Minus Polamalu, Steelers defense still strong

There’s obvious concern in Pittsburgh right now — even after their 13-10 overtime victory Thursday night against the Titans.

The running game is still well below average in the Steel City, and this team constantly depends on QB Ben Roethlisberger to not only make plays to keep them in games, but to win them at the end.

But those areas can be corrected. The loss of Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu, however, is something that needs to be discussed. Because the defense is the main reason Roethlisberger is given a chance to make those plays. How many times did the Steelers’ D shut down Tennessee opportunities and give the ball back to the offense?

It’s the backbone of this franchise, and losing Polamalu will hurt — but not as much as we might believe.

In my mind, the Steelers are no different than the Ravens when it comes to defensive football. The schemes are similar in their pressure packages, and they both dictate the flow of the game to opposing offenses.

APDespite the injury to Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu, the Pittsburgh defense is strong enough to deal with the setback.

More importantly, those two defenses base their success on accountability and playing as one unit. We often wonder why the Steelers’ and Ravens’ defenses are routinely at the top of the rankings at season’s end, and yes, they both have great talent. But it’s the way all 11 players execute on ever play.

It isn’t often that you see blown coverage in Pittsburgh or Baltimore. They tackle well, they blitz well — which is a learned skill — and they’re always in position to make plays on the football.

But the bottom line is that each player takes care of his own responsibilities on each and every play. There isn’t room to be selfish, and there isn’t room to do something that’s detrimental to the success of the defense.

That’s why losing Polamalu — although tough from a leadership standpoint — should not sink this team from an execution standpoint.

Sure, they’ll miss his playmaking ability, and although Tyrone Carter will step into his role, we won’t see the one-handed interceptions or the creative pass rushing techniques in Pittsburgh’s zone blitz schemes. But we will see a player in Carter who executes his assignments — allowing his defense to make plays.

Yes, I know that Polamalu is the best safety in football right now, but this defense is too well-coached and has invested too much throughout the offseason to let an injury — even to a starting player — derail its success.

Defense will still win in Pittsburgh — even without Polamalu.

Follow me on Twitter: MattBowen41

Comments

Add a Comment