A Look At The Fine Line Between Success And Disaster

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 8:20 AM EST

Behind the Steel Curtain AFC Championship Game Content

AFC Champs - Time To Celebrate
Troy Polamalu Delivers In Biggest Game Of Year
Game Notes Part 1
Game Notes Part 2
Fun Stats & Facts
Film Review: Special Teams
Film Review: Fine Line Between Success and Failure

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Let's take a look at a 1st down play in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's 23-14 AFCCG victory by the Steelers this past Sunday. I go through the effort of capturing the stills of this play to highlight how small a margin of error there is in the National Football League between a successful play and an unmitigated disaster.

In the opening frame, we see Ben setting up play action. Darnell Stapleton is highlighted, and we see him pulling to his left from his Guard position to help sell the run but to also pick up a pass rushing Ravens defender. As you can see, so far so good for the offensive line across the board.

Let's see what happens next

Oh no. Darnell has overstepped where he needed to be, lunging too far too his left and not forcing the Ravens defender (Terrell Suggs) to beat him on the outside, which obviously would have been the desired way to direct him so as to lengthen the amount of time it took to get to QB Ben Roethlisberger. We can already tell that by over running by just a half a step, Stape is off balance and easy to push out of the way by the pass rusher who has ducked inside.

Ben is now toast. Obviously it's too late for Ben to circle back the other way in such short notice - particularly because the play was designed fro Ben to float to his right slightly. With his shoulders not even close to square to begin with, there's just no time to change paths and avoid the sack. Ben might have been better off sprinting to his right (opposite direction then way he's facing) and throwing it away once outside the pocket, but that's not really his fault. Or the point of this.

Instead, I show this to illustrate just how close the Steelers were to maybe making a huge day down the field. See how the rest of the linemen have more than created a suitable pocket for Ben to throw from? And notice how Stape had plenty of help from his buddies on the left side had he not been off balance and gotten tossed out of the way? So close...

Yet so far away. As you can see, Stapleton knew he was the guilty party and more than likely, he knows exactly why things fell apart in a hurry. You rarely see a player clap his hands in frustration after getting beat physically. On a small mental miscue that is easily correctable, more likely for 300+ pound men to 'fess up and show some frustration. In his defense, it wasn't a matter of effort - he was too fast and zealous getting to his spot. That's a correctable mistake moving forward for our young guard who's done such an admirable job learning and competing on the fly this year.

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fine line

great analysis, blitz. love it. this is why i get nervous though before every steeler game. for me, the line between success and failure is nearly infinitely small. on every down, with every player, there are battles being fought, battles that are both won and lost. sometimes they don’t matter, and sometimes they matter a whole heckuva lot. i just recognize that there is a very fine line between winning and losing when it comes to the talent on nfl teams. lets hope the steelers are coached and rested and healthy and prepared and fired up (but not too fired up) and ready to play on 2/1/09 to win the battles that they need to win in order to win the game. thanks for this.

...die trying
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by agentorange on Jan 21, 2009 8:25 AM EST reply actions

great analysis/breakdown

hopefully the steelers o-line can create the escape lanes left/right for big ben to buy more time and make plays down the field. they did a great job of doing this against the ravens. But, i look for whiz to know ben’s tendencies and try to shut down these “alleys.”

by bradyquinnsclipboard on Jan 21, 2009 8:55 AM EST reply actions

Pleasantly surprised...

…with Stapleton this year. When he was thrust into the starting lineup, I was worried that his physical size would prevent him from being effective. While he has had his share of screw ups this year, by and far these screw ups have been mental mistakes (double teaming when he doesn’t need to, not having his head on a swivel, etc.). I actually think he has made far fewer mental mistakes this year than we could expect from a young, first-year lineman. I’m not sure if he’s the long-term solution, but so far, I’m pleasantly surprised.

by Mr.Woodley on Jan 21, 2009 9:11 AM EST reply actions

hes been great

Looks like your new to the site – welcome first of all!

Secondly, if you search the archives for ‘stapleton’ you’ll find a very strong proponent in his quarter in me. He’s been just fantastic. I think he very well could be a long term solution. He’s young 22 or 23, forget, but still can add some strength and certainly lots of intelligence and technique.

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 9:13 AM EST up reply actions

perhaps fantastic is overstating it

but he’s been very solid, more than acceptable and a very pleasant surprise for sure.

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 9:14 AM EST up reply actions

I’ve been a reader for a long time. You’ve put together an incredible site and have gathered by far the most knowledgeable/devoted/courteous readers. Thanks for the welcome!

by Mr.Woodley on Jan 21, 2009 9:39 AM EST up reply actions

you got it meng

Keep on preaching the truth up there in NE about Steelers football :)

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 9:46 AM EST up reply actions

Wasn’t that Suggs on the sack? An UDFA guard who was put into the lineup because of injury and who has to run to the left side of the line at the beginning of the play doesn’t seem like a good matchup for the Ravens’ best pass rusher. Suggs is injured, but he clearly beat him with his legs, not his shoulder. It was a nice counter move by him on a fairly helpless guard.

