

 

[Hostile]

That was a joke right?

I cracked up when I saw that.

 

[Rampage]

That was a joke right?

the whole polamalu part was but you can't deny the movement they have pre-snap is crazy compared to the little we have. though we saw some glimpses of it last yeat at NY and i think against GB

 

[yimyammer]

Did any of you guys see that game? Didn't the pace and tempo seem much more intense than our D?

Or was that just a function of two bad offenses?

or am I seeing things?

 

[I LOVE ME SOME ME!]

the whole polamalu part was but you can't deny the movement they have pre-snap is crazy compared to the little we have. though we saw some glimpses of it last yeat at NY and i think against GB

I do wish Dallas ran a 3-4 like Pitt but I think it has more to do with the coach than Troy P.

 

[Rampage]

I do wish Dallas ran a 3-4 like Pitt but I think it has more to do with the coach than Troy P.

me too i agree. but sometimes they just let Troy roam back there and follow the ball. I hope Wade let's Roy just roam from time to time and make some plays.

 

[Hostile]

Did any of you guys see that game? Didn't the pace and tempo seem much more intense than our D?

Or was that just a function of two bad offenses?

or am I seeing things?

I did watch the game. The pace of our team is generated by the Offense. The pace of both of those teams is generated by the Defense. When you look at them versus us it will look a lot different, but when you look at the end results it is not all that different in production most times. What we are going to ask of our Defense is different than what those teams will ask of theirs.

 

[WoodysGirl]

The difference is that as a fan of the Cowboys, you're more critical than you would be a fan of another team.

 

[Brandon]

Polamalu is one of the best safeties in the NFL, I don't see how that is so funny. You just have to look at his stats when he is healthy, there isn't many safeties that are better.

 

[yimyammer]

The difference is that as a fan of the Cowboys, you're more critical than you would be a fan of another team.

Man, you got that right, I hate that. I miss the days when I was blissfully ignorant. I don't ever remember having these thoughts towards the super bowl teams of the 90's. I think the internet and all these forums gives us (me) analysis paralysis.

But I have to say (and it may be selective memory) the defense of the 90's Super Bowl teams seemed to be a lot more aggressive and could change a game around and I don't see that a lot in our D, but hopefully it's coming.

 

[yimyammer]

I did watch the game. The pace of our team is generated by the Offense. The pace of both of those teams is generated by the Defense. When you look at them versus us it will look a lot different, but when you look at the end results it is not all that different in production most times. What we are going to ask of our Defense is different than what those teams will ask of theirs.

I wasn't talking about the pace and tempo of the team, I was specifically talking about our defense. Why does the offense get to dictate the pace/tempo of the defense?

I think they should work in concert with one another.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Lebeau is the godfather of the 34? Wrong. Wade's dad was the first to ever run it in the NFL.

Our 34 is actually a lot like Pittsburgh's. Parcells' was different... It was a stack two-gap 34 where you stonewall the man in front of you with little stunting. Wade's is a one-gap with plenty of stunts and a lot more variety.

Pitt and Minny are two good defenses. But for such a non-aggressive and non-attacking defense, we managed far more sacks than either of them.

 

[Hostile]

The difference is that as a fan of the Cowboys, you're more critical than you would be a fan of another team.

There is a whole lot of truth in this. I don't think that is a bad thing, but it does go overboard now and then.