Many people have been commenting on the apparent softening of the Steelers' run defense, since the unit has dropped from first to eighth this season. These same "experts" claim that this is going to be a problem on Sunday, since the Broncos have the number one rated running attack in the NFL. What no one seems to be talking enough about, however, is that the Steelers are the number one rated pass defense in the NFL. Granted, many on this site have talked about this, often giving credit to Carnell Lake for the improvement. Although I agree that Mr. Lake has done an excellent job with our young corners especially, isn't the shift also largely due to Coach LeBeau's schemes this year? As we keep hearing, this is the year of the quarterback, the year of pass happy teams with quarterbacks over 4,000 and even 5,000 yards. It is more important to be strong against the pass this year, so that is how Coach Dad is planning. Could the Steelers be the number one defense against the run right now? Honestly, I think they could be, but this year, especially, defenses must stop the pass first. That is what the Steelers have done. On Sunday, we face one of the few teams that simply cannot pass the football effectively, so I think Coach Lebeau will go back to his staple run blitz, gap responsibility defense that stifles opponents in the running game. The Steelers have not softened against the run. They have simply changed with the times in order to combat the current trends in offensive football. Look at the Patriots game if you aren't convinced. The Steelers were one of the only teams this year to slow down Tom Brady. Personally, I hope they have the chance to do it again.