are the Steelers offensive woes ALL Arians fault??

I agree that the Steelers problems are not all BA’s fault. The defense and special teams are also to blame.

But a large percentage falls on the person in charge of the offense. The play calling sucks. Not being able to convert 3rd & short because the OL can not get a push and no FB is the fault of the OC. Not using a RB who is averaging close to 5 ypc in freezing weather when you are still in the game is the OC’s fault. Not using him when the QB is having an off day and adjusting the game plan is the OC’s fault. 10 yard sacks that take us out of FG range can be blamed on the play calling. WR running the wrong routes is the result of bad coaching. Having an offense that is so predictible based on formations is the fault of the OC. Using a TE, who can’t block a ghost, in 2 TE sets when you run the ball is the OC’s fault.

I agree not all the blame falls on the OC, but a lot does fall on his shoulders. Who would you blame for the offenses problems?

That it isn’t all Arians fault for a while now. While I agree he is part of the problem, I do wonder how much is really his fault.

Did you know Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall have the exact same number of carries right now? (194) That is depite Rashard’s absence in the first few weeks of the season, which may go to show you, it’s not how many carries you get, it’s what you do with the carries you’re given. Ray catches way more passes, and that is the biggest difference between the two statisticly. Mendenhall has good hands, we could use him more as a receiver, if Ben could find a check down from time to time. I have always liked Rice (even though he spurned Syracuse for Rutgers, after a verbal comittment, but that’s okay) and he is a weapon at all times on the field. I think you underestimate his speed and power, just a little bit here. He’s better than most people think.

Keep in mind that the carries in Baltimore are spread out between 3 backs. Ariens does not believe in running the ball. 3rd & 1 and you run an empty back set from the shot gun? Who is to blame then?

Sweed catches that pass in the endzone in Cinci and we might now be talking about Indy and how we will match up with them in the playoffs.

Wexall had an interesting observation in Steelers Digest this week. He said that Dick Hoak (retired RB coach of many decades) used to tell the OCs “no, we can’t get that blocked” when they proposed plays that didn’t match the abilities of the personnel. Wexall’s point is that the Steelers still need someone to remind the OC that “we can’t get that blocked.” Not designing an offensive philosophy to fit the strengths of your personnel also falls on the OC.

…somewhere(I will try and relocate the source) earlier this season that BB’s QB rating on 3rd and short under Whiz was over 110 in each of their three years together and in each of the three years with BA, it’s under 50.

Tomlin during his press conference on Monday, alluded to the failures of the run game in 3rd and short as well.
 
This is telling and unfortunately it’s only indicative of rather than an encapsulation of the situational failures that have plagued the offense during BA’s reign as OC.

Arians IS not at fault entirely for our offensive woes. In some plays our execution has been a disaster, e.g. Sweed’s dropped pass.

I think with Arians game plan the team needs a perfect offense. A QB who can throw exactly in that window and WRs who time their run to get into the run perfectly. In short, BA’s offensive design is dependent on having an ideal offense. Unfortunately, even Manning and his offense are not that perfect – forget about Ben and his WRs.
20+ yard bombs work only when you have someone like Randy Moss/ Andre Johnson type WR. Notice that many of Brady’s long passes would have been INTs or wayward passes if it was not for Randy Moss making those amazing catches.

His comment about the running backs only converting 50% of third-downs is a joke. The team as a whole is converting less than 40%. My math tells me the pass fails more than the run. This falls squarely on the OC.

And for those who want to compare us to the Raven, they only have one more win than we do. The difference being a Steelers loss head to head. Do you really want to emulate a 7-6 team? Why not look at the Saints, I believe, even with Drew Brees, they are in the top 5 in rushing.

I’ve never been one of the fans claiming we need to run more. The fact is, the correct timing of a play call is more important than whether it is a run or a pass. Based on our 3rd down conversion rate and the fact that most of our scores and big plays are the result of broken plays, I will place the majority of the blame on the OC.

Arians must go. I totally agree with the idea that you put in a game plan that fits the strengths of the team. If Arians can do that then I don’t care if he stays. But he has proven time and time again how poor of a play caller he is. I’ll leave you with a few examples:

4th down in the 2007 playoff game against the Jags…a qb boot let that goes for nothing. the KC game this year on 3rd and 2. …A toss sweep to our slowest and least powerful back for a loss of 3. And the Cleveland game on numerous 3rd and shorts in -10 degree weather…5 wide empty set all ending with sacks.

The man must go!!!

We don’t have a dominant line, so why do we telegraph a running play so often? You guys can see it coming, and so can the defense. If you can’t overpower, you should keep the defense off balance, and you have to adapt to your talent. If you have protection problems, run a draw or a screen. If you want to throw deep but can’t, run the ball to bring the safety up. If your number 2 TE can’t block, stop asking him to block. Put another OT in instead, or put in a FB or something. Stop beating your head against the wall. I believe Arians comes in wanting to throw it deep, and when that is not there, he does not seem like he knows what to do. Or he thinks we can run the ball, but it gets stuffed, now what?
He needs to call plays that his guys can execute. 4 years ago we could run into 8 and 9 in the box. We don’t have the horses anymore, so stop trying.

I have to place primary blame on Arians and his offensive philosophy. i also place great blame in OL coach Zeirlien and his zone blocking scheme that’s really never developed. If they replaced both, It’d be a good start.

I’m not taking sides, and I’m not forcing either of you to move on. But please try to settle this via email, or through a different forum.

If the only success either of these men have had is with a super-human QB, it begs the question: what makes you think it will work with a QB’s that don’t have a fraction of the in-game IQ that Manning has?

To me, it comes down to knowing your team and understanding the conditions you are playing in. There is a reason the team with the most wins this decade only has 1 SB, they struggle to execute Moore’s high flying offense outdoors in the snow and cold.

BA may well be a genius, but he needs to use the part of the playbook that maximizes this team’s talent. Yes, we have the gunslinger and the WR’s, but we also have a young RB who is starting to earn his stripes and an O-line that is more suited for run blocking. They may not be the best run blockers, but 3 of the 5 were drafted for their toughness and size (Kemo, Colon & Starks), not for their ability to pass set.

Also, Hines was quoted today as saying he didn’’ know if the criticism of BA was “unfair or not.” Although he did say it was on the players to execute, it sounds like they are starting to doubt their OC, too—it’s not just the fans. I may be looking too much into the quote, but it seemed suspect to me. As a former athlete, I know how important it is for your players to buy into the scheme. If they are starting to doubt BA, then it is time to find someone new, because the player’s will continue to question him and his calls.