Not a complaint, just an observation from the past 3 years.

Don't merge TTF! I want to see people's thoughts on this specific observation.

I have said for a long time that our current WR's are good, but way overrated, as well as unable to fill the void of the receivers of the past (like Hines/Plaxico/Holmes/ even Randel Els and Washingtons).

They are of the same skill sert obviously, but the striking point that was noticeably clear today, was that there are no go-to WR threats (unless Cothery? He shouldn't be at this point with how much we invested in Brown and potentially will invest in Sanders)

Wallace was the go-to deep threat, but who is now? Who is the guy that we target when we need to pick up a first down? Or to score a touchdown in the redzone? Heath is obviously, but a TE can only do so much, when healthy.

Bottom line, the o-Line is really bad but we know that. We also won Super Bowl 43 with a really bad O-line. Haley likes to call run plays and little dumb screens with really bad running backs, and thats a contributor to our offensive woes, but I strongly think that we need to find an actual possession receiver (whether in-house or outside), or players that we can trust to get us that first down or to score the touchdown. This is a passing league now, so we need possession receivers.

We clearly don't have that at the moment, and clearly our offense is bad.

 

The problem with the Steelers having a bad OLINE but we won with a bad oline before is this.

We had a bad Oline....but we were investing draft picks in other spots...so playmakers were being used.

Now we used those picks on OLINE...and still have an oline...and the playmakers are not there either.

HACK

 

Other than the OL a lot of our problems in the passing game was #7 hanging our receivers out to dry. A year or two back Steve Young was talking about the thihngs qb's do to their wide receivers these days. QB's used to be taught to put the ball where only the WR could make a play on it and if they couldn't they weren't set up for a monster hit. Ben and a lot of qb's these days don't do that anymore.

 

I can't believe you actually think Wallace was a go to receiver. He was anything but that. He was abdeepnthreat but not a go to guy.

Our go to guy is Heath. Brown is showing some promise in this area. But we have no Marshall or bolden type.

 

Some of these plays, the screens and such would work if the QB believed in them or for that matter believed in the receivers ability to make a play. The first sack Ben took today was because he pump faked on a slant route because he had zero confidence his WR's. The DB was behind the WR and yes he could have made a play but he also could have missed as well. Put the ball out in front of the him and let him make the play. Remember that wonderful article that someone linked too about the Dallas came last year and how Ben over thinks the plays trying to find ways to move the LB so he can get Heath the ball. It was a great article but I think it is a complete farce. At some point Ben lost confidence in these guys and pulls it down, pump fakes with it, scrambles, waits till they get open and then looks brilliant or takes a dumb sack. I liked watching Jones and Grads in the preseason because they executed the play, didn't always work but if it was a quick slant they threw it, if it was a bubble screen they threw it. If Ben doesn't like the play you know because it doesn't work.

 

We still have no run game.

 

Our problem is that we've lost the HEART guys:
Hines Ward
Aaron Smith
Casey Hampton

Our current players don't seem to have it and our coaching staff is not coaching our younger players up.

 

I said Wallace was the "go-to deep threat", not go-to guy like Hines was