Is the RB situation predicting Haley's plans for Offensive Strategy this year?

So... as I'm sitting here reviewing the draft and our positional needs, an interesting thought enters my mind...

Note: Many were expecting us to take a RB at some point in the draft, even if in the late rounds. Keep in mind this year's draft class was more loaded with RB talent than usual. It did not happen.

Conversely, with our 3rd round pick, we take Coates, a burner and big/tall at a position where we are technically already loaded for the year. Note that the 3rd round is not to be considered a luxury pick.

While we did bring in the UDFA Schuerman, that essentially leaves us with Bell, Williams, and ..... let's be honest (don't give me any silly Harris or Archer arguments here, they are as valuable as a 3rd string QB), after that, we're very, very thin.

Fact: Ben is learning to stay in the pocket and had two games last year that absolutely lit up the scoreboard, media and set an NFL record for 6 TD's in two games straight.

So..... my feeble mind begins to wonder and hypothesize on this year's offensive strategy....

I'm thinking we are going to see a very, very heavily structured pass-first offense - however, unlike the BA days, Ben and the scheme will be prepared with the talent to execute it. We will have Bell receiving out of the backfield, which is essentially like having another receiver with as talented as he's proven to be in the passing game.

I'm starting to think this is going to be an exciting year for us as we watch an offense that is likely targeting putting up 30+ points per game through the air (with Bell as the ultimate weapon on the ground as needed), and a defense that looks as though it is being assembled to reincorporate exotic, consistent blitzes and pressures looking more for turnovers vs. "not giving up the big play".

Of course, this would mean that some/many of us would have to abandon the idea that we are going back to "ground and pound" with Bell, which I personally think is a good thing. This also means our season will likely be based on a much more high-risk/high-reward type mentality. This will make for some VERY exciting football.

So, my question is... am I having too much fun imagining the possibilities, or are early decisions in the offseason showing early signals of probabilities? You say.....

 

Blast, I do think there are many who think Bell's talent as RB is purposed to open the passing game for Ben (ie. play-action possibilities). I just think it's actually going to be the exact opposite based on what I'm seeing. Meaning, action-play regarding Bell. As defenses look to blitz or pass protect, Bell will eat them up on the ground, but it will absolutely be because they are defending the pass first, not the other way around. So, while I appreciate your comment, this is reversed from many Steeler fans, decades-infused logic (myself included).

 

I will say we are built more for a passing offense, rather than run heavy. Our line doesn't run block as well as pass block. At least that's what I feel. Like the poster above said our passing threat will open lanes for Bell, not the other way. Our defense isn't good enough to be a ground and pound like the good ol days.


If our WR's keep it up and mr coates is awesome, and our D actually creates turnovers.... watch out nfl.

 

we are still getting the piece's in place for a ZBS as we go. we have good backs that are geared towards that system and they are also good receiver's.

depth at wr is a good thing and you don't just draft and expect it to be ready that year. we may seem loaded but it's still a work in progress. while we still have solid starters in place is the time to infuse some future possible changes slowly while they learn because ben has 5 years left and we can't wait until the last minute if we want to make a run several times.

wheaton is a starter for now but still hasn't made quite the jump we were expecting. he still could and will be solid but if we can add some better size and blocking ability for the run game you do it. one injury and it could change very quickly to any of the receiving group.

foster also could be on his way out as he has done decent work for us but still hinders the mobile group we are trying to install. getting a couple of guys more in tune to the zone system with better mobility looks like that's what they want to add. he just doesn't fit that system well. he's slow. he's a big pounder type of blocker. we seem to be looking to get our linemen out in space and have the backs to do that with. make no mistake this isn't a done deal yet of building. nor should it be. when we were our best we also had depth that could start for most teams. we have to get back to that team wide.

 

Its a passing league, and defenses are busy scheming to stop the pass, which is a great opportunity for a running team, as teams aren't built to deal with a strong running game.

The Steelers have all their eggs in Bell's basket, if he gets hurt, no running game, so you get real predictable. They know you are going to throw on 3rd and short.

2 real good RB's on the same team is doable, simply because you run more total plays if you can move the chains on the ground, so you get more plays. With a good run game, you can get 40 carries and 30 passes a game. With 2 Rb's thats 20 carries each. Good enough to get good numbers, but not have any one star that is franchise material, and you dont have to pay one guy 10 mill, maybe pay 2 guys 3.5 mill each.

You would think that in a pass happy league, the head coaches would see the opportunities for a strong running game. Simply because everybody is scheming to stop the pass.


Bell gets a knee or tears an achilles, you can kiss this season goodbye.

 

I really don't care if the Steelers have a pass-first mentality as long as they have the tools and the grit to run it when they need to and can maintain a time of possession advantage.

 

If we can protect Ben and open some lanes for Bell, I am excited about the offense's potential. That being said, it all comes down to the red zone....that is where we struggle most. That needs to be fixed...

Just look at the weapons:

Bell
Williams
Archer (who I still think starts to find some things he can do this year)
Miller
James
A. Brown
Bryant
Wheaton
Coates

Add to that an All Pro clutch QB and I think this O could be scary good.

The D doesn't need to be great, just capable. We are making steps to improve and I like the direction.

