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The Great Façade Known as Dick LeBeau

January 09, 2011 by Still Mill

The LeBeau Facade
The Great Fa�ade Known as Dick LeBeau
 
Another weekend, and another chance to hear the bleating and worship of Def. Coordinator Dick LeBeau.�� They say time fades away memories, and in the case of the aged LeBeau, nearly the entire Pittsburgh fan base has long forgotten this man�s follies, boners, and blunders the past few years.It�s only appropriate that both fa�ade and LeBeau are of French origin.�� The 2 words complement each other quite well.�� They may as well be synonyms.Not since the French Maginot Line has a fa�ade been more mistakenly perpetrated and over-rated than Dick LeBeau.��
 
To be sure, LeBeau is a good DC.�� A few years ago, he could have been considered great.�� But time marches on, although the human mind and body do not.�� Mental acuity, alertness, memory recall, and the ability to think decisively and cogently, all begin to deteriorate as Father Time marches on.�� This is why you don�t see very many, if any, COOs, CFOs, or CEOs being in their 70�s.This is why you don�t see any 4-star generals or admirals running wars while in their 70�s.If it made for superior performance & production, you�d see it, but of course, ya don�t.��

 

Again, Dick is a good, solid, competent DC.My problem stems from the outlandish, obsessive, almost cult-like, Jim Jones kind of worship and adulation this man receives, commensurate to his effectiveness, performance and production.�� Like many of Dick�s foolish schemes, it�s a mismatch.�� The worshipping and overt praising doesn�t match the performance.�� Simply put, Dick is no more an almighty deity of defensive football than is Romeo Crennel, Dom Capers, Gregg Williams, or Sean McDermott.That said, to take a page from the cult of Jim Jones, I�m not drinking the Kool Aid.��

 

Let us review Dick�s recent history, which has been clouded, and even forgotten, by virtually every one of his legions of adulating worshippers.

 

2005:��� In the wild card game, Dick�s vaunted defense gave up a long bomb on the game�s first play.�� Unbelievably, Dick got a double BONUS of superb news out of this long gainer.�� The starting QB (Palmer) was knocked from the game with an injury, as was the star WR (Chris Henry) who hauled in the long pass.�� Dick was able to fend off (hold your laughter) John Kitna to advance to the next round.

 

���� In the Div. playoff game, Dick did an acceptable job of minimizing Manning.�� Still, he allowed a late march that resulted in a chippie, tying FG that was missed in the final minute of the game.�� The Steelers then rolled over a hapless, pathetic Denver team in the AFCC.

 

�� In the Sup Bowl, Dick allowed an early TD, only to have an outrageously ticky-tack OPI flag rescue him and remove the score.Late in the half, a long Seattle completion down the sideline near the Steeler GL was ruled inc, but never reviewed, even though it was under 2:00.�� In the 4Q, star RB Sean Alexander was injured from an illegal horsecollar tackle by Joey Porter that was not flagged, and 2 plays later a Seattle INT basically ended the game.�� To be sure and to be fair, it was not some super-human, almighty defensive coaching effort that won the title.

 

2006:�� The defense mostly smelled like rooster shit and the team finished under .500 and failed to make the playoffs.�� Dick was the DC...although most fans seem to forget that small fact.��

 

2007:�� In the AFC wildcard game, with a LEAD, at HOME, late in the 4Q, Dick�s vaunted defense choked and gagged, giving up the winning FG late in the 4Q.The Stillers had mounted a furious, 19-point 4Q comeback, and led by 2.�� After a punt, Jax took over at its own 49, with 2:38 remaining.�� Facing a scrub QB like David Garrard, Dick was unable to close the deal.The key play was a 4th & 2, in which Dick was unprepared for a QB draw (gee, what a surprise, with a running QB like Garrard!), which went for 32 yards to the Stiller 11.�� A chippie FG, and game was over.

