Flat or nervous

For most of this season, and a good bit of the past few seasons, many on this board and elsewhere have complained that the Steelers often look flat and unprepared. I am wondering if there has been a misinterpretation of their behavior. I wonder if they have been nervous, not flat. A good many rookies, blown routes, poor execution, out of position, slow, penalties, etc. could all come from anxiety, which causes people to be slower, less coordinated, and not thinking optimally. Lord knows, playing as inconsistently as they do, they would have good reason to be nervous.

Their seeming lack of resiliance would be consistent with that as well. A few things don't go your way when you are nervous, and performance would go right down the tubes. A couple of things go right, and the nervousness goes away and you can perform well.

If this is true, it probably reflects (again) poor coaching, but a different kind than being flat and uninspired. The coaches have not built them up to believe in themselves and their ability to win. As a team. Together.

It also does not bode well for December, as every game from here on out is do or die, and the nerves may be sky high. If this interpretation is true, with the pressure on Sunday's game, unless the Bungles screw up, it could be a long and frustrating day.

I hope I am wrong.

 

I think you may have a point on offense. The argument against would be that it isn't always the rookies making the mistakes, though that's perhaps more on defense.

In the Saints game, when Bryant dropped the pass that was thrown right into his hands, you could put that down to his inexperience. Likewise some of the miscues with Wheaton and Ben.

But other times it's been the older players out of position, or being too slow, or trying to anticipate to make up for slowness and getting it wrong. Or just playing flat, like a certain C. Thomas. Stamina is another issue with the current D, as well.

 

I am not sure if you ever played organized football SA? You do go into each and every game with butterflies, but after that first hit they are gone.You are trained in PRACTICE to do your job, rely on what you learned. As much football as these guys have played nervousness is not a factor. Football is not complicated, can you beat the man across from you?

 

Steelers came out and beat three good teams in a row Houston, Indy and Baltimore. Then HC Mike Tomlin bans pre kickoff dancing or whatever, then the Steelers come out super flat against the Jets, Titans and Saints. I highly doubt Brown fumbling twice against the Jets were caused by Nerves or the Int's by Ben. The problem I see is the coaching staff is not motivating the players to play on a consistent basis, that simple! We all know as fans the Steelers are better than Tampa bay, the Jets, Browns, Saints. 3 wins outta those four put the Steelers at 10-3 and it would've saved a lot of gossip and criticism....

 

Ill tell who should be nervous, and that's Tomlin. The way he has coached this team the pst 4 years, and this team showing no signs of improvement at all. Is just pathetic . At least the media is starting to call for Tomlins head, which they have never done in the past... So here is hoping the write'in is on the For Tomlin

 

I'll take just not very good for $1,000.

 

Come on, that's a bit of a reach. At the time, people were applauding that move, because it showed a disciplined approach that many felt were lacking.

I would be worried if it was just a question of motivation. If players need coaches to motivate them - and I'm not talking about getting them to that uber-level of motivation, like for a grudge match, but just motivated to play ball well - then we need new players.

I would also be worried if motivation was the reason Brown fumbled twice. That's more of a problem of having a team that is unbalanced in terms of ability and experience. We should have the weapons to deal with one player mis-firing.

If you want to pin poor gameplanning on the coaches, then that's a stronger case. Not playing to our own strengths, a stronger case also.

 

Yup. As Ben pointed out in a recent interview if you cannot get up for games then there is something wrong with you. Especially those divisional games. Seems like the Steelers only get up for divisional games anymore. Exception was the Browns embarrassment

 

In many cases, the team just looks downright unprepared. To Tomlin, football is more a game of attrition than it is of preparation. He thinks if you out-block, out-tackle, out-run and out-muscle your opponent, you'll win the game. He oversimplifies it. The problem is, EVERY team in the NFL has world class athletes lining up to play. If it always has to come down to who beats their guy then you'll lose as many of those battles as you'll win and, as a result, you'll play maddeningly inconsistent football. The coaches that work hard to develop a focused strategy and gameplan designed to exploit the other team's weaknesses and give itself an advantage over certain tendencies that they've uncovered on tape are the ones capable of the most success. I've seen the Steelers do that before, games against the Pats and the Colts in the playoffs a few years ago come to mind, but for the most part we don't seem to do much to gain a strategic edge over our opponents.

Attrition will only take you so far. Football is a chess match in many ways and you've got to figure out how to get your opponent in checkmate. I think Tomlin's own words when he was hired give us a glimpse as to why his teams are so frustrating to watch and inconsistent:

"I'm a fundamentalist AS OPPOSED to scheme."
--Mike Tomlin when he was hired by the Steelers

 

I doubt this can be boiled down to nervousness. These guys are playing at the highest professional level possible, and as professionals, they need to be used to (or get used to) playing under pressure with millions of eyes on them pretty quickly.

While I can't draw a direct parallel, I play lead guitar and play in front of an audience on average 1 to 2 times a month. The first few times, there are definitely jitters, especially for some particular solos, but after a few times of playing in front of an audience, you should just naturally become more used to it. Yeah, I still get butterflies before each performance, but as Wardismvp said, that generally goes away once you get out there and get started.

For the money these guys make and the fact that this is the NFL, these guys shouldn't be letting butterflies or nervousness be an issue, especially not for a high number of players on a single team.

