For all those dozen or so BA backers on this board

Here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1030 ... rn-in-2012

If you don't want to listen to reason from the hundred or so of us on this board who have been trying to convince you otherwise, maybe this (impartial) article about why BA should not return will do the trick!

 

Good read! It's basically all the same stuff we have been saying for the last couple of years.I doubt it will change the minds of his disciples.

 

Lmao bleacher report aka message boarders. The offense has been in the top half of the league for three straight seasons.

 

Told Ya!

 

When an actual steelers beat writer writes something i will buy it but not from a fan and that is all bleacher report is or guys who aren't good enough to write for a legit paper

 

I don't see any BA BACKERS on this board as you call them. I see people who blame him for everything that goes wrong offensively and want him burned at the stake and then there are people like me who think player execution issues have contributed to the poor offensive production just as much and probably more than BA's coaching has. Matter of fact the people in this camp often reference in their posts they have no alliegance to BA whatsoever and could care less whether he stays or goes. If you're called a BA BACKER simply because your position is that player performance, especially the OL issues, has hurt us as much and even more than BA's coaching then so be it I guess but you're not being honest about our position on the issue. There seems to be this perception on here by some that we have the greatest offensive skill players in the NFL and if they were only coached better we'd be blowing teams out of every game. That's nothing but Steeler bias. Ben's clearly nowhere near the best QB even on 2 good legs. Mendy one of the best RB's in the NFL, really ? Yes our WR's are very talented but also very young and lack experience. We do have a probowl TE but after Heath then what do we have ? Finally an offensive line that was nothing more than a revolving door of players all year long of which most of them wouldn't be talented enough to start for the majority of teams in the NFL.

As I've said many times on here and on the old official MB I could care less if BA stays or goes. I just know that when he goes it won't take very long for some here to hate his replacement because the Steelers will not be the offensive scoring machine they think it's going to be and if that does happen it will have more to do with moves the Steelers made with player personnel versus bringing in a new OC.

 

Smizik qualify as an "actual beat writer"? How about Ed Bouchette? They're all pretty much saying the same thing about our under achieving offense and that perhaps the Rooney's have had enough of it. Stay tuned as word has it BA has already been let go.

 

Did you even read the article?

 

I view coaches as having multiple roles, particularly coordinators. Coordinators must manage their position coaches, ensuring the players are learning the needed skills to execute the system being used. The coordinators design the system being used. They game plan for specific opponents. They call plays during the game. They make adjustments in-game. Coordinators do not do this in a vacuum - they coordinate with each other and the head coach on overall strategy.

If execution of skills in game is an issue, sure that is a player skill-level issue, but it is also a player development issue, which is a coordinator concern. The scheme designed needs to take into account the player's skill level and abilities. Look at John Fox and Tebow - he customized his offense to Tebow's skills. In a similar way, Arians has designed the Steelers' offense to Ben's skills - his most touted skill is his ability to extend plays, keep his eyes deep downfield, and throw the long ball when scrambling. A porous offensive line and speedy receivers play right into this skill. I think the major criticism with this approach is it is way too inconsistent, and really is not much of a plan. There are probably better ways to use the current talent and be more consistent. At least from a fan's perspective.

 

Heres the thing last year people wanted lebeaus head because the defense couldnt cover. Bring in coach lake and that gets fixed. So is arains or the oline coach wr coach te coach rb coach qb coach who knows but for the most part arains scheme is good and built to our strengths. Just like lebeau last year the players arent executing the game plan. One change turned in db coach turned everything around.

 

Of course I did. An article written by a fan who makes his own case on why he thinks Arians should not return. So what ? I've seen some on this board articulate that position as well and maybe even better at times (our own PWP). That doesn't mean everyone MUST agree with their opnion or position on the matter and if you don't agree with it that doesn't mean that you're a BA supporter but that's what some of you guys try to turn it in to. I support the Pittsburgh Steelers team. Not BA or any other one individual on the team and it's just my opinion that BA isn't the ONLY major reason the offense isn't more productive. So what, it's my opinion and I'm entitled to it just as you are entitled to your opinion. If the Steelers go in another direction and bring in a new OC and the offense produces better with all of the same players as this past year and we win more games because of it my opinion would have been wrong and that's fine with me. Winning a MB arguement on BA staying or going doesn't mean anything to me versus the Steelers actually performing better on offense regardless of the reason why.