 

������ Funny thing is, I didn�t, and don�t, hear many LeBeau worshippers citing this abomination.One would think that the greatest, most omnipotent defensive coordinator in the entire history of the NFL could have warded off, while playing at home, an offense led (sic) by a stiff named David Garrard.��

 

����� Ahh yes, but this is where you�ll hear the wailing, crying, and bawling about �Dick didn�t have Pola and Aaron Smith.��� Indeed (sniff, sob) he did not.�� But this is where the truly great step up and exude true greatness.The mark of a mark coach isn�t what he does when lavished with talent that is able to dominate at 9 or 10 positions against the opponent.No, the mark of a great coach is when he has inferior, or reduced, talent and makes the most of it, and then some, in a big game.�� That LeBeau did nothing and was entirely unable to stop a weak-assed Jaguars team shows the true picture beyond all the hype, hyperbole, exaltation, deified worship, and adoration.

 

2008:The defense got shredded by the Titans late in the season, thanks to LeBeau�s Folly of playing a softee, sit-back defense.Luckily, the Titans lost in the playoffs and Dick did not have to face them (on the road, no less).

���

��� With the luxury of playing at home, Dick held off the Chargers.�� Befuddled at first, Dick promptly gave up an early TD, but the team clawed back.�� Dick had a luxurious 3rd quarter, in which the Stiller offense chewed all but 6 seconds of clock while Diego ran 1 play that resulted in a fortuitous bat and Dong interception.A tidy day�s work for Dick.

 

��� The Stillers hosted the Ravens in the AFCC.�� Dick had the luxury of the triple bonus�.facing a greenhorned rookie QB; an anemic overall offense; and each of the top 2 RBs hobbled by injury.�� (McLain came into the game with a gimpy ankle; McGahee limped off the field 3 times prior to a gruesome neck injury.)�� Despite what should have been total domination, Dick managed to allow an anemic, 1-dimensional offense to march 58 yards for a TD in the 4Q of a 9-point game, turning what should have been a stampede into a nailbiter.

 

��� Most folks remember only Tonio Holmes� game-winning TD catch in the Sup Bowl.What they forget is the grande choke n� gag job by Dick LeBeau, who pissed away a comfy lead and nearly lost the Super Bowl title.��

 

���� In the 2nd half, Dick was exposed on national TV as the fraud and farce that we alone at Stillers.com have exposed him for, as he repeatedly got tooled and abused by the Cards.�� Dick had built up his vaunted �#1 defensive ranking� against woeful, inept, injury-riddled offenses all season long, and now, facing some solid competence, he was totally baffled and bamboozled.���

 

���� Armed with a 13-point lead, Dick was utterly helpless, going into a prevent-like defense and giving up a quick 87-yard TD march (after the long an 83-yard TD march in the 2Q), and then a 64-yard TD in which he had his safeties on an island a full 22 yards off the LOS despite facing a QB that has NO ARM to throw deeper than 40 yards without a running start.As I personally noted in my pre-game article, the bread n� butter of the AZ passing attack was the 15-yard in, not the Hail Mary bomb.�� So Dick, the dullard that he is, plays right into Warner�s hands by having his safeties line up 22 yards off the LOS in no-man�s land, thereby playing 9 on 11.This had to be the most assaholic defensive alignment ever devised, and it very nearly pulled defeat from victory.

 

���� On the 1st down from their own 13 early in the 4Q, Dick actually had LaMarr Woodley -- you know, the big hulking fellow that was in the QBs face the entire evening -- back in COVERAGE, and Warner, with all day in the pocket , hit Breaston for 13 yards to get out of that deep hole and get the drive ignited.When you take a player out of what he does best and put him on a task where he is least proficient, you hinder yourself and you HELP the opponent.�� But remember, according to some, LeBeau is a supreme deity who is the greatest DC to ever walk the planet.��

��� To recap, the TWO biggest plays by the Cards were the DIRECT RESULT of asinine schemes by The Dullard, Lick LeBeau --

 

�� 1.�� On a 2nd & 7, Dick gets caught in his base defense, and on a pussyfied, useless 3-MAN RUSH that gave Warner about 8 seconds back in the pocket and all kinds of room to scan the entire field and connects on the 45-yarder to Boldin,.

