Is Ben on the decline?

He still has the fire, but his abilities seem to be fading. There seem to more bad results than good when he extends the play, sacks, fumbles, incompletes, and interceptions. His fourth quarter ability to come back or even hold a lead have almost disappeared. How often do we need one more first down to run the clock and we can't get it. Also, his red zone passing is falling off, he can't get the ball to a receiver in the end zone.

I think next year will be another injury prone, inconsistent year like this one, then after that he will be an average quarterback. We need to start developing the next QB son.

 

develop an another oc first then let's see if the problem is ben :roll:

 

I was thinking the same thing, is Ben too slow/stupid, or beat up for this new offense? ( his spot on rainbow passes are gone)

You watch Brees and Rodgers those guys work like machines, then you watch Ben, it's like watching your grandmother shopping at the grocery store trying to find the best deals. Heath and Brown are the only 2 deals he can find.

 

Freak, I was talking about execution. You may have noticed that the OC is not out there throwing or dropping the ball.

 

No they are not. He played last week on a 60% healthy ankle and had to deal with a wind that gusted over 40 at times. Check the Pats game when he outplayed Brady by playing like Brady. The hope is Arians puts together a better gameplan to take advantage of our WR's during the playoffs.

 

That is hilarious. I will never be able to watch Roethlisberger without this image in my mind, or take my grandmother shopping without thinking she is good at extending the play.

 

Ben is not "falling off." He's playing banged up, right now. But make no mistake: This season is Ben being Ben.

An inability to scramble as much will hurt his game since he missed the initial windows for the WRs sometimes. I heard a stat on a game that something like 46% of completions are on broken/secondary routes by WRs. I believe I heard that on the 49ers game... So, Ben's going to be a bit off.

I think he will make the necessary adjustments in the playoffs. He needs to be a little more Brady/Brees/Rodgers-like with dropping the deep ball into the bread basket for the WRs. He doesn't have to be pinpoint, but he needs throw it so it's easy for the WR to get YAC on the deep ball. Wait... scratch that... He just needs to make sure they don't have to break stride to catch it. Lol!

Also, I hope he checks down to Redman a few times. That guy in the open field should be quite a show.

 

guys don't feed the troll. This thread is just a "It isn't BA's fault, its the players execution thread" in disguise.

 

I give Ben a slim pass because he is hurt but, the OC is a big problem. If he doesn't develop good game plans for these playoffs, we will be out very quickly. We all know Arians inconsistant game plans. He runs when they should pass, and he passes when they should be running. The redzone problems are well documented, and Shawn Suisham is very inconsistant and unreliable.

So what it comes down to is, the offense will have to come with there "A" game for us to do anything in the playoffs. If they play the way the did against, the Browns, Chiefs, Jaguars, the Ravens first game, Colts, Texans, and 49ers, they will be going home quickly.

BTW, you do understand that the Steelers lost to every playoffs team on there schedle this year 0-4, Baltimore twice, the Texans, and the 49ers, three of them on the road. So, lets see if they can right the ship and bring home number seven!!!

 

Yeah, the QB play is no concern.

 

Ben has been living on the edge with his scrambling for years. He keeps that ball out there to be swatted. In previous years he has been lucky, but this year he has had a bunch of fumbles.

I partly blame the offensive line earlier this year. I also blame Ben and BA for not evolving. 4 years from now Ben won't be able to scramble like he used to. His game and the play calling needs to evolve so he doesn't get plastered.

 

Yeah take him and his AFCG's and 3 superbowl appearences out back and shoot him. he was done from day one.
I wish I was close enough to reach out and slap the DOGMESS out of all you guys saying he's done

Also, I hope the team sees THUGGS running his face on 1st and 10 about us. He is trying to NOT say Pittsburgh or Steelers.

 

If 150 of his 325 pass completions are based on ad lib, this isn't all on Ben. It implies that the guys don't have a direction or a gameplan put into place about where the weak spots are in the defense they are facing. It also could explain why one week we look like gangbusters and the next like the Browns. If you run this play, you go here. It could also mean that our WRs can't get open under the devised route which is called. That reflects either to their abilities or to the design of the play. It is hard to know. It is possible that this is how Ben wants to play. If that is the case, he needs to be reigned in. I only hope that what we saw in the NE game is a gameplan we can execute throughout the playoffs.

