Thoughts about the team. A MUST read.

I was about to go to bed but I want to share a few thoughts about the team moving forward.

-First and most important, the Steelers will not be successful in passing offense next year if Wallace/Brown and Sanders are the top 3 receivers. I am impressed with Brown, as he is the only of the 3 making plays, and I think he will be great for us, but the we need to make some adjustments with the other two. I have been saying all year that the lack of passing productivity is a direct result of our "young money" receivers not being able to get open when a play breaks down, which is crucial because Ben is so good when plays break down. Wallace is simply a speed guy with no real potential of becoming a possession receiver or endzone target or anything other than a deep pattern runner. Sanders was hurt a lot and was promosing last year, but he fits the physical mold of Brown and Wallace. These guys arent physical enough to create seperation and get open. If they get grazed at the line of scrimmage, their route is completely thrown off. I would like to see them keep Brown because he is great, but we cannot carry three of the same type of receivers and start them 1,2, and 3.

-The lack of use of Hines Ward and Heath Miller in the passing game is enough reason for me to call for coaching changes. If they cannot see that Miller can beast over people and pick up tough yardage and that Hines Ward is still the same player he was the past two years that he started, then they have no clue what they are doing. When the Steelers cannot score touchdowns consistently in the endzone, they have to find reasons why and fix the problems. They simply dont do that. Any rational person would realize that Hines Ward and Heath Miller have ALWAYS scored the tough touchdowns in the re dzone over their careers. Yet, Miller blocks and Ward doesnt even get the opportunity to be on the field.

-It is a disgrace to Hines Ward to potentially end his career in the way they just allowed it to happen. He has been our go to guy and one of the reasons why we have been to three Super Bowls as of late. You don't lose your ability to catch as you get older, you lose speed and muscle. He never was fast and still got open, and he has more muscle than Wallace, Brown and Sanders. If you are convinced that Hines is old and should retire, I want you to go back and watch this years Titans game. I guarentee that you will change your mind. Oh and that was just a few weeks before they decided to bench him. Ward still has plenty to give, and I would take him back next year if I was Tomlin. This won't happen of course, but this still remains one of the greatest disgraces in the history of the Steelers.

-Ben Roethlisberger is our franchise quarterback. He gave it his all today and we need to praise him for that. He gave us the opportunity to win this game, and we blew it.

-Taylor shouldnt be blamed for the loss. We were in position to win until Doug Legurski decided to snap the ball over Ben.

-Take away four long completions, which Ryan Clark may have been able to deter, and the score would be 23-9, and we would be celebrating.

-Those four long completinos werent all the failure of the secondary, but rather the non-existent pass rush of the Steelers fromt 7. We have drafted 2 DEs in the last 3 years and they arent making plays. DEs are suppose to clog the offensive line and allow for our linebackers to get though with little resistence. This isnt happening, as Harrision and Woodley have to engage a tackle on EVERY blitz. The DEs are failing, as was Colbert/Tomlin when they decided to draft them. I look around the league and see rookie and second year DEs making plays and sacks all day every day. Ours simply arent even allowing our backers to make plays. Thus, we need to redo our defensive line. We are essentially running a 5-2 front, because our linebackers always have to engage a tackle. Suggs and Ware get more free runs at the QB becasue their ends are engaging the tackles.

-I saw one play where the Steelers o-line failed all game. Ben only took one sack. They did well, but I still want to see some new guards. Players that are smart, even if they arent the most athletic.

-Mental errors and lack on onfield leadership (insert my point about the lack of Hines Ward here) is a major major issue for the team going forward.

I would like to see the Steelers make a power play in Free Agency, but Im not sure what yet. Four years ago I could name 6-8 players who would net us huge return in trades. Now, not so much. Ben and Troy are not going anywhere, but can you name a player on the team besides those guys that other teams would actually want? I think we might be able to get soemthing for Wallace if we Franchise him then deal him (which I would strongly support), maybe Woodley, but Harrison is getting older and Goddell pretty much rendered him useless for us, Timmons? but then who are our middle linebackers? I would keep Brown for sure, unless we could get someone like Gronkowski or several high draft picks, Mendenhall perhaps, and I think he may be our best trade chip.

Could we do a deal for someone like Jon Beason? We would get a great leader and middle linebacker.
Ive said this before and I will say it again, if the Patriots would take Wallace for Gronkowski, should we do the deal? I think yes.

Regardless, our passing attack and lack of pass rush, in that order, is what led to our demise today. You can blame this person or that, but the writing has been on the wall all season, as I have been pointing out.

