BEAST MODE BABY! Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Pittsburgh has an identity with their defense, plain and simple. They're a hard-hitting 3-4 scheme with zone blitzes from LeBeau. They're also known for having a decent run game. One the other hand, Buffalo doesn't know who it is or who it wants to be. Hence, our problems. We try and pass on 3rd downs and run play action when we're on the 1 yard line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Buffalo never had the recovery post steel industry that Pittsburgh had. We also have CMU cranking out highly skilled computer professionals and that has helped the local economy. So they don't need 80,000 seats (even though they could fill that sized stadium) and can sell enough corporate boxes to make money. Not to mention the huge hospital system called UPMC and a couple of pretty big insurance and banking companies to boot. Plus the biggest of all, PA and Pittsburgh do not TAX local people like NY and Buffalo does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacus Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Kevin Colbert, their GM. He's the guy who hired Mike Tomlin and has been putting the pieces together since 2000. Pittsburgh's always done a pretty good job of evaluating talent and finding players. When Buffalo finds a GM, perhaps then they'll be able to do what Colbert's been doing this decade. actually he hired Russ Grimm - but was coerced by the league to hire a black guy to give some substance to the Rooney Rule. To his credit he found a bona fide coach on the do-over. Interesting that Grimm is also in the Super Bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacus Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Why has Pittsburgh been so successful because they have been at the forefront of performance enhancing drugs. they pioneered the use of steroids in the 1970's giving their team a huge advantage in winning the first 4 Superbowls. Now they are leading the way in HGH use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Yes it is. UPMC replaced the steel industry 20 years ago, and the city has evolved accordingly. If the population took a dent with the eradication of the steel industry, it's peanuts compared to the exodus Buffalo has experienced. Census Bureau info Pittsburgh metro population - 1990: 2,394,811... 2000: 2,358,695 population loss of 36,116 or 1.5% Buffalo metro population - 1990: 1,189,288... 2000: 1,170,111 population loss of 19,177 or 1.6% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 The '08 and '05 Steelers are great beacuse of the GM and LeBeau, plus solid HC decisions. But the team was good before any of those guys showed up. They were good in the 70s running a primitive Tampa 2. This is a franchise that has won with multiple HCs, schemes, QBs, and GMs, and every other piece of the puzzle. But they keep a personality going all the way through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Yes it is. UPMC replaced the steel industry 20 years ago, and the city has evolved accordingly. If the population took a dent with the eradication of the steel industry, it's peanuts compared to the exodus Buffalo has experienced. In terms of population growth, both the Pittsburgh and Buffalo areas are negative. -3.1% to -%3.6, which means that almost twice as many people are leaving the Pittsburgh area as Buffalo according to the USCB data. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_Unit...atistical_Areas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 In terms of population growth, both the Pittsburgh and Buffalo areas are negative. -3.1% to -%3.6, which means that almost twice as many people are leaving the Pittsburgh area as Buffalo according to the USCB data. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_Unit...atistical_Areas How many Fortune 500 headquarters have left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdelma Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Always been a tough physical franchise. Can't say this about the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 How many Fortune 500 headquarters have left? Since when? Look it up, I'm not your research department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I think the Steelers are one of the few teams where the scheme is actually almost as important as the players. Either that or they have an insane personnel department. The list of LB's they've let go is incredible, and they keep coming up with Harrison's & Woodley's every few years. Offensively they've obviously held together a strong running game for years. This year's team is a little different in that the OL sucks, and while Roethlisburger avoids sacks he also holds the ball too long at times. But they're making up for that weakness by having a defense that's "best since the 2000 Ravens" as opposed to merely "one of the best this year". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 My only problem with Dick LeBeau is what his name translates to He escaped from stalag 13--show some respect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poeticlaw Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I've been to Pittsburgh a bunch of times and Pittsburgh is very similiar to Buffalo (Being an old Steel town, same style of housing, great places to eat, etc...) My point behind this thread is that Pittsburgh is not a big city, but yet they've won 5 Superbowls and are going to their 7th Superbowl. If I'm not mistaken, they're on their 3rd head coach in Franchise history? Why is it that the Steelers have been very successful throughout the years and we've been stuck in mediocrity? I know the answer, it's because of the team ownership. But it's just frustrating seeing a small market team like Pittsburgh be so successful and we continue to be a mediocre team. I wish the Rooney's owned the Bills as well. "Pittsburgh (pronounced /ˈpɪtsbɚg/ (originally pronounced /ˈpɪtsb(ə)rə/)) is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania[5] with a population of 312,819.[6] The population of the eight-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571.[7] The city's Downtown retains substantial economic influence, ranking at 25th in the nation for jobs within the urban core (and is sixth in job density).[8]" Source wiki pedia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Great drafts- All drafted or UDFA by Pitt Big Ben Willie Parker Hines Ward Troy Polamalu Santonio Holmes Heath Miller Casey Hampton Aaron Smith James Harrison Kendall Simmons Max Starks Lamar Woodley The only starter I can think of off hand who wasn't drafted by Pitt is James Farrior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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