Former Ravens head coach Brian Billick was impressed with Baltimore’s 35-7 victory of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Super Bowl XXXV winning coach said that the Steelers defense looked “old and slow” and “didn’t look like the Pittsburgh defense of old,” in his video analysis on FoxSports.com.
As I watched highlights from this game, it was as if new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano was making a public service announcement to the league. He let Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs deliver the message. Ngata caused a fumble and later deflected a pass that was eventually intercepted by Ed Reed, but it was Suggs who set the tone early. Pagano lined him up on the end of the defense’s left side (opposite his normal right side), and then ran an inside stunt in which he crossed the face of Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and blew up Ben Roethlisberger, resulting in a sack and fumble and an eventual 14 point lead.
Billick expects the Steelers to be more prepared for the Ravens defense in their second meeting on November 6.