 

if you want to be successful at this game it takes everything you mentioned. strategy, preparation, toughness, attrition, being in shape, having a good offseason program as well as an in season program. these may be world class athletes but not always world class smarts to go with it in many cases.

these players from the time they begin football are told how to do everything, including practice and prepare. I think too much is left up to some players by this staff. too many times I hear they are professionals and much is left up to individual players to prepare themselves. nobody pushing them. some guys are not good at things on their own. when it all has to mesh together than there is a discourse.

we have heard of the o-line having to meet together to get better on their own. what????? why?? for the money these guys make, it should be a year round job. spring ball, winter conditioning, weight lifting, surgeries if needed, training, diet, class room. this would mesh the whole team, not just the o-line or d-line, or ben working in cali with a couple select receivers. they should hit training camp with this done already, not for team building at that point. practicing too hard?? c'mon foster, that would be the first step to me that you are getting cut if I were the coach.

 

I have seen this team look flat b4 , and it has nothing to do with winning or losing, They looked prty damn flat to me when they where playing the Texans, before they got the Trnover, that seemed to spark the trn around in that game. .Which is only one example, there have been plenty orthers.. And as far as Tomlins job, Just what is it ?? I have heard him say that the has no prt of OFFENSIVE game plan, and the same about the Defensive as well, so if he doesnt MOTIVATE the team, which i believe he is to inept to do that. just what the hell does he do besides draw a check each week

 

My perspective is that they just flat out suck on defense and therefore need to play error free offensively.

I don't think they are nervous. They're just not that good.

Corners are a joke and have been for years.

They DL better come out and try to rattle Dalton early and often or he will look like Peyton Manning pretty quick with AJ Green and Mohammad Sanu.

BTW - I'm calling a Sanu pass in this game so Tomlin and LeBeau better be expecting it as well. The Bengals can try and make a statement with this game and will pull out all stops to do so.

 

Its very easy to see when they are playing together and "gelling"; they are smiling, having fun on offense, the defense is whooping it up, the crowd gets into it... thats when they are winning. So we know they can control their emotions, because they settle down and still play the next down.

Just to say that they are professionals and aren't nervous would be wrong, they are human and strive to do the best they can, that in itself will make them nervous but like Wardismvp said, after the first hit that all goes away. But does it? What about the first kick, catch, pass. All the guys who we need to play well.

Nerves have something to do with it but it really comes down to training; nerves are natural, and when you train properly you can be successful be relying on that training. There isn't one of us who goes to work that hasn't been trained.
So the problem of weak play starts there-- at the training facility--

 

So if they do complete a trick play that means Tomlin and DL didn't have them prepared?

 

Coach Tomlin is on a g- string hanging on for his coaching job. If the Steelers don't make the playoffs he should be fired asap. I'm sure there is a divide in that locker room which explains what's happening with the Steelers. There is more to the Blount story that we will never find out, I noticed Ben looked upset early on in the Saints game. Also, Tomlin has no emotion whatsoever on bad calls by refs, bad play by his players nor bad calls by his assistant coaches. Our coach is boring so he should change it up a little and fire some spit with this team.... Tomlin is tiresome really is....

 

I think the word flat has been overused, I have done it too. Flat makes it sound like they don't care and really I do they think care, maybe not as much as us the rabid fan, but I think they want to win. I buy into nerves somewhat, nerves can sometimes be a little bit of a friend too. I think of times where I have performed piano in front of others, had a big presentation to management, or had a big test in college and I think some level of butterflies is good because it means you care.

I go back to what JackAttack alluded to with Tomlin's quote about fundamentals vs. scheme and the reason I think the Steelers so often look off is they are not prepared. And this goes back to what others have said like 12to88 where I believe Tomlin really has never built an identity for his team. So they in essence don't seem to know what they want to be and going into games that turns into not knowing what they really should do.

 

If a trick play does happen, (which I believe there is a good possibility) It depends on how it unfolds as to whether MT and DL has the team prepared for it.

A Sanu to Dalton Pass where he is wide open I would consider being unprepared. A Sanu to TE behind coverage I would also have the same thought. Some other razzle dazzle play where there is coverage but they still pull it off I would consider the play being prepared for.

But then again any basic shotgun formation with a small pump fake and either Gay, Taylor, Mitchell, Polamalu or Allen may bite big time anyways.

Bottom line, our secondary does not match up well with Cincy's talented receiving core and therefore they need to rattle Dalton.

 

They don't look flat when they are losing..they look flat as soon as they take the field.

 

My fear is that we'll see our CBs chasing one of their WRs from about 15 yards behind them after we've bitten on the out and up. Remember the washed up receiver who torched Gay in the Tennessee game and the ineffective second year guy who torched Ike in the NO game. Man, we play downright DUMB football at times!

 

Yea. the secondary is horrid at times. I wonder if it's the talent or Carnell Lake not being a very good coach.

 

I would like to offer that in the case of Cam Thomas that he comes out FLAT, FAT, and NERVOUS.

 

Not sure why you quoted me, as this doesn't seem to relate to anything my post said?

I think you're right that there's probably a lot going on in the locker room that we'll never know about. I get that feeling from watching the team.

But just on the highlighted bit though - that accusation is also kind of tired. I've seen Tomlin get visibly angry and annoyed many times. There's no point expecting him to be Harbaugh-level of angry about things, because that's not who he is. And when you say he should "change it up", yet it could be argued that the team seems to come out with a different philosophy each game...