 

You do realize that there are 32 teams in the NFL and that being in the top half is no real accomplishment right? Fact is our offense struggles to do its job which is putting up points. We shouldn't find it acceptable to be 22 in the league in scoring. (Bottom half by the way)

 

I dont but yinz put all the blame on arains and that's not right. We have no real redzone threat at wr so teams are clogging everything up with zones becuase our wrs are the same height as their dbs. Miller is good but imo he is not what he once was. I think suanders could fix this problem and if wallace leaves i would love for the steelers to go after floyd. Speed in the redzone means nothing. Ward was great in the redzone because he is great at reading zones. I think to lay all the blame on arians head is just dumb. Kugler was supposed to fix our line it still isnt good now i know there were injuries but the player development isnt there. I dont think pouncey got any better this year. Now they have hit on pouncey and gilbert and theu could be studs for a long time. Blame lies on every single persons shoulders that is on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries are what derailed our season not BA.

 

Most of what I'm seeing is predictable or downright foolish playcalling. I'm sorry but when commentators are saying in the broadcast booth that they know what play we will run simply because of the formation something needs to change. Almost all of our run plays are to the same spot, the infamous bubble screen needs to go, and besides that, BA needs to help Ben make some better decisions.

 

Now i will agree with you on the run plays with the exception of the reverse ti wallace.

 

I have no opinion on BA staying or going. Doesn't matter to me. However, remember, this article is from BleacherReport which is not written by journalists or sports experts. The writer may very well be a member on here for all we know.

 

Whoa. Stop spinning.

Smizik actually disagrees with what most anti BA guys here say. His reasoning for wanting a change is that he feels his personal relationship with Ben is too close.

And Ed Bouchette pretty much says the same thing as the "BA backers" on this board...that there are a lot of problems on offense, not just BA.

 

as it was mentioned before, just because someone doesn't pile on this ridiculous 'fire BA' bandwagon doesn't mean they're a "BA supporter." it seems to me that the so-called 'supporters' are the only ones looking at this thing rationally. a change wouldn't necessarily mean an improvement. like john kerry in '04, you just don't scream about how you need to change and how leadership needs to implement a better plan while not being able to, yourself, offer a better plan. what's your plan? get rid of BA and then what? bring in who? who is this messiah of offensive coordinators that has exhibited tremendous success over an extended period of time that is going to take this same core group of players and catapult us into the packers/lions/saints/pats/chargers league of offensive excellence? pray tell . . .

i've been to every stadium in the country and i can say with confidence that pittsburgh has the most negative, whiney fanbase i've ever encountered. it's downright comical to sit in the seats at heinz and see these fat slobs squeezed into replica jerseys crying to run the ball. then, when the run doesn't get anywhere, they cry we should throw the ball. then, when the pass is incomplete, they cry that we threw it to the wrong guy. ben is going deep too much, we don't use the tight end, we don't throw enough screen passes, we throw too many bubble screens . . . it's just funny. if the organization catered to every whim of the fans, this organization would be a disaster. terry bradshaw certainly wouldn't have lasted. yinz geniuses wanted hanratty or gilliam. probably figured kruczek was just as good in '76. thank god the organization has a philosophy that leans towards stability. for every whisenhunt, gailey, mularkey, and erhart there are joe waltons and kevin gilbrides. be careful what you wish for.

after reading the bleacherreport 'article' written by . . . ? . . . a fifteen-year old kid? an amateur hack with no experience? who? who wrote this? some message board castoff? at any rate, i'll give it a gander and, as somebody completely impartial to the BA situation (but certainly not carrying a pitchfork and lantern), i'll provide the opposte view of the article's heavy slant. it will probably be lengthy so i can understand that it probably won't hold many attention spans as it isn't anti-arians.