 

More like his Offnsive Line and Offensive Coordinator has been on the decline his entire career.

Give Ben the type of Offensive line play of the Partiots or the playcalling of the Saints and he would be 14-2 or 15-1.

What Ben actually needs is discipline and just a little better coaching. JMHO.

 

I agree with the below. I watched the Saints on and off the last 2 weeks and I don't think Brees even had to wash or iron his uniform when he was done. He was barely touched. Now granted he gets rid of the ball quickly but even when he doesn't he can have a cup of coffee and a donut before anyone touches him. I dream of the day when we have a line like that. My opinion is that Ben is a great QB because of what he's accomplished with a swiss cheese line. But we would be talking about Marino, Brees, Rodgers, Brady type numbers and league MVP awards if we had a line like Saints or Patriots.

 

I hate this arguement. Brady makes that O-line look alot better than they are. When the QB gets the ball out in rhythem and on time the majority of the time, it makes the Oline play so much easier. When the Oline has no idea when the ball will be delivered or even where the QB will be, they cannot play to the apparent same level. IF BA and Ben could master the play calls, otimize routes based on what the defense does, and get timing down the Oline would look way better. When the play calling has the defense guessing vice knowing what is coming, it make the line's job alot easier. BA makes this line look worse than they are, and Ben's style compounds it.

I would be willing to bet we could swap Olines with the Pats and both teams in short order would look/play similar to how they look/play now.

 

You mean just like you're trying to turn it in to another "Fire BA" thread as if there isn't enough of that already in just about any thread you read on here anymore that involves the offense. I think the OP is asking a legit question. Ben's performance hasn't been as crisp this year especially when it comes to taking care of the ball be it INTs or fumbles. Physically he has been limited with the injuries but mentally he needs to start playing smarter and protect the ball better or our playoff run will be a very short one.

 

I don't think he on the decline but he has taken such a beating over just the last two years it's probably taking a toll on him. His oline has been below average to average at best since he's been here and he hasn't help them with him trying to extend plays. His relationship with Arians has been good but i think it's lasted too long. When you get to a point where the OC can't tell you what to do rather Ben does what he want's to do, it's time for a new OC.

 

I feel that this is Ben's best season so far.

He's basically playing with a cast on his leg and still may win a few Playoff games.

 

Outside of the inaccurate deep passes, Ben is playing at a high level.

Its the receivers and gameplan that makes him look like he is in decline.

Ben is fine.

 

Yeah Coastal Steeler, I was listening to the show while traveling back to CLNC. I will give Suggs credit, he didn't write any checks his but couldn't cash.

 

Hijacked, Y\you can't blame those fumbles and INTs on Ben, I dare you!!! Didn't you see Arians run out there, then he suckerd punched Ben and threw the football for a INT and on the next drive he ran out there and clipped Mendy forcing him to fumble. Yep, Fire Bruce Arians!!!

 

um, no.
The Steelers went 3-4 vs other playoff teams. You are forgetting 2 wins over the Bengals and the biggest win of the year, the win over New England.

 

I don't think Ben is in decline, he turns 30 in March and should be in the heart of his prime.

BUT......

Lots of folks seems to complain the Ben doesn't get his due, because he's not compared favorably with the guys like Manning, Brady, Brees etc. There is some merit in this complaint, as I think Ben is probably as smart as any of those guys.

Yet, here's a key difference. Ben improvises, that ain't all bad and in fact the Steelers have benefited from Ben's freestylin'. Consider this. BA gets slammed alot for the way he's run an offense, yet he has a QB that effecitvely often tosses the called play out the window and does something else. He does this very well, and he had an OC that doesn't get hacked off about it. However, I don't think it helps Ben in the long run. Manning and Brady act like coach's on the field, they understand the offenses design and how it works. Ben tosses out the play and reverts to sandlot. Again so far the trade off has worked the Steelers way.

So what does this have to do with Ben's potential decline? Well as the gazelles on the Serengedi get older, they better get smarter as they're not getting more athletic. I don't know if Ben is getting smarter fast enough. As his physical skills decline (and they do at 30), I'm not sure he has the same Peyton/Brady field sense to make up for them.

With this and accumulated injuries, I'm afraid that Ben may be finsished earlier than he should be.