12-13-2019, 06:58 AM
The Pittsburgh Steelers approach the 2019 NFL Draft wondering the answer to this age-old debate."All 32 NFL teams are preparing for the 2019 NFL Draft this Thursday in Nashville James Conner Jersey , Tennessee. Team needs are debated, big boards are evaluated and the selection process begins with fans and executives alike waiting to see the next name which will fly off the board.For the Pittsburgh Steelers the desire of many fans is to secure the team’s secondary. Finding a group of defensive backs who can blanket the opposition has long been a want of the black-and-gold fan base dating back to Bill Cowher’s days in the Steel City. When you think about it, when was the last time the Steelers deployed a formidable secondary? When Rod Woodson and Carnell Lake were on the roster? Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott? Ha. No. Ike Taylor and Deshae Townsend? Maybe, but no.Artie Burns and Coty Sensabaugh? Again. No. I think most would agree Joe Haden, although advancing in age, would fall under the category of a sufficient cornerback. But will newly acquired Steven Nelson be the ying to Haden’s yang? Will he complete the picture? Or will the team need to continue to identify the secondary as a weakness?The draft can solve a lot, but it doesn’t always answer those philosophical debates in the football realm.For instance, what benefits a defense more? A dominant pass rush, or a blanketing secondary?I brought this up on our latest Steelers Preview podcast (you can listen to it HERE), and it truly is a chicken vs. egg debate. You know, the “Which came first? The chicken or the egg?”In other words, everyone will take one side or the other, but it doesn’t make one side of the debate right or wrong. All I know is the Steelers have either led the NFL in sacks or come in second the past two seasons, and has the defense been complete? Has the defense been as dominant as fans hope it could be?I know for a fact the solution to getting the defense back to form is not just adding a cornerback, or safety for that matter, but to have a more complete group. Think back to those early 2000s defenses. Did they have dominant cornerbacks? No. Ike Taylor was great https://www.thesteelerslockerroom.com/au...nds-jersey , but wasn’t considered elite. Opposite him were players like Deshea Townsend, Bryant McFadden and William Gay. Was the pass rush considered the best in the league? James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley certainly did some damage, but the defense was dominant in the most important areas. Areas like red-zone defense, run defense and forcing teams to play their game, not the other way around. Fans will debate the pass rush vs. secondary argument for years to come, but as the 2019 NFL Draft approaches, I can’t help but wonder what this defense needs to really make it complete. As you noticed in this article I have gone back and forth only to find myself standing atop the fence refusing to take a side. What say you? What is more needed/beneficial for the 2019 Steelers defense? Pass rush or secondary? Let us know in the poll below, and be sure to explain yourself in the comment section! Bracketing the best teams in the past 50 years of Pittsburgh Steelers history never to win a title. Who do you consider the "Best of the Rest" between the 2001 Steelers and the 1976 version?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsSteelers Film Room2018 NFL Draft AnalysisLatest NewsLatest NewsFeatures and Long FormRound 2 of Pittsburgh Steelers March Madness: The Best of the Rest featuring No. 2 seed 2001 vs. No. 8 seed 1976New,5commentsBracketing the best teams in the past 50 years of Pittsburgh Steelers history never to win a title. Who do you consider the “Best of the Rest” between the 2001 Steelers and the 1976 version?EDTShareTweetShareShareRound 2 of Pittsburgh Steelers March Madness: The Best of the Rest featuring No. 2 seed 2001 vs. No. 8 seed 1976BTSC continues to search for the best and most-memorable Steeler team to not win a title. Last time around, you voted a 15-1 team featuring a star rookie QB that fell short of the Super Bowl over a team that came close to a huge update over Dallas in SB XXX. Here are the final tallies.No. 1 - 2004: The 15-1 Ben-ginning of a new era - 63%No. 10- 1995: More than one Big Nasty D - 37%Here is the remaining schedule for Round Two:No. 2 Seed: 2001 (13-3) vs No. 8 Seed: 1976 (10-4)No. 3 Seed: 2017 (13-3) vs No. 6 Seed: 1994 (12-4) No. 4 Seed: 1972 (11-3) vs No. 5 Seed: 2010 (12-4)Once again, you may not agree with the seedings...but they were done by record in the regular season and then postseason success. This time around we pit a 13-3 AFCCG team against a team that may have three-peated if not for injury. Be sure to vote for the team that remains the most memorable to you or the one you feel is simply the “best of the rest”. Your choice. Be sure to wax poetically in the comment section below. No. 2 Seed: 2001 (13-3) Inaugural Heinz Field Heroes After three-straight years out of the playoffs, the Steelers christened the newly-opened, Heinz Field with their best record in 13 seasons. The season started out rocky with a 21-3 loss in Jacksonville. After two weeks off due to 9/11 and a scheduled bye, Kordell Stewart and Jerome Bettis led the way to wins in 13 of the next 15 regular-season games. Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress each went over 1,000 receiving yards. The signature win came in Week 14 at Baltimore. After beating the Ravens in the Divisional Playoffs at home, the Steelers fell to the Patriots at home in the AFCCG 21-17Pro Bowlers: Kendrell Bell Womens Terrell Edmunds Jersey , Jerome Bettis, Alan Faneca, Jason Gildon, Kordell Stewart, Hines WardFirst-Team All Pros: Alan Faneca, Jason GildonSecond-Team All Pros: Kendrell Bell, Jeff HartingsTeam MVP: Kendrell BellNo. 8 Seed: 1976 (10-4) After winning their first two titles the previous two seasons, it seemed likely that the Steelers could three-peat as an even stronger unit. However, Chuck Noll’s team shockingly started off as a disappointing 1-4. To make matters worse, QB Terry Bradshaw was injured in a Week 5 loss in Cleveland. Bradshaw sustained the injury after the infamous Joe “Turkey” Jones slamdown. Fortunes would turn with Mike Kruczek behind center, as the rookie set a NFL record (later broken by Ben Roethlisberger in 2004) for wins to start a career. Bradshaw would return intermittently throughout the remainder of the season, but most of the Steelers success was due to a suffocating defense (five shutouts and a mere 28 points surrendered in those final nine games) and the rushing tandem of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. Harris (1,128 yards/14 TDs and Bleier (1,026 yards/5 TDs) were basically the entire offense, as the leading receiver (Lynn Swann) had a mere 516 yards and three scores. On a defense that included five All Pros, Mel Blount and Glen Edwards led with six interceptions a piece and Jack Lambert had two picks and six fumble recoveries. In the playoffs Terrell Edmunds Jersey White , the Steelers pounded Baltimore 40-14. Bradshaw threw three TD passes, two of them to Swann and Reggie Harrison had two rushing scores. Harrison was in due to injuries in the game to Harris and Bleier. Unfortunately, No. 46 and the Steelers weren’t as productive without the pair of 1K rushers the next week in the AFC Championship against Oakland. The Raiders went on to play Minnesota in SB XI, while Steeler Nation saw one of their best teams in franchise history wonder what might have been.Pro Bowlers: Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Glen Edwards, Joe Greene, L. C. Greenwood, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Andy Russell, Lynn Swann and Mike WagnerFirst-Team All Pros: Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Glen EdwardsSecond-Team All Pros: Joe Greene and Mike WagnerTeam MVP: Jack LambertNo. 1 Draft Pick: Bennie CunninghamWhile the 2001 team had a 13-3 season, Kordell and Co. may not evoke memories of one of the greatest defenses of all time. Vote and comment below.