 

Well said.

 

To the OP: I agree with most of your points. However, regarding Ben, what you have said means Ben should not have been playing, yesterday. It also means he should never play unless he is 100% because his game depends on him being able to scramble. If he has to be a pocket passer, then the Steelers will lose. In that case, Batch or Dixon should be in.

The Steelers organization needs to address what's going on with the offense. It should be much more high powered, based on all the weapons.

 

funny how it's always everyone but ben's fault.

 

This is the part with which I agree the most. The pass rush was nonexistant. Yes, Tebow rolls out a lot, but Harrison failed to contain numerous times.
Our DEs have not done the job. It's time for a new defensive scheme. And, I think it is time to move Harrison to MLB. :-(

 

I do not agree with alot of what you say. You are blaming our DEs for not engaging tackles, but the main reason for the lack of pressure was Hampton and Kiesel both were injured early in the game. Between those two, they usually need 3 lineman to block effectively. Also, it is apparently legal to hold our OLBs without fear of a penalty -- this happened all game. Additionally, the game plan was to make Tebow beat the team throwing and limit his running. Tebow has never in life made the type of passes he made yesterday. He is typically way off but yeaterday he was dropping long passes into the hands of his receivers in stride even with pretty tight ceverage.

Our coaching staff needs to adjust to what other teams are doing. The Broncos realized in the first qtr (when they had a total of 8 yards) that their normal game plan would not work. They had really nothing to loose, so they decided to try and hit big plays in the passing game. They also used routes early in the game to set up plays later.

The top teams (winning teams) in this league almost always score when given the ball in the last 2 minutes of either half. There is some sort of stat about this and it really holds true. Teams like the Pats and Saints and Pack almost always will get point when given the ball with 1 1/2 - 2 minute remaining in a half. Our offense tends to alway self destruct in this time and when it looks like we could get at least a FG, we take a sack, fumble the ball, get a penalty, or just plain piss away the clock. This is modern situational football. These are critical points.

Our offense should not be dependant upon improvization. If that is our offensive game plan, we will not be a dominating team. If the offense depends on the ability of receivers to master the sandlot style after a play doesn't work and out QB needs to run around looking for something in a broke play, what does that say??? People always blame the line for this type of play, but I don't buy it. Our offense lacks rhythm, period. We saw that Redman could be effective. I also was yelling for a dump off to Redman on a few occasions (I think once Ben took a sack while Red was wide open in the left flat. The "sky is the limit" if we don't change this offense is rediculous.

I think our receivers can be very good, I see they do get open. What I also see is Ben still typically does anticipate their routes and get the ball out early. He waits to see them break away. This was evident on the one Wallace muffed . That ball could have and should have come out alot earlier and it would have been a TD with a good early pass. I do think we need a bigger receiver with good hands who catches the ball with his hands. Wallace need to work on this, vice always letting the ball come into his body -- this is why you never see him 'fighting' for a ball, he needs it to come into his boday. He does not go up and get a ball, but needs it to come into him.

I do not think the defense is in that much need. I think if Ryan Clark plays it may be different, especially on that last play -- there had to be a defensive breakdown there. we sold out to play run and Ike played outside technique (I assume he thought there would be help on the inside). At that point in the game, we should have been in zone and preventing a big play - our standard D of bend and don't break. giving up a few rushing yards there would have been ok, as long as they held them to a FG attempt at worst. This was on Lebeau or maybe Farrior (can't be sure if Farrior did not make that call).

Early in the game, we did not use the run properly, we did not give it a chance to develop on the first couple drives, and we stalled, only getting FGs -- this really hurt as it gave Denver alot of confidence and opportunity.

 

We use to be able to score in the redone easily with Hines and Heath. Now we can't score in the redzone while Heath is blocking and Hines is on the sidelines. I see the trend because it is quite clear.

 

I'm thinking just as you are. But I try not to say it all the time. It just seems like many people refuse to place any responsibility on Ben. He's part of a team that failed, last night. They all fell short, somewhere.

 

The OP says that we were in a position to win until Legursky snapped the ball over Ben's head. That happened when it was 20-6. ????

I agree with the fact that Hines and Heath should have been used more in this offense. Arians and Ben love the homerun ball and guys that are willing to get tough yards over the middle in small chunks get ignored. The offensive philosophy of this team was horrible this year. While the 12 wins we got seemed to maks a lot of our shortcomings, it seems obvious that some changes need to made for this team to win 12 next year.