Steelers Morning Huddle

Welcome to Week 3 of the 2014 NFL Regular season. The Steelers are preparing to face the Carolina Panthers and we’re busy looking around for mentions of your Black & Gold so we’ve got you covered. Here’s what’s being said about your Pittsburgh Steelers around the block for Sunday, Sept. 21^th.

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Steelers scouting report

Bob Labriola of the Steelers Digest gives us the scouting report for the Steelers Sunday Night Football matchup against the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers are out to avoid “Steelers on Steelers crime” which would mean limiting the penalties and turnovers if they want a chance to win in Charlotte. They’re also faced with the challenge of tightening up a run defense that’s given up an average of 170 yards per game so far against a Panthers team that hasn’t rushed the ball well yet this season.

Big nickel

Mark Kaboly of the Trib explains how the nickel defense is becoming more prominent across the league. The variation of the defense came about as offenses started going with more wide receivers and the defense had to counter against that. Last season, the Steelers employed more than four defensive backs in over half of their plays. This is why, a top-rated nickel cornerback like Willie Gay, is treated as a starter even though he’s not a part of the base defense that includes just four defensive backs. Gay is brought in on the nickel package and therefore he’s accounted for a lot of the big plays on the defense.

Captains selfie