What are Reasonable Expectations for Mike McCarthy in year one with the Steelers?

I posted a video of that pick 6 as it was discussed somewhere else here. Did you watch it?

Ben pump faked left to make the defensive back bite up and the receiver was breaking wide open deep. He reset his feet after the pump fake to throw deep downfield, and as he was throwing the football to the receiver he got hit because the guard got blown up and pushed back a couple yards into his face very quickly. If that didn't happen, it may have been a long touchdown pass.

Ben created the opportunity for a big play with the pump fake. A blown blocking assignment in pass protection destroyed the play and maybe cost the team a touchdown, but I don't go around crushing the guy that missed the block and hurl insults at him and call him names continuously. Only weak-minded people do that crap over and over again because they don't even understand enough about football to know what really happened on that play and why.

Yes, it was an interception returned for a touchdown, but if people watched it and understood what happened on that play, they wouldn't say the things they do about Ben or any other players they love to crucify for one play or one mistake. It's just football, and not everything bad is one person's fault.

Mendenhall isn't the devil because he fumbled in a big spot. A backup offensive lineman whiffed on a blocking assignment and he got crushed just as he got the handoff.

The quarterback who's name cannot be spoken threw two inexplicable interceptions, but I truly don't know exactly what happened. Many have said a receiver ran the wrong route. Again, I'm not happy about it, but I don't find ways to insult the guy and curse his name while saying any vile thing that comes to my head. Idiots act like that.

Again....context.

If people aren't smart enough to understand that the team won many more games than they lost because of the play of that quarterback, that's on them. If they choose to vomit hate at someone over a football game and say horrible things with nothing but bad intent. They can go F themselves as far as I'm concerned.

They're the same A-holes that sat in the stands when I played football or baseball screaming at their own kids for not getting a hit, striking out, making an error in the field, fumbling the ball, missing a tackle, or whatever moronic thing that set them off to badger their own son's or daughter's and hurl insults and attack kids on other teams because a 42-year-old infant couldn't stand the thought of me throwing a touchdown pass or striking out their son. It's pathetic. It's weak.

That's what I see when I read the crap the some people post because they try to hurt people. They NEED to try to hurt people. It's just who they are.

 

I know you want the team to do well. I know you are making points because fans sometimes try to give people credit before they actually do anything.

I also know you are trying to defend Tomlin, because I think Tomlin does deserve respect for what he's done as well.

 

Yeah that was Doug Legursky who got blown back into Ben just as he was ready to throw a TD to a wide open Mike Wallace. Legursky getting run over by the Packers D lineman caused a 14 point swing in the game. David Johnson who was a TE playing FB whiffed on the block that got Mendenhall hammered as we were about to take the lead.

 

I think your point is that we lived and died by Ben taking big risks. And I agree.

If you absolve Ben of this play, it's taking away what he was as a QB IMO.

Ben was the guy with massive, massive balls. The guy who'd throw into triple coverage on 2nd and goal to cement his legacy against the Cardinals instead of throwing it away to live another two downs. That was almost certainly the "right" decision on that play.

But it's the insane risk tolerance...and the ability to pull the rabbit out of the hat (when there was no rabbit...or a hat) that made him great.

But the downside is that he always believed he could make the play. Even when the pocket was collapsing and he had to heave it way down field.

It's hard to believe that he didn't know that the pocket was collapsing. But he wasn't the guy to throw it away...although sometimes he would eat the sack.

Taking the big risks is the sword that Ben lived and died by. And he took the Steelers with him (in both cases).

 

He has a solid resume. I would hold onto him even with a losing season.

The only exception would be if he lost the locker room.

Currently the QB room has a career backup and a 6th round pick with promise and no playing time.

I do feel Khan is working on details for something. I don't think the only game plan is Aaron Rogers.

 

I had a old man that was a pretty big thing in baseball at one time for never making the pros, and he would stand behind the fence right behind me, the catcher, and the umpire everytime I was up to bat. I freaking hated it. LoL.
Yes if people knew what to look for neither Ben, or Mendenhall were solely to blame , but no matter what, a Rb need to hang onto the ball. JMO

 

Let's not forget in that Cards SB Ben had just hit S. Holmes for a easier TD, and it went right through S. Holmes hands.

 

Well both Cowher and Tomlin improved on the record in the first season.
Considering the common belief that Tomlin was the only thing holding this juggernaut back, improving in year 1 is not only a reasonable expectation, anything less would be a massive underacheivement.

 

Yes it is very possible that an injured Pouncey was the difference between losing and winning that game. Tomlin could have won 2 SBs and many fans would still give him no credit as a coach.

 

I'm not absolving him of anything because there is nothing to absolve. A lineman got run over after he made his read and pump faked and was hit throwing the ball.....period.

Try playing quarterback sometime and having your eyes downfield when a lineman that is protecting you from the 340lb defender suddenly gets run over and is on you in an instant and sticking out his 35 inch arms to reach your arm as you're letting the ball go.

Again, it wasn't a reckless play. Ben took plenty of risks, but the entire discussion started with someone bitching about this particular play and doesn't understand that Ben's pump fake is what caused the separation and the chance of that being a huge play. By the way, double moves are by design and the quarterback sells the play with the pump fake. That's why the player in coverage came up and the chance was there for the wide-open pass completion for the touchdown.

It wasn't a mistake by the quarterback. It was just a football play that was blown up because one player lost their one-on-one matchup badly. It happens. It's football.

If you believe that was a reckless play by the quarterback throwing to the speed receiver in man coverage that's fine. If you think that he should have seen the pocket collapsing and you have never seen the million times quarterbacks have been hit while they are in the act of throwing the ball, then I'm not going to change your mind.

If you think that we all have to bang on Ben and claim he ruined the Super Bowl for you, it's because that's what you believe and you want to assign blame. Unfortunately, your blame is misplaced. Just because you want to blame Ben doesn't mean the play was an error. He didn't throw the ball into triple coverage. He was throwing the ball to the best matchup on the field in man coverage.

 

I understand about Mendenhall. Sure, you want him to hold onto the ball in that spot. It just isn't fair to beat these guys to death for a single play where he just gets destroyed like that.

It sucks, but I can't stand it when people have to dog someone their entire lives for one play. It's one thing to say a guy should have made a play or that he made a mistake. It's another thing when some of these people just beat it to death and insult the player over and over again. These fans live and die by what happens when these players that are a hundred times better at what they do than anything that fan will ever do in their lives. They need to get a life.

 

Yeah, fans always seem to forget that he had to make two perfect throws to win that game on the last drive. You never hear about that though.

 

He made a couple of plays earlier to keep that drive alive that might’ve been more impressive than the winning throw.