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Not Trying to Create a QB Controversy Here

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by STEELWINDS, Nov 7, 2019.

  1. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    I won't disagree, but my only real complaints are his accuracy and tentativeness. I have seen what he can do. His ability to hit receivers in stride or deliver a deep ball with some touch on it can't have diminished because of his supporting cast. I don't fault him for errant throws when the pocket has collapsed around him or when he's scrambling for his life. I just want to see better mechanics and better delivery because I know he's more than capable of it.
     
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  2. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    Well at least we agree on SOMETHING!! ;)
     
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  3. Jujubean

    Jujubean Well-Known Member

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    the mechanics part is on MR. The hesitancy or lack of confidence could because guys simply are not getting open or he doesn’t trust them to get separation. It’s kind of a chicken or the egg scenario honestly.
     
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  4. pjgruden

    pjgruden

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    Neither you nor I knows how much Ben studies game film. I only know by what I've seen or read. And everything I've ever seen says that Ben's preparation isn't his strong suit.
    And yes, I've read that same thing Ben has come in to camp in great shape the last couple of years. Great shape as compared to what? Great shape for him, or great shape for a starting NFL qb?
    I appreciate the wins that Ben has given this franchise. But no one player is bigger than the organization. Sometimes the tough decisions have to be made with players. The team can't let sentimentality rule the way they build their football team. Ben's best days are past him. They won't win another SB with him at the helm.
    I'd like to be wrong in this, and will gladly say that you or anyone else is right and I was a fool to think otherwise. I just don't think that will happen.
     
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  5. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey Glory.

    Yes, I talked to a friend of mine who is a HS football coach. He followed Mason's collegiate career and stated, like you, that he is more than "capable" of making a variety of throws. Once again, is this a COACHING/TEACHING issue that seems to be a rampant plague amongst our seemingly incompetent coaching staff. Coaching is Teaching. Maybe our coaches don't get that concept and that is why some of our players do not flourish in our system.

    I know I am about to deviate here from the "O" to the "D" but this is especially an issue in the secondary; where our HC is supposedly an expert. Our DBs have come and gone at an alarming rate. And what is the common denominator you may ask....Tomlin. Just an observation. STEELWINDS
     
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  6. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    I agree. I also coached in high school. Assistant in football and head in crew. And I have been a fan of MR for a long time. That's my particular angle on why I'm so disappointed with our coaching staff.

    I coached just like I raised my children. The successes were on them. The failures were on me. As a parent or coach (or teacher), your very reason for being is to prepare your kids for what lies ahead. You won't always get it right, but it's not their fault if, and when, you don't.

    Preparation. Man, that just burns my biscuits when a plan fails due to not being prepared. That is something you can control. So control it. Your plan might be flawed or your opponent might just have a better one. But there's no excuse for not being prepared.

    Now, in regard to MR, I'm on the fence with who is to blame for his mechanics. Someone on our staff can definitely work with him, and should. But he has too much demonstrated ability to be having mechanical issues regardless of our inept coaches. I've been scratching my head for weeks over him throwing off his back foot and not tracking/leading his receivers. If he had started the season with a concussion, I would be pointing directly at that and saying he hasn't recovered. But I'm seeing the same qb pre and post concussion. I think he's recovered. I'm miffed.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2019
  7. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    Couldn't agree more.

    But that tentativeness is what makes me say he lacks "it", lacks fire. We are all used to Ben and how he approached a game. Ben was more competitive than he was good, and he was pretty damn good. But he wanted to win so badly that he just made things happen. Sometimes he made mistakes by taking chances. But more often, he made the incredible happen.

    MR, right now, is not that gunslinger, win-at-all-costs qb that we're lucky to have had under center for so many years. I'm not used to not having that. So he looks out of place. He looks vanilla. And if his mechanics were good, he would look like a good qb who is not Ben. But since he is struggling, he just looks like a stop-gap until Ben or his replacement shows up.

