What is the identity of this team?

[Teddy2SuperBowlHeartBreaks]

Analytics. Math nerds have ruined sports

[SmokinwithWilly]

[PghPanther]

Ketchup (or is the Catsup) on Steak..................

[Shotgun]

[Jmac]

Two steps foward, then three steps back. 

[pantherj]

Poverty franchise. Non-existent defense, offense that plays well against terrible defense, and collapses against decent to good defense in most cases. Inconsistent QB who is way undersized. Good o-line. Overall roster talent level - low. Results: 3 - 12.

There is no quick way out of this mess. We need a #1 WR, and many positions on defense. The scheme is just not working and we need to get out of the 3-4 forever.

Outside of Horn the entire secondary should be upgraded over time. Our safeties are not good at passing off coverage because they're just not that bright, so the deep pass is a real problem. We need a #2CB so we don't get eaten alive by the star WRs of the NFL who move to the opposite side of Horn. We can't let them go off on our trash DBs.

Up front on defense we're in nightmare territory. Outside of Clowney we don't have linemen who can catch any QB in the NFL even if the QB is running at half speed. Even the slowest QB in the NFL running at half speed would have no trouble avoiding our d-line. And what we lack in speed what don't make up for in strength, and to complicate the problem we're playing 3-4. And when we rush 4 nothing happens. Nothing.

Get out of the 3-4. No more. 3-4 only works if you have a monster ogre NT and two werewolves on either side, and athletic OLBs who can fly to the QB. We don't have that and we can't acquire all of that. Go to 4-3. We have Brown at DT, draft another pass rushing DT, and draft a DE to pair with Clowney. Now you have a decent front 4 that can pressure the QB and hold up against the run. What we have now is slow fat blobs and Clowney. Also Brown would be better served playing a DT in a 4-3 than NT or DE in a 3-4 imo. Brown and Clowney are best suited for DT and DE in a 4-3 imo.

 

 

[SCO96]

27 minutes ago, pantherj said:

Get out of the 3-4. No more. 3-4 only works if you have a monster ogre NT and two werewolves on either side, and athletic OLBs who can fly to the QB. We don't have that and we can't acquire all of that. Go to 4-3. We have Brown at DT, draft another pass rushing DT, and draft a DE to pair with Clowney. Now you have a decent front 4 that can pressure the QB and hold up against the run. What we have now is slow fat blobs and Clowney. Also Brown would be better served playing a DT in a 4-3 than NT or DE in a 3-4 imo. Brown and Clowney are best suited for DT and DE in a 4-3 imo.

 

You and I must be kindred spirits. 

I just brought this up in reply to a question on a different thread around the same time you posted your reply. I'll paste my post below.

"Mason and (a healthy) Brown would gives us a formidable interior defensive presence, but we'd need to find some 4-3 ends that could get to the passer and set the edge on running plays. If we went 3-4 we'd have to find some OLB/DE hybrids that could get upfield on passing plays...but also drop into coverage at times. Mason and Brown could work at DE in that scheme, but we'd still need to find a monster to man the point at NT. This is "arguably" the biggest question facing the defensive side of the ball this year."

Here's the sad fact, we don't have the talent to play either scheme right now.

 

Edited 6 hours ago by SCO96

[pantherj]

2 hours ago, SCO96 said:

You and I must be kindred spirits. 

I just brought this up in reply to a question on a different thread around the same time you posted your reply. I'll paste my post below.

"Mason and (a healthy) Brown would gives us a formidable interior defensive presence, but we'd need to find some 4-3 ends that could get to the passer and set the edge on running plays. If we went 3-4 we'd have to find some OLB/DE hybrids that could get upfield on passing plays...but also drop into coverage at times. Mason and Brown could work at DE in that scheme, but we'd still need to find a monster to man the point at NT. This is "arguably" the biggest question facing the defensive side of the ball this year."

Here's the sad fact, we don't have the talent to play either scheme right now.

 

Yeah we both have the same idea. It would be much easier to switch to a 4-3 with the parts and pieces we have now. We don't have a top quality NT and those guys are not easy to find at all. My all time favorite NT for a 3-4 is Vince Wilfork, but good luck finding a guy who can play anywhere near that level. We just need too much to play this 3-4. The 4-3 we can build in this draft and FA and be ready for 2025. If we stay with the 3-4 we're in a hunt for a big dominant NT, and then we have Brown playing DE. I don't want thatand that's not even talking about the OLB needs. Switch to 4-3. 

[SCO96]

5 minutes ago, pantherj said:

Yeah we both have the same idea. It would be much easier to switch to a 4-3 with the parts and pieces we have now. We don't have a top quality NT and those guys are not easy to find at all. My all time favorite NT for a 3-4 is Vince Wilfork, but good luck finding a guy who can play anywhere near that level. We just need too much to play this 3-4. The 4-3 we can build in this draft and FA and be ready for 2025. If we stay with the 3-4 we're in a hunt for a big dominant NT, and then we have Brown playing DE. I don't want that and that's not even talking about the OLB needs. Switch to 4-3. 

We switched to the 3-4 at the start of the 2019 season. I remember reading an article on the web...possibly even from this site...stating that this was what Tepper wanted and Rivera obliged him. We've hired 3 head coaches since then and none of them has even hinted at moving back to a 4-3. I can't help but think that our owner still wants to run a 3-4, but I could be wrong. I wish someone could bring this up at a postseason conference and gauge the attitude to such a question/suggestion.

[pantherj]

20 minutes ago, SCO96 said:

We switched to the 3-4 at the start of the 2019 season. I remember reading an article on the web...possibly even from this site...stating that this was what Tepper wanted and Rivera obliged him. We've hired 3 head coaches since then and none of them has even hinted at moving back to a 4-3. I can't help but think that our owner still wants to run a 3-4, but I could be wrong. I wish someone could bring this up at a postseason conference and gauge the attitude to such a question/suggestion.

I hope to god our drink tossing owner isn't making those kinds of decisions, but who knows what he's up to behind the scenes. I know Tepper was ripping into Frank Reich like a certain former leader of the 3rd Reich after every game. Tepper is involved to some degree.

[Candler Cat]

To answer the OP