Yet again you completely mischaracterize my position. I LOVE the fact our DBs can consistently get INTs. I HATE the fact that getting INTs is the only way our defense can consistently get off the field. If our defense showed the ability to consistently force three-and-outs, getting off the field and putting our offense back on the field, I would love the fact that they were getting so many INTs. It wouldn't even bother me if they ended drives with INTs more often than three-and-outs. But they can't do that, or at least, I haven't seen any evidence they can. They almost never get a stop on their side of the 50, and usually it's not until the red zone. They spend 6 to 8 minutes at a time on the field instead of putting the ball back in the hands of our offense.
Maybe Dexter_Sinister is right and they are deliberately choosing not to go for the three-and-outs. And maybe that has been the secret for their success in this regular season. I'm skeptical; I think if they could do it, they would. But I'll accept the premise for the sake of argument. It still seems to me that sooner or later, they will probably encounter a team that will so wear them out, they won't be able to get the three-and-out in the 4th quarter when they really need a stop, and it will cost them a game. All we have to do is think back to the debacle of 2009, when, for example, they gave up 500 yards and a last-second touchdown to Ben Roethlisberger. Had they been able to stop the Steelers on the other side of the 50, that never would have happened.
Originally Posted by: Nonstopdrivel