What's Wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers' Secondary?

It isn’t hard to understand that in the NFL, momentum is a fickle thing. Games are won and lost on a handful of plays that swing momentum. The Pittsburgh Steelers got a real taste of this in Week 10 against the New York Jets.

It seemed that in the 20-13 loss to the Jets, every big play went the way of New York, and every time it looked like the Steelers might be able to snatch away the momentum, something went wrong.

A great example of this happened very early in the game. The Jets got the ball to start the game and marched down the field. The Steelers defensive stiffened, and New York was forced to settle for a field goal.

Pittsburgh then took the ball on its initial possession but were forced to punt. This pushed the Steelers defense back onto the field in a hurry, and the Jets capitalized on it. 

NFL Game Rewind

The Jets came out on first down in a jumbo package. And I mean a real jumbo package. One running back, one wide receiver and all the rest big uglies. The Steelers counter this by crowding the line of scrimmage. As you can see at the snap, even the “deep” safety is only 10 yards off the ball.

Cornerback William Gay is playing off-man coverage and has outside responsibility on Jets wide receiver T.J. Graham. Not a terrible matchup for the Steelers, but Gay has shown all season that he is a stronger slot corner then a boundary corner.

NFL Game Rewind

At the snap, Jets quarterback Michael Vick really sells the play-action fake. So much so that everyone gets sucked in. That includes safety Mike Mitchell, who gets commits toward the line for about five yards before he realizes that it is a pass, and Gay is all alone trying to run with Graham.

Ironically, it is cornerback Brice McCain who sees Gay in distress and covers a huge amount of ground in a very short span of time, almost making a play on the ball. Instead, he and Gay come up just short and Graham gets into the end zone.

The question now is what went wrong in the defensive secondary on this play? Opinions vary, depending on whom you ask. 

"

PFF puts Jets 67-yard TD catch on Mike Mitchell. Explain to me how you know this for sure?

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) November 10, 2014

While everyone screams at William Gay, ask them where Mike Mitchell was. #Steelers

— Neal Coolong (@NealCoolong) November 9, 2014

"

It doesn’t appear the Steelers are in Cover 0 at the snap. Gay is too far off the ball, and other defenders aren’t crashing down on all those tight ends who stayed in to block.

It appears more likely the Steelers were in a Cover 1, and Mitchell has that inside deep responsibility. He certainly act like it when he realizes it was a pass play. I think it is fair to say that Mitchell's lack of discipline, his biting on the play fake, is what makes the play work for the Jets. 

In going back and reviewing the Week 10 loss, as well as previous games, this absence of discipline is really hurting the Pittsburgh secondary. Whether it is being lax in technique, getting tricked on a play fake or tackling poorly, this unit is suffering.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Unfortunately, there is little that can be done at this point. The pass rush is inconsistent, and the talent in the secondary is average at best. With safety Troy Polamalu out, and cornerback Cortez Allen on the bench, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is making due with what talent he has at his disposal.

The Steelers still have some daunting challenges ahead of them on the schedule. Wide receivers like A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Marques Colston in addition to tight end Jimmy Graham are going to really test this group over the next few weeks.

This secondary needs to understand that if you can’t be talented, at least be smart. Make the right reads, keep everything in front of you and tackle soundly to limit yards after the catch.