Steelers defense must be in a rush against Lions
PITTSBURGH – Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau thinks he has the perfect plan to slow Detroit’s potent offense.
It doesn’t involve shutting down All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson or slowing running back Reggie Bush, though both of those things would be nice.
LeBeau’s plan on slowing the Lions’ offense today, when the Steelers (3-6) host Detroit (6-3) at Heinz Field, is a little more simplistic.
“Get the quarterback on the ground before he can throw it,” said LeBeau. “That works pretty well against all passers.”
That could be easier said than done. The Steelers have only 16 sacks, though nine of those have come in their last three games. Detroit, meanwhile, has allowed quarterback Matthew Stafford to be sacked just 10 times in 373 pass attempts.
Add to that the Steelers will likely be without outside linebacker and sack leader LaMarr Woodley, who is doubtful to play with a calf injury, and getting Stafford on the ground could be difficult.
“He gets rid of the ball very quickly,” LeBeau said. “Actually, he takes some chances with the ball. Again, with that height advantage he has sprinkled all around the field, he trusts those guys. He will throw the ball, a lot of times, when he can’t see anything but the opposing rush. That’s why his sack numbers are down. He’s very good with rhythm passing. He gets the ball out.”
As LeBeau noted, it helps to have tall receivers. Johnson is 6-5. Kris Durham, the other starter, is 6-6. Tight ends Brandon Petrigrew and Joseph Fauria are 6-5, and 6-7, respectively.
In Detroit’s opinion, size obviously matters when it comes to receivers.
Ike Taylor will draw the task of defending Johnson, just as he did against many of the other top receivers in the NFL.
“He’s a great competitor,” said LeBeau. “I think he would be disappointed if we didn’t put him on (Johnson).”
On the other side, the Steelers are concerned with the disruptive nature of Detroit defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. The Lions have only 15 sacks, but Suh and Fairley have combined for seven of those.
Suh, in particular, has been one of the most fined players in the NFL over the past few seasons and Roethlisberger joked about trying not to upset him.
The Steelers also know they can’t fall behind or kick field goals at the end of drives and hope to keep up with the Lions.
“When we get down there, we need to keep staying aggressive and not get too conservative and bring in the extra lineman,” said Roethlisberger. “We have great weapons. We can still spread them out and run the ball. So we will take a look at what we can continue to do to get better down there.”
After their 0-4 start, the Steelers have won three of their last five, and it’s been just enough to stay relevant in the playoff race in the AFC, which enters the weekend with only six teams owning winning records.
The Steelers are two games behind AFC North leader Cincinnati (6-4) in the loss column, and two games behind the New York Jets (5-4) in the win column.
“We realize that the mistakes that we made early on in the season has put us in this hole, but they are just what they were, mistakes,” said wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who has four touchdown catches in the past two games. “We’ve worked to correct those mistakes and hopefully that translates into the wins that we need to be able to make it into the playoffs. The guys feel like we can do it. That’s the belief we have in this locker room.”
The Steelers have not lost to the Lions in Pittsburgh since 1955, going 8-0-1. … Steelers tight end Heath Miller needs 46 yards to become the sixth player in team history with 5,000 receiving yards. … In addition to Woodley, the Steelers could be without defensive end Brett Keisel (foot) and guard Ramon Foster (ankle). Both are questionable to play.