This Defense

by 5020 on Dec 17, 2008 7:24 PM EST Comment 8 comments

This Defense is real good. "Playoff Caliber" I was fond of saying and writing. "Championship Caliber" says Blitzburgh. Now he has me singing his tune. The coming weeks will speak volumes on what is the truth and what is dreams, but damn this Defense is good.

The Steel Curtain will forever be the greatest Defense my eyes ever saw. For what seemed like my entire youth (6 years to be exact) legends called Mean Joe, Jack Splat, Hollywood Bags, Fats, Dobre Shunka, Pine, The Headhunter and Mad Dog decimated opposition offenses with ferociousness, showing no mercy. In 1976 the Defense posted 5 shutouts and 2 games of only 3 points each over the last 9 games to turn 1-4 into 10-4 and a playoff berth.4 Super Bowl titles intertwined within 1976.

The 90's gave birth to LeBeau's brain child. A Defense that gave me that warm safe feeling of sure victory that came with youth in the 90's. Blitzburgh (the defense) featured big play machines Woodson, Lake, Lloyd and Kevin Greene along with boulders like Kirkland, Seals and Steed. Neil O'Donnell cheated them out of their rightful place in Steeler history as the bringers of "one for the thumb" by only putting up 13 points in the 94 AFCCG and then tossing millions to Dallas DB Larry Brown in XXX.

A great article on the Steelers 2008 edition of Blitzburgh at ESPN Page 2 by David Fleming. I enclosed the link below. Get ready for the goose bumps. Get ready for some history? Here We Go!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fleming/081217&sportCat=nfl

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HA HA

James Harrison: “I don’t smile.”

Gotta love having a guy like that on your side.

by Hines Ward on Dec 18, 2008 2:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I bet he smiles

If he’s under that silver football February 1 in Tampa.

"The team that scores the most points wins."
John Madden
(Master of the obvious)

by PixburghArn on Dec 18, 2008 8:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I want to see Smith’s Magnum when it’s ready.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Dec 18, 2008 9:07 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

As much as I loved those 70s defenses, especially in the middle of the decade...

This defense this year is actually more consistent. Alot depends on what happens for the rest of the season, of course, but this defense has the potential to rise above the 70s, and that feels sacriligious to even write this. However, I think we just tied the most consecutive games of allowing less than 300 yards in 14 straight games; a record since the 1970 merger. That is consistency to the highest degree.

Thoughtful discussion with a sense of history

by maryrose on Dec 18, 2008 9:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

AND

This is in a day and age where there’s TONS more offense than back then. It really is an amazing achievement, perhaps never to be matched again.

by Blitzburgh on Dec 18, 2008 5:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This defense ...

and special teams have both had to operate with minimal margin for error. One failure and the games would have been lost. They have more than held up their end. I see our offense receiving the benefit of other teams’ defensive failures as opposed to offensively beating the other team.

by tenthmtnman on Dec 18, 2008 11:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs