Hi everyone – I love this forum, but other than having my first experience watching training camp at Latrobe this year and being a steeler fan since I was born (which, for a while, I was convinced ruined the “thumb” chances, since I was born in 1978), I probably am not enough of an expert in football to have a “good” opinion on this forum, so I usually keep my mouth shut.

However…I was watching Superbowl 9 tonight (I bought my dad the dvd box set of Steelers Superbowl victories for his birthday so the whole family could enjoy…hehe) and I was shocked at how different the game was played then, as well as how much we could have all the same complaints about the steelers now that we had then.

I mean, Franco Harris got his 100+ yards rushing in the game all-right, but he fumbled the ball 3 times. Both Franco and Rocky Blier were stuffed in the backfield plenty of times. Bradshaw did as much scrambling around as he did throwing, and the refs seemed to call penalties against the steelers all game. Oh, and, while we’d probably love to have the punter instead of Ernster, the Steelers missed 2 field goals early in the game. It was clear that the defense won the game.

It was just interesting to see how slow the game moved, and how different the play was, for both teams. Now only for the steelers, but for the Vikings. Neither team used the pass much – quarterbacks didn’t slide, they rushed as a regular part of the offense, etc. etc.

Anyway, the point is that memory / legend brings out the best in football teams. In everyone’s mind, Pittsburgh should always be this grind it out running / defensive team because that’s what the Steelers always been. But I wonder how much of that is a year by year / factual statement vs. what everyone remembers in a hazy football Sunday kind of way. How quickly announcers forget the seasons before when all they talked about was the Steelers needing a better QB, and then we didn’t care that we had a power running back.

I really don`t think those days are completely over. We don`t have anything close to a power back like the bus, but what we do have is a pretty diverse running attack. (I`m speaking more for next year) Our line is capable at run blocking, but say we get a lineman or two in next years draft, get Mendenhall back who i think will run with power between the tackles, and we have Russel who looks pretty good in short yardage. Then we have Willie and Moore adding the speed factor. I would say there is a lot to be happy with looking ahead at our running game. While i will agree that our pass needs to set up our run these days, i still think our ground game is our identity.

Just out of curiosity, which “power” running Steeler offense from the past 15 years would you rather have then our 2008 offense?

Remember, we did not win our last SB until we could throw and throw for points. In SB 30, Bam did have a big second half, but my point was all season we were not a “power” running team, more of a 5 wide out team with an effective ground game…and that got us to the SB.

I also remember during our “power” days (and poor QB play) if the other team got ahead by 10 points or more, we were done. We were great with a lead but against the good playoff/SB caliber teams you can’t always count on getting a lead.

You can long for the days of Bettis all you want. As humans, we always seem to want what we don’t have. And we tend to romantisize the past. My point was this…we went to our last two SB’s and won one NOT because of our power run game but because we could throw.

Agreed, we need to get better in short yardage. To me that is more the play of the OLine than RB. I really like GR in that role.

Again, we need to be able to run…my “offensive coordinators mind” hasn’t constured a pass happy offense. But I have no desire to return to the days where:
  
  - 3rd and long meant an automatic punt
  - losing by 2 TD’s to a good team in the first half?…change the channel…game over
  - power back Bettis running through gapping holes and turning potential 30-40 yard touchdown runs into 10-12 yard gains

So, 5020, I have no desire to stop your longing for the past but the real questions are…

what offensive style has brought the most recent SB success?
what style are our players best suited for now?
what gives us the best chance in 2008?

And, if you say to me, “Mike I just prefer a smash-mouth, grind it out offense”…I say, great, your entitled. If you say, “Mike, I just long for those good, old, Bettis days”…I say, great, your entitled. But, I don’t think thats who we are NOW, nor do I think that gives us the best chance to win, NOW. To me, the most important thing is NOW.

So, I guess my post wasn’t “educated” enough to get you to rethink your position…that’s ok…some people choose to let their preferences, biases, and opinions obscure the reality of facts :.)

BTW, the adnaseum comment, was mostly for the broadcasters. Isn’t anyone else tired of watching the games, and if/when our offense struggles, all the commentators can say is…Steelers need to get back to…blah, blah, blah…

I, for one, have no desire to get back to anything…but move forward, NOW with our 2008 team. GO STEELERS!!

Backtrack? I haven’t backtracked at all. While I may not agree, and yes, I do feel an upchurning of gastric reflexes when I hear “what the Steelers need is a 250+ pound power back”, I never said people weren’t entitled to their opinions (in fact, just the opposite in my above post) That’s why this site is great.

We will have to agree to disagree on this particular topic. A better discussion may be…Bettis v. FWP…who would you prefer? That may be a good topic for another post.

Btw, if I were you 5020, I’d spend more time with my 5’10" blonde Cali-gf and less on BTSC!!!

My feelings on this.

We do need to return to Steeler Football. But not in the sense that we need to ditch FWP and all these smaller guys. We just need to revert to some of the playcalling that got us the win.

3rd and 2 is not a passing down. At least, not 90% of the time as we’ve been doing. Its not the right way to play. You have to be able to handle the defense, not skirt around them with 5 WO’s on a play for 5 yards. We need to dominate. Our Defense is feared, why not our offensive strength?

I dont think we need to call a 20 play run only drive, but in certain situations I feel we’ve put our skirts on instead of manning up and slamming it down the throat.

My fondest Steeler memories involve Big Ben rushing forward and eeking by for a tough 1st down, or JB plowing through a team from 3 yards out for the score. I want more of that.