    I have no doubt that he can be a good qb on Sundays. I'm fine with giving him time to develop. But at this moment, he is not performing to my, or probably his, expectations.
     
  8. thesteeldeal

    thesteeldeal Well-Known Member

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    Maybe if MR had a actual QB coach to lean on he could help to clean up some of the details in his game. Ben always had a QB coach even as a veteran. Fichtner was his QB coach while Haley was here. Now Fichtner is tasked with double duty when he already has his hands full as the OC? We have two young QBs on the roster that could use some more personal attention. Makes no sense to me....
     
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  9. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey Glory days.

    I always enjoy conversing with you. Good Stuff!

    One thing, more so on the raising of the children that you quoted:

    "I coached just like I raised my children. The successes were on them. The failures were on me. As a parent or coach (or teacher), your very reason for being is to prepare your kids for what lies ahead. You won't always get it right, but it's not their fault if, and when, you don't."

    I think, just me personally now, that you may be a little to hard on yourself here. I have step-daughters and step-grandsons, have worked with thousands of students, and many, many athletes. Yes, it is our job to prepare them for life, sports, and other encounters from A-Z. Unfortunately, even the best laid out plans do not always unfold the way that you intended for them too. However, there are instances when I have worked with them and sometimes I do not get the desired outcomes and of course that is with the best intentions in mind.

    As long as the best objectives and intentions were in place, all you can do is implement them and hope for the best outcomes. It is a learning process. We learn and grow, like they do from experience. Just hopefully, any mistakes that they may make are not too costly. I try to see things from many angles. The new, the old, and the repetitive. Many variables have to be considered on this entire process of "guiding". What may have worked once or for one individual may not be the best course of action for the next child or the next time the same event presents itself.

    I know you get the gist of what I am saying. Just do not be too hard on yourself when things do not always work out the way you had hoped. Even the best thought out plans have a flaw somewhere. We try our best, "To leave no stone unturned" as the saying goes but the key is to have all parties involved learn and grow from the event. Just the Guardian/Teacher/Coach in me.

    Trust me, I am equally hard on myself, when things do not go according to plan. That is whether it is on the Homefront, school, or playing field. Just keep marching on, self-reflect, and keep an open mind.

    Take care my friend. Go B & G. STEELWINDS
     
  10. steelersrule6

    steelersrule6 Well-Known Member

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    Yeah exactly, going by what someone in the media or fans say Ben doesn't study enough, they don't know either. Ben still gives the team the best chance to win a SB, it sure ain't Rudolph.
     
  11. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    You're correct on all fronts. And I do put undue, sometimes, pressure and responsibility on myself. But consider my reaction while employing that philosophy. The successes solicit praise and encouragement for the kids. I take no public credit for their "wins." But I relish in their success as much, if not more, than they do because I'm a part of it. The failures, however, are not theirs to own. They are teaching/learning moments. When I take on the failure and accept its weight, it establishes that we're in this together. And many times, they will want to take ownership of the fault. It's very gratifying when an athlete says, "No coach, that was on me." In my humble opinion, it is laying the foundation for a life of taking responsibility.

    But we're getting way off subject here. That was my fault. ;)
     
  12. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    All good Glory.

    Yes, it is easy to veer off here at times.
    Take care. STEELWINDS
     
  13. LoneGranger

    LoneGranger Well-Known Member

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    Merril Hoge agrees with you. See this video and what he has to say about the unblinking Rudolph.
     
  14. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Thanks LoneGranger.

    See great minds think alike (smile). I am not a "I Told You So Guy". Not my style. Besides, that is unproductive. Plus we are all united as a "Steeler Front" and must stick together. It is not like anyone of us here are watching anything different than Merril and I. It just validates what is right there on film. Up to this point, Mason has done a good job of keeping himself and the "O" out of trouble. Now, those causing the problems, A.K.A. "The Troublemakers" (laughing here) need to get their acts together. So, for those who IMO have been tough on Mason, I am really not sure why. As I stated, the wounds have been self-inflicted by others not known as "Mason". STEELWINDS
     

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