On another note....Rooney says we have enough talent....I agree. I think the issue now is about experience. If you look at our current roster (steelers.com) I count 92 players. Of those, only 24 have more than 3 years of experience in the NFL. 50 of them have 1 year of experience or less. 68 of them have 3 years of NFL experience or less. While I think all 24 of those vets is a given for the roster, 11 of them are backups or specialists.

****Sorry don't mean to derail the thread.

 

I think it's a combination of fixing the red zone and getting pressure on the other quarterback. That and not losing to teams that suck which the schedule seems to be determined to help us with this year but not having us face anyone that's likely to suck.

 

is a passing league and hailey is a passing coach .. evenj williams and archer will be used in passing situation

 

I don't think the draft was an indication of how they view their running game. I just think two things were a factor.

First, the defensive needs were too critical and secondly, the way the draft fell, they probably thought the value was better elsewhere. I still think they want a balanced attack with the pass/run ratio.

 

Idk about 50/50 balance, but they definitely won't be chucking it 50+ times a game with regularity. I really think we're gonna be a 60/40 pass team. We have too many receiving weapons (including our RB) to not throw the ball to them.

The cool thing is that we can run Bell for 200+ against bad run D teams (like @Tenn or @Cincy last year) or we can have Ben throw for 500+ against teams with bad secondaries (home vs Indy and Balt). We can win both ways, and that makes us that much more dangerous.

 

But to the OP: Idk that we were really that "loaded" at WR... Yeah we have AB, but outside of that we have a raw second year guy who could turn into a beast but isn't there yet, and an inconsistent 3rd year guy who has shown flashes of being a good target but has also disappeared at points. After that we have DHB and a pile of scrubs. We needed the depth at WR.

We we also could've used the depth at RB too... But apparently we like what we've got in Williams and Archer/Harris. We could always add a FA if we had to, or draft one next season.

 

Please check #7 winning percentage when he throws the ball more than 40 times a game.

Our defensive needs were too critical concerning the draft, I personally would have liked to see us draft an all around rb in the 5th, not a luxury pick rb 3rd rounder that we have now that can't pass block.

When It counted,(Balt) we could not win with this high passing offense.Keep Ben's throw to 40 and below you have a good chance of winning.OT position is weak as we well saw against the Ravens to be chucking the ball to much, got to keep the 200 million dollar qb clean.

 

Well, SGS, I suppose "loaded" is a relative term, and outside of ILB, this is our next "loaded" position. In any case, we won't likely see the true tendencies of this year's O until the regular season hits, but I will certainly be watching our pass/run ratio, avg. pts. per game, and red-zone efficiency to see if this actually plays out. But, make not mistake about it, our WR corps has the potential to be overloaded with these guys all fighting for playing time... competition should drive performance.

 

I really wish they would've dished Harris the ball more, in that playoff game. Harris popped a couple good runs, I believe the one was called back for holding??? We would've caught Baltimore with their pants down, as we were totally predictable.

 

We came out running and it didn't work. We should have been passing from the beginning in that game and not stop passing. When we beat the Ravens in the regular season, we did it by passing.

 

With no Bell threat they were rushing four and dropping 7. Dominant lines will kill doing that. (Jets, bucs, Ravens)

 

exactly. the run was working and we quit doing it.

 

I feel like I have to make a couple of points here guys.

1.) I don't think I have seen anyone on here lately suggesting a return to the glory days of ground and pound that we saw under Cowher with Bettis bowling people over. One of the things I would like to see is an effective running game that is feared especially late in games and in particular in the redzone. We talk about working on redzone efficiency but that can be improved by having an effective short yardage game. The one yard plunge is part of that but so is faking an inside run then busting it outside to the pylon, or hitting a PA pass to a FB or TE in the flat.

2.) The sky is the limit with the passing game but Ben's record when having to shoulder the load is 50/50 at best. I say this not as a knock against him but because when a defense can pin its ears back and get after him it limits his effectiveness and as someone else pointed out if they get consistent pressure with just the front four with coverage behind it his numbers drop as well. In no way do I want the game plan to be Ben passing and nothing else. The stats show that Ben's win/loss percentages go up with a balanced attack and between 25-35 throws.

3.) Predictability will be hard to establish if they mix up not only the running game but also the passing game as well. They have enough weapons to spread the ball around and keep the defense honest. Working Archer into the mix, passing to Bell/Williams/Johnson in the flats, increasing throws not just to Heath but Spaeth or even whatever 3rd TE they choose will make things very confusing for any defense they face.

 

I like the 'idea' of Dri Archer, but unless he's improved on his kick return abilities he may have a difficult time making the final roster. I also think that Bell will be utilized as more of a receiver this year....I could even see him exceeding his reception total last year in only 13 games.

 

we can start to play teams differently and i hope we do. with bell and williams and the addition of james, heath and hopefully spaeth finally healthier, not to mention willj and archer mixed in, we could play h*ll on other teams LB'ers to have their hands full when they load up the fronts to pressure ben and the speed and size of our receivers dragging the DB's downfield. our underneath game should flourish against average LB'er play. it also opens up so much more and i hope ben can and will exploit it.