After a disappointing loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to bounce back tomorrow night against the Dallas Cowboys. One reason for Pittsburgh’s loss last week was a poor defensive effort, which was due in part to communication issues.
If the Steelers defense is going to return to form, those communication issues have to be fixed, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin knows that it could be a difficult task at home with a rowdy home crowd.
“Sometimes you lack communication, and particularly in our home venue in prime time, the communication at the early stages is gonna be significant for our defense,” said Tomlin on The Mike Tomlin Show posted on YouTube. It’ll be challenging for Dallas’ offense, but it’s also challenging for our defense. And so those are some of the things that really have my and our attention regarding quick starts.”
Playing at home brings many advantages. It leads opponents to have to use a silent count, which could lead to issues (for example, the Steelers botched snap in the fourth quarter last week). A rowdy crowd can help build momentum easier for the home team, and simply just being more comfortable in knowing the field and not having to change your routine for travel.
While a rowdy crowd may lead to opponent offenses having to use a silent count, it could also make communication more difficult for the defense. If the defense has to make a change based on the look that Dallas is presenting, and if the crowd is so loud, it could be hard for the defense to hear or notice the change, leading to a big play for the Cowboys.
Even with the injuries the Cowboys are dealing with, they still have an explosive offense.QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb are one of the best quarterback-WR duos in the league, and if there are communication issues on the back end of the Steelers’ defense, it could lead to big trouble.
The Steelers want to start fast, and they won’t if communication issues plague the defense again.
