The Mike Tomlin Effect - MIN and PIT Defenses? (1 Viewer)

[DevilintheDetail]

Tomlin really reshaped the Vikings defense last season, bringing them to the #1 defense against the rush. Although they sustained some key injuries and had talent issues in the secondary, they outperformed expectations. This year, he takes the reigns in Pittsburg. Last season, the Steelers' D disappointed, in part due to the offense's inability to stay on the field. Although Porter departed, the rest appears to be intact.

My questions are this:

1) What effect will Tomlin's intense approach to practice and preparation have on the Steelers' defense? Will they be dominant against either the run or the pass?

2) What effect will the departure of Tomlin have on the Vikings' defense? Assuming Pat Williams is back, will they be just as stout against the run? Will their secondary and their ability to pressure the QB improve with the return of Erasmus James, etc.?

Your insight would be appreciated...

 

[Godsbrother]

The Steelers defense will have a few new wrinkles but **** LeBeau is still calling the shots. The Steelers will be tough against the run as always but last year they had trouble getting pressure, especially on 3rd down.

Their secondary is decent but not great -- getting pressure on the QB was the #1 priority in the offseason. The Steelers cut Porter who did lead the team in sacks but had 10 games where he had none at all. His backup, James Harrison, will take over as the starter. Harrison has looked very good in the past but was banged up for much of the season last year. The Steelers also drafted LBs Laurence Timmons and LaMarr Woodely to help out. So far Timmons has seen very limited action due to a groin injury but Woodley has been a terror so far in camp.

I think the Steelers defense has the potential to be very good in 2007 but it is going to depend on how much pressure they can generate.

 

[Jene Bramel]

1) What effect will Tomlin's intense approach to practice and preparation have on the Steelers' defense? Will they be dominant against either the run or the pass?

I'm not sure how much more intense Tomlin's approach will be than Cowher's. I think, among a number of minor ones, there are two major issues with the Steeler defense right now. Will the group of Haggans/Harrison/Timmons/Woodley be able to generate enough pass rush? Will the reclamation of Ike Taylor at CB be successful? I think the run defense stays solid if everyone remains healthy up the middle. The pass defense should be good if the corners play to capability. Dominant? Probably not. It'll certainly help if Ben Roethlisberger can consistently engineer long drives.

2) What effect will the departure of Tomlin have on the Vikings' defense? Assuming Pat Williams is back, will they be just as stout against the run? Will their secondary and their ability to pressure the QB improve with the return of Erasmus James, etc.?

Depends on how aggressive Leslie Frazier wants to be. He's got ties to Tony Dungy, who runs the most conservative Tampa-2 in the league, but has said he'll bring in some 46 concepts and be more aggressive in Minnesota. The front seven should be better with a healthy DE unit and Greenway. You've hit on the wildcards -- Erasmus James and Ray Edwards. On paper, they look like a very nice pair of rush ends with decent run support potential. If they translate that potential to the field, this defense is going to be much better against the pass this year.

 

[DevilintheDetail]

I'm not sure how much more intense Tomlin's approach will be than Cowher's.

There have been a few reports from camp so far that indicate that Tomlin's camp approach has been quite a bit more intense and demanding than Cowher's and that he has the players' focus and attention in a way that wasn't there last season at this time.