A little perspective on finding a franchise QB.

Ben was injured in KC because he held the ball to long. Ben was injured the past 2 or 3 seasons because he held the ball to long.

There was no excuse for the INT's vs Denver, Cowboys, and Cincy. All 3 of those games were close and winnable if not for the picks that Ben threw in the end. The team counted on Ben to win those types of games in the past. That's what I mean about the "it" factor. Ben pulled games like those out in the past. The offense is probably never going to be a top 5 scoring offense with Ben as the QB.

I don't believe that Ben is the type of QB that gets better as he ages. Primarily because of the way he likes to play.

The questions for the near future is how much money does Ben want and how much do the Steelers believe he is worth? Ben should attempt to get as much money as possible. Is he worth 30+ million in guaranteed money at this point of his career with the way he plays the game?

 

Interesting and good points on both sides of this debate. You can say and think what you want but all I know is what I see with my eyes. Ben has pretty much stunk this year for sure and has played below average the last couple of years. For all the Ben lovers out there waiting for him to lead the Steelers to another super bowl, good luck with that! Its over.

 

I appreciate your point of view, but I have to take issue with your statement about the organization drafting plenty of weapons. They have drafted poorly. The O-line has been one of the worst over the 9+ years that Ben has been the QB. Our RB's have been subpar for most of that time. We have only had one viable TE in the last 10 years and our WR's are not elite (compare with Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker.) I just don't see where we have supplied Ben with the weapons. We have certainly burned the draft picks, but they have not panned out. That is not Ben's fault. That is the organization's fault. Again, I will ask the question - when was the last time the Steelers had a top notch offense? This has been going on for a lot longer than Ben's tenure. Cowher never had a top notch offense either. Thats because the Rooneys are not good at fielding a good offense. They are defensive-minded owners. That is why when they already had the best defensive coordinator in the league, they hired a head coach that was also a defensive coordinator.

 

People like yourself will always make excuses for Ben. Ben didn't have this or Ben didn't have that. Ben's played with several number picks on the offensive side of the football. Ben's generally had good WR's. Ben made the Oline look a lot worse then it was at times because of his tendency to hold onto the ball to long. Ben's tendency to hold the ball changed the approach defenses had towards him. Ben could have all the weapons in the league and he would not produce points at the highest level. It's just not his game. The thing about it is that Ben played well with the weapons he had at times. The consistency from the QB position was what was lacking. The Steelers offense made the red zone plenty of times. Ben seemed to struggle in the red zone because he has issues placing the ball into tight windows on a consistent basis.

The Steelers had a top 5 scoring offense in 1995. They had a top 7 scoring offense in 1997 and 2001. The reason why the Steelers haven't had a top notch scoring offense consistently is because they haven't had a capable QB to lead a top 5 scoring offense.

 

Injury was no excuse for Ben to throw 3 game sealing INT's.

 

Hypothetical trade we trade #7 to Houston. We aquire Kirk Cousins from the Redskins
We now have the ability to compete in the the cap world. And aquire a younger player
for a beat up one, This will also free us up to add other players that this team so desperatley needs.

 

Your own words prove my point. "generally had good WR's" "Ben made the Oline look worse.." If you could honestly say Ben has had really good WR's or the Oline has been solid or he has had excellent RB's, then maybe you would have a point. Our offense has been subpar for too long to blame Ben and here is my last point. If you truly believe that Ben is the reason that the offense is subpar, which I don't, that is ownership's fault as well.

 

Would we possibly be able to trade for RGIII, Cam Newton, or Colin Kaepernick?

 

No. It's not even a remote possibility

 

I like Cousins. I am just afraid he would be another Kolb or Flynn, without seeing him get some more snaps.
I still think Ben has a few more good years in him.

 

In Ben we trust.

 

You could really say that about any QB, Its not that I dislike Ben R. I am one of his biggest supporters, I just do not
believe he has a whole lot of years left. With our cap problems for next year, he is our only commodity that will bring us something back, that we so deperatley need.
Wait till they start purging players next year, you think this is bad,WAIT

 

We're better off tanking and drafting Jameis Winston. He won't be eligible until the 2015 draft, but at the rate he is going, there is no doubt he will be more highly-touted than all three of these guys.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/530308/jameis-winston

 

Your right, this (^^^ your comment above) is what it comes down to.

 

Ben had really good offensive weapons. The QB is the leader of the offense. You can't separate sub-par scoring offense from the play of the QB. Ben's inconsistent play was a large part of the the reason why the offense was sub-par in producing points for the past 10 years.

Ben had really good games with the weapons he had. Ben couldn't maintain a high enough level of play on a consistent basis. Ben struggled and continues to struggle a lot of time throwing with anticipation, knowing where to go with the football, accuracy, pre-snap reads, and fitting the ball into tight windows. Simply put he struggles mostly with the mental aspect of the game. As a result, he continues to hold onto the ball to long at times. If I can see that Ben likes to hold onto the ball to long then I am sure defenses know it. Holding onto the ball to long creates opportunities for defenses to make plays. There were times Ben did those things well. Ben never developed the necessary consistency in his game to take the offense to a higher level. Ben deserves a majority of the blame in that regard. He was hell bent on doing things his way.

I don't believe he will improve much more in those areas after 10 years. Bad habits die hard. You don't see it because you don't want to see it. You prefer to place a majority of the blame outside of the player that's mostly responsible for the offensive results, the QB.

 

Your spot on. We could go to the ends of he Earth to find a OC but it wouldn't matter,he is what he is at this point. It's disheartening knowing that as his improv skills start yo diminish ,so will his success. I was all for getting rid of Arians because I thought a new OC would bring a more structured type O that would take this offense into the 21st century. It looks like we might stay stuck in the stone ages.

While I have to admit Ben still absolutely gives us the best chance to win still,things won't be getting any easier for him with his style of play.i also happen to think that Ben has had some pretty decent weapons at his disposal and it's part of the QBs job to make the players better. Unless there is a major change in his mentality of what it takes to be a more consistent QB,we will continue to live by the sword and die by it.