 

�� 2.�� 64-yard TD pass to Fitz, with our safeties lined up in NO MAN'S LAND, 22-yards off the LOS.

 

Added to that is the huge game-turning INT & TD by James Harrison, who, on his OWN, peeled off his assignment (assigned, oddly enough, by The Great LeBeau) to pick the pass at the Steeler GL and return it for 100 yards on the final play of the 1H.�� Had Ben and Tonio not won this game late in the 4Q, Dick would have gotten what he rightfully deserved --a lifetime (as short as it might be for a geezer of his age) of ridicule and derision for pissing away an enormous 2H lead in the Super Bowl.��

 

2009:The defense, led (sic) by Dick LeBeau, pissed away 5 (FIVE) 4th quarters leads, snatching defeat from victory in embarrassing factor.Two of these losses were the direct result of Dick�s constant, staunch insistence of keeping lumbering LB James Farrior on the field LATE in the game in obvious passing situations, and opponents took easy advantage of the mismatch.�� The Stillers ended up missing the playoffs, in no small part thanks to Dick.

 

2010: ��A renewal of Dick worship and adulation occurred as the Stillers went 12-4.�� Of course, with the luxury of facing a host of mediocre and even incompetent QBs as well as a host of bumbling offenses, the defense had a cake-walk nearly the entire season.�� Additionally, the offense often gave the D a lead going into halftime, and as we know in the NFL, playing defense while ahead is always much, much easier, as the ground game and play-action fakes gradually and increasingly lose their use & effectiveness.��

 

Below is a chart that summarizes the 2010 regular season for Dick�s vaunted defense:

 

 

W-L

Score

QB faced

Def. Pts allowed

TDs allowed

Rush Allowed

Pass Allowed

INTs

FFs

 

����� Notes

vs. Atl

W

15-9

Ryan

9

0

58

252

1

0

 

3 FGs allowed.�� 3-3 at Half.�� Atl. ran 5 plays in OT

@ Tenn

W

19-11

Collins & Young

11

1

46

215

3

1

 

Collins 17-25 1 TD.PIT up 13-2 at Half.�� Huge, ticky-tacky holdcall on Tenn negated C. Johnson's 85-yard TD run in 1H.

@ Tampa

W

38-13

Josh Freeman & Josh Johnson

13

1

75

251

1

1

 

PIT up 28-6 at half

vs. Balt

L

14-17

Flacco

17

2

70

256

1

2

 

BAL up 10-7 at Half, due to FG at 0:05 2Q.D gave up winning TD 0:34 4Q

vs. Clev

W

28-10

McCoy

10

1

69

281

2

1

 

Rookie McCoy's 1st NFL start.Harrison knocked out top 2 Cle WRs. PIT up 14-3 at Half.

@ Mia

W

23-22

Henne

22

1

64

257

1

1

 

PIT up 17-16 at Half.TD allowed, 2:00 left in 2Q, then go-ahead FG allowed 5:23 4Q

@ N.O.

L

10-20

Brees

20

2

30

305

1

1

 

2 4Q TDs allowed, incl. winning TD at 4:47 4Q

@ Cinci

W

27-21

Palmer

21

3

54

248

1

1

 

PIT up 20-7 at Half.2 TDs allowed in final 1:38

vs. NE

L

26-39

Brady

33

4

103

350

0

0

 

PIT down 10-3 at Half.D then got shredded in 2H.

vs. Oak

W

35-3

Gradkowski

3

0

61

98

1

3

 

PIT up 21-3 at Half.

@ Buff

W

19-16

Fitzpatrick

16

1

74

265

1

2

 

PIT up 13-0 at Half.�� Tying FG allowed, 0:07 4Q.�� Buff winning TD dropped by wide-open WR in EZ in OT

@ Balt

W

13-10

Flacco

10

1

43

266

0

1

 

BAL up 7 at Half.Star TE T. Heap injured on 1st play of game and never returned. Jacco picked apart defense nearly entire 1H until Stiller defenders begged the DC to dial up some heat on the QB.

vs. Cinci

W

23-7

Palmer

7

1

34

178

3

0

 

PIT up 10-7 at Half.

vs. NYJ

L

17-22

Sanchez

13

2

106

170

0

0

 

Tied at 10 at Half. PIT up 13-10 in 3Q, then allowed TD and FG.D allowed 13-play FG drive in 4Q for NY's winning points. Mark Sanchez had thrown 4 INTs and no touchdown passes in the past two games and the Jets had not scored an offensive touchdown since Thanksgiving.

vs. Carol.

