Steelers' 'D' Is 'One' of the Best

WhiteShoeWillis · Nov 16, 2007

11/14 — Laveranues Coles was back to his old self in the locker room today. The concussion that sidelined him for the Washington game seems to have fully lifted — indeed, one game after Coles missed his first game since 2001, he wasn't listed on today's Jets' injury report.

"I’m good. I’m practicing and happy to be back out there with the guys," LC said. "You never know how important something is until you face certain situations in your life. I realized how much I love the game of football and I’m ready to get back out there and start playing."

But that first postconcussion and post-bye-week opponent is a doozy. The Pittsburgh Steelers, after their comeback win over Cleveland on Sunday, have risen to No. 1 in the NFL in the "big four" team statistical categories: total, rushing and passing yards allowed and points allowed. You could say the Steelers' "D" is "the one."

"I tell you what, I have seen a lot of good defenses," Coles said expansively, "but that one is not one to look forward to. From the down linemen to the secondary, they are a very physical group that plays hard and rallies to the football, very good when the ball is in the air and very good against the run. You can go on and on about how good they are. We got a game, I’ll tell you that. When you approach a game like this, you kind of sit back, scratch your head and tell your coordinator, 'Good luck.' "

Later, there was more when he was asked what word he'd use to describe the Steelers. "Mmmm ... I don't know what word I'd use. I could say relentless, tough, physical, determined. It's crazy the way they fly around. You watch them on tape and say, 'Did they really do that?' It's a tough task."

Knowing Coles the way we do, he might be trying to kill Pittsburgh with kindness, but there's no denying what the Steelers have done 11 weeks into this season. Just their rankings say it all: Since 2002 (as far back as I can go with my weekly rankings), no other team has been No. 1 in all four defensive categories in the same week. The closest any team got to such a Fantastic Four was the 2003 Cowboys, who were first overall, vs. the pass and in points and second against the run.

And if DC Dick LeBeau's unit were to finish 1-1-1-1 after Week 17, "the Stillers" would truly be one for the ages — no NFL defense has finished first in all four categories since the 1970 merger. Here is the short list of the nine "D's" that went 3-for-4 in the previous 37 seasons, with their "Achilles' heel" ranking in bold:
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Code:
  Season Team 	       Overall 	 Rush 	 Pass 	Points
  1970 	Minnesota 	1st 	[B]5th[/B] 	1st 	1st
  1975 	Minnesota 	1st 	1st 	1st 	[B]3rd[/B]
  1976 	Pittsburgh 	1st 	1st 	[B]6th[/B] 	1st
  1981 	Philadelphia 	1st 	[B]4th[/B] 	1st 	1st
  1985 	Chicago 	1st 	1st 	[B]3rd[/B] 	1st
  1991 	Philadelphia 	1st 	1st 	1st 	[B]5th[/B]
  1996 	Green Bay 	1st 	[B]4th[/B] 	1st 	1st
  2002 	Tampa Bay 	1st 	[B]T-5th[/B] 	1st 	1st
  2004 	Pittsburgh 	1st 	1st 	[B]4th[/B] 	1st
As monumental as this task appears, Coles as we all know is not one to flinch at an imminent uppercut. In fact, he'll do everything in his power to give as good as he gets.

"The thing is to go out and have fun," he said. "You get an opportunity to go out when a lot of people don't give you a chance and just play and have fun."

It's good to have you back in action, LC.
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http://www.newyorkjets.com/blog/posts/293-steelers-d-is-one-of-the-best

Br4d · Nov 16, 2007

Footballoutsiders has the Steelers ranked 2nd in DVOA (after Tennessee) and has the Jets ranked 32nd. The Steelers allow 23.8% less offense than you would expect given the competition. The Jets allow 26.9% more. The Jets figure is worse than any full season defense has ever allowed in the decade that Football Outsiders has been calculating the stat.

It'll be interesting to see what that disparity turns into on the field.

TIMEsteelersfan · Nov 16, 2007

Fantastic Article! Our "D" is very for real... I'm looking forward to our showdown on Sunday. 2 days, 5 hours until zero hour.

HardHitta · Nov 16, 2007

Steelers do got a great D no doubt about that.

brothermoose · Nov 16, 2007

Where's all the Coles ripping like y'all did for Kellen when he talked about the Steelers D? When Kellen praised them, he was a deer in the headlights. When Coles praises them, he is a savvy veteran. Bunch of sheep...hmph.

Jetsfan5 · Nov 17, 2007

Hey the Cardinals beat them, why cant we?

Steelers' 'D' Is 'One' of the Best

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