Redzone strategy...

This game wasn't a problem, but for years we have been consistently going shotgun with no back inside the 10 yard line. So the opposing defense have no fear of a run play because they know Ben is not gonna run for yardage. Last week we were like at the 3 yard line going 5 wide?? Makes my blood boil, especially if we fail to score. So I beg anyone to educate me as to why do we consistently do this as a team?? If I was coach, I would at least put Bell back there to keep the front honest. If we're honest, we must admit that our team has issues in the common sense department....

 

Their front was playing stout today and also that shovel pass is basically a running play anyway and has resulted in two touchdowns already this year.

 

Maybe I take this too serious when I shouldn't. He did it in the past & did it again today. On a 4th down play, been went to the line knowing he wasn't gonna snap the ball & burned our last timeout. I'm thinking we're up by 11, kick this FG, then we're up by 2 touchdowns minimum. If we're gonna go for it on 4th, go for it, stop messing around. End result was wasting our last time out & not even getting the FG attempted. I'm looking at Coach Tomlin at such disgust. I remember Ben wasted our 1st timeout early during the 3rd quarter when we lost to the Packers in the SB, and we paid for it dearly. He's still my guy but Ben disgust me every time he does this. You never see Tom Brady doing this...

 

1st and goal on the 5 we should be in some formation that we can run out of. We should also do some PA in there too.

 

Speaking of Brady, that's one of the thing that always bugs me about the Steelers and 3/4 and short. How many times have we seen Brady do the QB keeper and get that yard or two? And he's a guy who tries to shy away from Contact. Yet a 240lb (yeah, who's he kidding) 6'5 QB can't get a yard doing that?

 

Their overall defense is a top five unit; their front seven the same. Linval Joseph and Eric Kendricks are run stoppers and darn good ones at that.


Obtaining a hard fought victory is something to celebrate; 23 points against such a defense doubly so.


Would I like it if our redzone oppurtunities equated into more sixe's than three's? Absolutley. However, the most important aspect of this past Sunday was the win.

 

Of course the win is the most important "obviously " and we know they have a stout D but it happens way more than it should against a lot of teams that aren't quite as stout too....Idk but sometimes it looks like our Red Zone strategy starts with a sharp stick and some dirt.....just sayin'

 

Getting sacked repeatedly on 3rd down in the red zone makes me wish I had hair so I could pull it out.

 

If the execution was good against teams with inferior defensive talent and nevermind the top ones then much of issues some have with the strategy itself become non issues.

 

True....I think. At the same time some of the play calls and decision making when we do get down there such as formations (empty sets) etc....leave a lot to be desired. Of course in hindsight if you can say we executed the play call then yes you can say we had a positive result...but the fact is some of the play calling didn't put our guys in the best position to execute(succeed)...in other words the play was probably doomed from the start...

 

After all of these years with two head coaches,4 offensive coordinators etc I'm pretty positive it's not the opponents,our scheme or play calling, but #7 himself. We've seen the same thing for years and the only common is Ben.

 

we don't even wait to get in the red zone anymore because we are not efficient at it. we now bomb it to the end zone from the 30 out to avoid that area.

 

Same premise as the Bell thread. To be effective in that area you need to make Defenders commit immediately . Not just the threat of the run , but how that run is ran . Blast,Power, and dive type of runs with the RB at full tilt . This forces Defenders to sell out to fill those gaps if you PA that is when you see guys behind it wide open off of PA ..I guess that is another thing that Pewee ball has taught me.

It don't work in the NFL though I guess ?

 

More Todd Haley/Mike Tomlin apologist.

 

the trouble is when we are at the 30 or just outside the 30 and a first down keeps us in the drive we tend to take the all or nothing approach to that play. to the EZ is a much higher percentage play to make at that point. get the first and bomb it towards the EZ not on 3rd down after you have missed twice on 1st and 2nd and even worse don't throw into double coverage. someone else is open and probably keeps your drive alive. yes we were owning them at that point but we just let teams hang around that way. we need to finish them off so do it in a methodical way. keep their defense on the field for longer and make them that much more tired in that heat. AB can be used as a decoy too. let them double him all day. ben has to quit forcing him the ball when eli is tearing them up chunks at a time. just not smart football.

 

You have to wonder 6'5" 250 and won't sneak?

 

Be careful! Tread lightly or you will be asking for a onslaught of " we are nothing without Ben(partially correct )wait til Ben's gone( not looking forward to it that's for sure) and you probably don't remember the years before Ben(I certainly do) and many more ,but you have touched on a valid point. Ben is a great QB there's no denying that but there also no denying that he is inconsistent and that is a major factor in our RedZone struggles...
It pains me to say that he isn't as good as Brady or Rodgers ,he's just not and that's ok. Trying to compare him to them is like comparing Lebron to Jordan....I love his toughness and rare ability especially in the beginning of his career with no Oline to make something out of nothing. You still see flashes once in a while but there was and always will be inconsistency with his passing and decision making....

 

Oh I remember life without Ben all too well. I also remember life without Bradshaw. Or if you prefer life with Brister, Graham....
He's a very good quarterback, but he has his limitations. Could he have been as good a qb as Brady? Possibly, but I really don't think he put in the work needed in the early parts of his career. Brady is a true student of the game and stays in peak physical condition. I don't think anyone could say the same about Ben. They might try, but it's complete and utter bs. He got by on being a tough as nails qb that never gave up on a play. It worked well for a while, but has its limitations. one glaring example of that is in the red zone. People can get as pissed off as they want, but the fact of the matter is we have been middle of the pack or worse in the red zone for almost his entire career. If I remember correctly he has two seasons where we've been top 10. When the only common denominator is Ben then you have to start looking at Ben.

 

Tough to argue.....I will add that Ben is/was a very athletic dude but he has clearly slowed the last few years. He has gotten by on that athleticism and toughness as you said....problem is as you get older you can't rely on it nearly as much. You can't just get by you have to put in even more work mentally and physically to maintain a high level of play. Some athletes have that insatiable drive to be the best they can be and others just rely on their gifts until those gifts betray them. It's what separates the great from the all time greats....we all know those athletes by name. There's no shame in Ben's game ,he's just not the best of the best....and like you said a big part of the RedZone issues we have.

 

He did it twice it worked once. I'll take that.

Ben is too big to sneak well. What you need is someone who can squeeze through the gaps fast. Brady is not running over people on sneaks.

 

Yeah the Bus retired and Haley does not know how to adjust, he just has a few ideas in his head and can not think on his feet.

 

You got that right Mac