"red zone production" some factors that play into the lack of production can be the following: our competition. do you realize that these defenses we couldn't score on were pretty damn good? i'm not going to figure it out, but i can't imagine anyone played a schedule against tougher defenses than we did. we were the #1 scoring defense in the nfl. we played against #2 (san francisco), two games against #3 (baltimore), #4 (houston), two games against #5 (cleveland), #7 (seattle), #8 (tennessee), two games against #9 (cincinnati), #11 (jacksonville), and #12 (kansas city). that's 12 of our 16 games against the top eleven scoring defenses (behind us) in the league. please spare us all the argument that these teams were ranked where they were because they played one or two of their sixteen games against our anemic offense.

injuries. we also played a quarter of our season either without our starting qb, or with our starting qb hopping around on one leg. we spent the same amount of time without our pro bowl, nay, our ALL-PRO center. we lost a starting offensive lineman for the year (colon) during the summer. we were forced to start a rookie due to injuries. we had to bring back a left tackle that we had released for being overweight and injury-prone because of injuries. that same left tackle had been released, tried out for at least one other team, and nobody in the league wanted him.

our qb's skill sets. does it occur to anyone that maybe we don't score much in the red zone because our qb isn't a very good red zone qb? ben's strength is running around with a huge, open field as receivers break routes, improvise, and try to get open as he scrambles around. often times, it works. well, with a much shorter field, that style of play simply isn't going to be effective. think ben is throwing back-shoulder darts like rodgers and brees do? think heath has the athletic ability to get open and make leaping grabs like finley and graham? do we have a calvin johnson to throw jump balls to? aside from the lack of red zone weapons, again, is ben a precision/timing qb? when i think of ben trying to make throws near the goalline i'm reminded of rodney harrison in the afccg and some seahawk in XL. perhaps the bleacherreport 'writer' should post an article about how we need a better red zone qb . . .

"illogical use of screens": "they refuse to attempt . . . traditional screens, an element of an offensive game plan that can be deadly if executed well . . . " can't it be said that all of the offensive plays "can be deadly if executed well?" does the responsibility of the execution of a play fall on the shoulders of the players or the coach. the, ahem, 'writer' . . . points out that suggs jumped a screen pass and turned our season around. is it ben's responsibility to recognize the defense, audible out if the advantage isn't there (tom brady has said that the gets to the line, reads the defense, and audibles and moves his players around until there is a clear advantage over the defense before they snap the ball -- would you say ben does the same?), and then make a clean throw. when throwing a screen pass, wouldn't you put an even greater emphasis on ball security when throwing a screen pass or lateral (like the bounce pass he threw in the denver game that really should have ended the game for us)?

"predictability, especially when leading the 2nd half" run, run, pass. really? you've got a problem with run, run, pass when trying to close out a game? i guess you missed the entire bill cowher era. of course, that was more like, run, run, run. again, this comes down to execution. of course, when have of your horses are on the sideline, it's a bit tougher for the cart to run. you want to pass more when leading in the 2nd half? that's a more sound philosophy? that's fascinating. not running 30-40 second chunks of time off the clock when working with a lead makes more since than running the ball? stopping the clock with incomplete passes and running the risk of negative plays (like the one at the end of regulation of the denver game that everyone was so critical of) makes more sense than lining up and running the football? we were notorious for this in the 90s. running the ball down their throats and putting games away. we couldn't have been more predictable. and, under cowher, we were 108-1-1 in the process. everyone proudly exclaimed it was 'steelers football.' now they're blaming our oc for the same approach?

"abandoning the run and the odds way too prematurely" here, the amateur hack contradicts his entire thesis. in his previous argument he blames arians for being too predictable (run, run, pass) and in the very next thought blames arians for not being predictable enough ("sometimes, just going by the numbers and doing the smart thing is the right damn thing to do!"). welcome to the mind of the arians-haters. if we run on second-and-one and it gets stuffed they cry, "well, duh!! they KNEW we were going to run! how about a pass on second-and-short every now and then, bruce?! what an idiot!" if we try to pass and it's incomplete then it's, "damnit, bruce! just pick up the first down!! play the odds!" or, worse, if we try to pass and ben gets sacked, it's "can you believe how dumb arians is?! THAT'S why this team sucks! instead of second-and-one, it's third-and-nine! fire arians!"

