True, for the following reasons:
1. Numbers 43 and 56 are the ONLY guys on the defense, other than perhaps Brett Kiesel (sorry), who have good enough hands and the football instincts to intercept a ball that's thrown in their vicinity.
2. Bryant McFadden has been so up and down the past few weeks that he can't be depended upon in a big game. Wait a minute, what's that in his hand? Has this photo been altered?
3. The effectiveness of pass rush has fallen off. This started against the Patriots and since then has only been truly successful against the Raiders (the game following the loss to the Patriots). Also, I am starting to become disenchanted with the 3-4 defense, particularly against very good QBs (a.k.a. Tom Brady).
4. You can't play bend-but-don't-break pass defense against everyone (e.g., against Tom Brady). Sorry, Mr. LeBeau.
I guess this is where I posit my defensive strategy against the Patriots. You have to play a 4-3 to consistently beat them. You need four BIG pass rushers, not three and an LB. AND you have to take away the short passing game. Brady MAY beat your deep occasionally but he will KILL YOU with the short game, especially without a good pass rush. For the Steelers my strategy against the Patriots is a 4-2-5; four bigs, 2 LBs, and 5 DBs with press coverage.
5. I just read that Troy won't play against the Jets. Really, I'd rather have had him against the Jets than the Bengals but, who knew? This puts even more pressure on the offense against a much better defense than the "Bungles" and could be fatal.
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