Sundays menu-PASSING

Still see that some of you still cant seem to grasp that the Steelers (as long as Ben is QB) are not a running team. This team could have the "Bus" back or even Barry Sanders, and its gonna be a pass first team now. Matter of fact Id say if he stays healthy (big IF) the next 5-6 years will be pass first. I do not have a problem with it as that is our strength as of now, and I believe come Sunday (or the rest of 2011) you will see Ben throw it 40 times (unless we happen to be leading by 30 which isn't going to happen) just as he has the past few weeks. Ravens have a great D and maybe one of the best pass rushes this season (see Week 1 highlights) but I still say spread them out all day and dink and dunk them all over the field. As long as a RB can pick up the blitz or Ben can let it go sooner than later (sometimes this is his problem) we make them cover "Young Money" till they cant catch their breath!!! AND if Ward plays we will call him "Dirty Penny" hahaha

 

A single minded offense rarely if ever gets too far. See last weeks opponent.

 

Nice. I like your thinking. Let's go Steelers!!

 

Interesting that most likely, the Steelers will beat the Ravens (and own them for years, hopefully) the way the Pats have owned the Steelers - spread 'em out to negate the pass rush, and dink and dunk down the field. A very effective strategy, and we have the weapons now to do this.

 

i hope they don't try to win the game with keeping the ravens defense on the sidelines like we did with the patriots offense last week. LOL

 

This week's strategy has to be more balanced as far as T-O-P goes. The Steelers D can handle the Ratbirds O as long as our offense does not turn the ball over deep. If the Steelers offense has to be on the field for too long, Ben's life may be in danger!!

 

We should be able to run in certain situations. 3rd and 2 or 3 with empty backfield and 5 WR set makes me ill.

 

While I enjoy watching games with great defense and a good solid running attack, I don't mind the extra passing, as long as more of those passes end up being completions in the end zone.

 

Mac, with all my ramblings i think that is what I was tying to say. There is no way we run on this team. Yes, a run here and there is obvious, but run heavy is not even a thought. Too many weapons not to throw all day

 

I agree we are a past first team now, and that plays into the way the league is set up now. Over the past decade the league has been creating rules and making changes that have turned NFL football into a pasing league. The days of power football are in the rearview mirror. Yes you will have exceptions to this, like San Fran this year, but a team without a top passer will not compete deep into the playoffs. The Steelers front office has seen this coming for years and have drafted accordingly. Look at how well they have scouted and drafted receivers. I love the way the Steelers played the game through the 70's 80's and 90's (well not so much the Cliff Stoudt, Mark Malone, Bubby Brister years) but that identity has had to evolve with the league and the front office has managed to succesfully do that.

 

I'm all for the passing game, as long as they use it the way we did against TENN and NE, which is the short, underneath stuff for the most part. Short, safe passes can be just as effective as the running game as I don't think we'll be able to run much on the Ratbirds. We can keep them honest with the short stuff (and also keep Ben upright) and then let Arians have his fun and occasionally dial up a deep ball to Wallace when we have them on their heels.
Baltimore does have a great Defense, so I'm not expecting us to move the ball through the air as easy as we did last week against NE's awful secondary. But with our average OL, tentative RB and their aggressive LB's, the running game likely isn't going to help us move the ball much and will setup 2nd and longs and 3rd and longs, which plays into their D's strength against us and allows them to send Suggs after Ben.

 

actualy, i was joking. keeping they're D on the sidelines , means our defense is on the field alot. not a good situation with all the injuries. i do agree that passing on them and making them chase all day is the way to tire they're defense. we want to see hands on hips and running no huddle shrt passing stuff all day. our line won't have to hold them out near as long and when they creep up, it's hammer time deep. they can't run with our receivers. i hope they use heath as a decoy and finally see what saunders has down the field.

 

I've accepted it - however, no team can win consistenly without the ability to run in some situations. You can't be pass-pass-pass all the time and expect to go far. I did not like the play-calling on our final drive to kill the clock in the Pats game. Yeah, we won, and that's all that matters - but it could have very easily gone the other way. A few runs in there to eat the clock would have been far more effective.