W

27-3

Clausen

3

0

74

72

1

0

 

PIT up 20-0 at Half.

@ Clev

W

41-9

McCoy

9

1

43

209

3

2

 

PIT up 31-3 at Half.

 

 

Yes, the defense had all sorts of glorious STAT rankings as the �10 season ended.And just like other garbage stats such as sacks & INTs, stats mean far less than perspective, situations, and the actual details as to what occurred on the gridiron.�� (Case in point -- Larry Brown had 2 gimme INTs in Sup Bowl 30; he did absolutely nothing noteworthy or above average on either of those INTs.)����

 

As you can see above, this was a defense that FEASTED on the mediocre and the incompetent.�� Dick faced only 2 top-tier QBs all season, and both times got shredded like provolone cheese at a pizza parlor.�� Dick has been the great stat-padder this season, padding his stats against the incompetent and the bumbling, but has been entirely feeble & helpless when facing the slightest bit of competence.We�re constantly bombarded with cries of, �Dick is so clever� and �Dick�s blitzes are so diabolical and confusing�.�� WHERE, praytell, was all of that diabolical cleverness in the shreddings issued by New Orleans and New England ??��

 

Perhaps the worst aspect of the 2010 season was the embarrassing revelation, after Ravens-2, that the Stiller defenders had to BEG The Almighty One, Dick LeBeau, to apply pressure to Joe Jacco after Jacco spent most of the 1st half consuming tea & crumpets back in the pocket, with eons of time to pick apart Dick�s Softee Defense.After the begging & pleading by his players, Dick turned up the heat and pressure on Jacco, and Jacco was finally bottled.It begs the question -- who�s running the prison....the inmates, or the 73-year old warden??That the Pittsburgh media and fan base was so lethargic and lazy to understand the real lesson here was utterly bizarre, but hardly surprising.�� If Dick is so clever, so brilliant, and such a genius, why was he so stupid and obtuse ??�� Why do his players have to determine the correct tactics??��� What actual good is this fossil if he can�t even do that?

 

Of course, when you look at this Stiller defense, with the talent and experience assembled, Pee Wee Herman could be the coordinator and this defense would still rank in the league�s top 10.��� Just look at the pedigree:

 

Casey Hampton - 1st rounder

James Farrior - 1st rounder (by the Jets)

Troy Pola - 1st rounder

Larry Timmons - 1st rounder

Ziggy Hood - 1st rounder

LaMarr Woodley - 2nd rounder

James Harrison - 2008 NFL Def. Player of the Year and worthy of the 2010 DPOY

 

That�s 7 out of 11 starters.�� Add in Ike Taylor, a 3rd rounder who has been as solid a cover CB not named Revis as there has been in the NFL the past 2-3 seasons, and that�s 8.Add in Brett Keisel, who has been an ultra-steady, reliable, savvy 3-4 DE, and that�s 9.�� Unlike many defenses around the sal-cap driven league, the Stillers start ZERO rookies on defense.�� For that matter, they start only one 2nd-year man, Ziggy Hood (a 1st round draft pick), and that�s only due to injury to A. Smith.�� There are defensive coordinators around the NFL, today, who would literally give up an arm or a hand just to have just HALF the talent, depth, and experience that Dick has been lavished with.�� Just HALF.��

 

To summarize, yes, Dick is a good DC.�� He�s a far sight better than Jim Asslet and Tiny Tim Lewis.He is not, however, the lordly, deified, omnipotent, almighty guru of defensive football.�� Not by a long shot, and anyone who claims so is as dull as he is thick.�� Turns out the great fa�ade is nothing more than abject mediocrity.�� So it is with most things French.��

 

(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close�.)

 

 

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