However, looking at it a little closely, maybe Stapleton’s error was in lunging when he had Parker to chip on the outside. Suggs beats him to the inside, taking Parker out of the play. If Stapleton isn’t quite as agressive and takes more time to set up his pass block, the inside is taken away and Parker helps on the outside. Ben has a nice pocket otherwise, and can move around to keep Suggs out of the play. Oh well.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Jan 21, 2009 9:22 AM EST reply actions

even if parker doesnt chip

The plays designed for Ben to roll right a bit, which should in theory have given him time to throw it even if the pass rusher was able to beat stape to the outside and pursue ben. just a mistake by stape. you can tell by the way his shoulders are square in frame #1 that he knows this is his job to force him outside but he went too far.

checking on who got the sack. thanks for the potential heads up

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 9:32 AM EST up reply actions

suggs indeed

fixed thanks ’45. as ure friend fifty might say

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions

Like you said,

Stapleton is a young player in his first year/playoff game against a highly rated defense. He will learn.

I am more frustrated with the continual false starts against Colon and the stupid retaliation penalty against Chris K. that wound up costing the Steelers field position and eventually points.

The reality of the situation is that our offensive line is barely adequate. Over the course of the playoffs they’ve become serviceable. With that in mind they simply cannot make the mental mistakes that set us back. Discipline is at a premium and I hope they remember that as they move on the to the biggest game of their careers.

On another note, I did hear alot of talk about how the Steelers wasted alot of money on Max Starks contract this year. Although he might not be perfect, he’s more than earned his salary (in my opinion). He’s also the only lineman we have who started in a superbowl.

by Steev1705 on Jan 21, 2009 9:40 AM EST reply actions

Starks

People were more pissed that he wasn’t starting over Colon than they were pissed about his contract. 78 is our best OL now that Marvel is no longer reliable. I would actually argue that Max is now playing better (for the most part) than Marvel ever did.

by JHolmes on Jan 21, 2009 9:59 AM EST up reply actions

My opinion is that he’s a better RT than LT, but he’s certainly not the low point on the line. The right side is awful with Colon over there. We need someone who can help DS out, not a liability.

But if we can remake the line, step-by-step, over the next 3 years, I’d say we’ll have a great foundation for a while. We need at least one great tackle, and one very good guard, and the summed skill of the line will increase by leaps and bounds. If we can improve on Chris K, then great, and if we can pick up a better center, then great, but those guys aren’t bringing the line down. Its the total “averageness” of them that’s bad. That and Willie C.

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people.

by BostonWahoo on Jan 21, 2009 11:08 AM EST up reply actions

The fact is no one on our line is any good. I’d argue that Hartwig has been the most solid over the course of the year, but he’s no Pro Bowler. Starks has had some good games (certainly last week was one), but he let up an awful sack this week, where Suggs was passed him before he was out of his stance. I think he can get by, but he’s going to struggle against speed rushers. He was awful – and I mean AWFUL – in the Tennessee game.

Marvel wasn’t dominant, but when he was healthy he was incredibly consistent. Sometimes he would get beat physically, but do just enough to keep his QB upright. He also made a Pro Bowl, which is something Starks will never do.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Jan 21, 2009 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

hmm

you sure about starks being awful against TN?? My memory is telling me it was the interior dudes, not the Tackles that game. I’ll have to rewatch.

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions

I dunno

The backup RE was constantly getting upfield, forcing Ben up into the hands of Jason Jones, et al. Obviously Kemo was awful as well, but I’ve never seen a healthy Marvel get beat so consistently.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Jan 21, 2009 1:52 PM EST up reply actions

Getting beat?

Pushing your man upfield past the QB is not “getting beat.” The fault lies with the interior of the line for getting mudstomped and not allowing Ben to step up into any sort of pocket. Max has slow feet but is able to compensate with his incredibly long arms. He is usually sound fundamentally and does not make too many mistakes when diagnosing blitzes and stunts.

The sack on Sunday was more of a mental lapse than anything else. Apparently he was also playing with a sore knee so that should be taken into account. I’ve seen Marvel give up turnstile sacks on a few occasions. The ones I remember best were against Indy in the 05 regular season.

My main point though is that Max should be retained. He has proven that he can play either T position adequately as a pass protector and moreso as a run blocker, though most people find him better suited to RT because of his difficulty dealing with speed rushers.

I disagree with you that the whole line is bad. I think Hartwig has been a huge upgrade and has performed very well against the tougher NTs in the league, excluding Ngata this past week. My opinion on 78 has already been stated, and I also think Stapleton could be molded into a decent starter. He is certainly better than the man he replaced. Kemo has shown bursts of greatness amid a sea of mistakes, but he is also a first year starter. Hopefully we can find a better option in the offseason but if he is retained he has a LOT of room to improve. Colon is a waste of a roster spot. Despite his youth he is now a 3rd year vet and I think it is safe to say that he should be playing semi-pro ball at best. I wish him nothing but the best, despite my in-game profanity laden tirades cursing his name and everything he holds dear. But it is time he move on.

by JHolmes on Jan 21, 2009 5:04 PM EST up reply actions

stapleton aint going anywhere

We’ll ditch Chris K before him I think. Cheaper, more upside, younger. Stapleton has been just fine and COULD turn out to be much more than just serviceable. We’ll see. It’s pretty clear chris k wont be much more than serviceable.

by Michael Bean on Jan 21, 2009 5:29 PM EST up reply actions

Darnell

The kid has potential. I think if you put a decent RT next to him he will blossom into a very good player. Colon just brings the whole group down. 74 does not have what it takes to be a quality NFL OL. I’m growing weary of waiting for the coaching staff to realize this fact.

by JHolmes on Jan 21, 2009 10:12 AM EST reply actions

OLine

I too am optimistic about the future of our OL. I feel Starks and Kemo should be resigned…add a couple quality youngsters through the draft…plus now we have a relatively young line with experience together…hopefully SB winning experience!!!

by SteelerMike on Jan 21, 2009 8:35 PM EST reply actions