"the hurry-up offense" this is probably THE one area (so far) that i agree with the writer on. i've stated this many times before. i think we should have an approach like the bills and bengals did in the late eighties. implement cincy's 'sugar huddle.' it makes defenses tired, keeps them from substituting the personnel they want, and gets our qb into rhythm. we've got a sandlot qb, why not run a sandlot offense? denver abandoned their offensive approach when jesus christ took the reigns, why can't we do the same?

"pitiful road play in 2011" i don't know what kind of an argument the writer is trying to make here. he doesn't either. in fact, he points out that arians isn't the primary source of blame here. in fact, he mentions areas that are completely out of arians' hands. namely, turnovers and penalties. that's about execution. turnovers are solely on the players. and, at the professional level, penalties are on the players too. this isn't pee-wee ball, high school, or even college where 'discipline' is on the coaching staff. when professionals commit penalties, it's on them.

"the treatment of big ben during his injury" the writer admits that this decision was on tomlin, not bruce. however, we all know that anything from the temperature of the water in the gatorade buckets to the cleanliness of the uniforms falls on bruce so . . . might as well throw this ire on the fire. i don't even know what to say. we were fighting for our playoff lives (the difference between the #1 or #2 seed vs the #5 seed was everything - it just was). to approach crucial games without ben or to play ben and expect him to do nothing but hand the football off . . . well, hindsight is 20/20. and pointing out a disdain for having ben throw the ball forty times at denver, well . . . we were in hurry-up mode for most of the second half so i can only imagine the heat arians would have taken if we ran off tackle forty times down two possessions late in the game.

i've said it before, i think this core of players is difficult to game-plan for. i think the reason why is because our qb is ben roethlisberger. he's not going to throw the back-shoulder dart. he's not going to throw a good deep ball. he's not going to read the defenses, react, audible out to an advantage, make precision throws . . . he's just not. he's not an elite 'quarterback.' he's a leader. he's a winner. i love the guy. but if you think some oc is going to come in here and have him playing the qb position like rodgers, brees, or brady, you're disillusioned. BA is working with what he's got. a sandlot qb, a young receiving corps, a blocking tight end who catches fairly well but isn't very athletic, a below-average line, and average running backs, and a wrath of injuries. if you think bill walsh himself could have us looking like montana/rice, you're crazy. maybe there is another guy out there who could have this offense producing better results. who is he? i'd love to know who he is. in the meantime, i'll embrace this organization's fondness for stability. it's kept us competitive for the better part of forty straight years now. a run that ANY team's fan base would be thrilled to experience.

 

The Steelers have changed the Oline coach , QB coach and the WR Coach, under Arians.

 

The DB coach turned everything around? I would say it was a schedule the didn't feature premier passers for the most part. The only team with a truly great QB who we beat was the Patriots . That game I agree the secondary played well but that was more about the offense not going 3 and out and sustaining drives and converting 70% of 3rd downs. Besides that we still had a secondary that were making stars out of mediocre QBs, like Flacco and the 92 yard drive that looked as if the Steelers were going to win but then the secondary could get a stop. Like Alex Smith converting 3rd and longs as if there was no defenders on the field, or Andy Dalton who propbably would have had a win in the first meeting if he didn't try to throw the same pass he was killing the Steelers with in the open field, down in the red zone. I don't call the secondary a complete turn around.

 

I think we solved it this time. If not, let's have another meeting on Bruce Arians' contract and other things we don't have any control over next Thursday at 2.

 

thats what i was saying the other day. We might have been No1 in Defense but something was still not right. Hell if we woulda lost against the close game (colts, KC, Browns) and our record woulda been 9-7, i bet our D would still be ranked in top3. thats weird.

 

....and had they won those close games against Baltimore and Houston they'd be 14-2 with the #21 scoring offense.

In the words of the immortal Bill Cowher: "Theres a fine line between winning and losing."

 

May Tebow bless you my son

 

So what you are saying is change doesnt automatically equal better