Steelers by Offensive Set '09: Game 2

by swissvale72 on Sep 22, 2009 12:01 AM EDT

STEELERS BY OFFENSIVE SET '09: GAME 2


SET	#Plays	Rushing	Passing	Int	Sack
3 or More Wides		39	11-79yds	18/26-185	1	2
2Tight/2Wide		7	3-3yds	2/4-24 yds
2Tight/FB	6	4-14yds	1/2-3 yds
2Wide/Tight/FB		5	4-9yds	1/1-9yds
3Tight/FB	1	1/1-1yd
TOTAL	58	22-105yds		23/35-221	1	2
"Bunch
3wides		7	3-3yds	3/4-41yds
2tights		4	3-3yds	1/1-15yds
Total		11	6-6yds	4/5-56yds

Few notes on this:
*Puzzled by the dispute over the idendity of the Steelers "base" offense. In '08, over 56% of all offensive plays were run out of sets with 3 or more WRs. Last week, the level was 75%. This week, it's 67.2% of all plays.
*Suggested that DJ Johnson did not see the field until the fateful final 3rd & 2. Not true. He was on the field for both Steeler touchdowns.
*Suggested that Steelers come out in 2 tight end sets to strt the game, and run it reapeatedly. Not true. I'll take the liberty of listing the offensive sets utlilzed on the first offensive series, the 92 yard drive in 19 plays.
-2 wide, te, fb
-3wide, te
-2te, 2wr
-3wide, fb
-3wide, te
-2tight, 2 wide (bunch)
-3wide, te
-3wide, te (bunch)
-3wide, te
-2wide,te,fb
-3wide, te
-5wide
-3tight, fb
*As for running out of two tights repeatedly, Steelers ran out of two tights on consecutive plays once in the first half, running for 11 yards, then losing 5 on a run. In the second half, Steelers ran out of two tights on three consecutive plays, passing on all plays for gains of 6, 9 and 3 yards. There were no other occasions where Steelers ran multiple tight ends on consecutive plays

I'll offer one opinion. I'll cede (though I never argued otherwise) to HOF that running the two tight set on what turned out to be the Steelers final offensive play was a mistake. Three wides is the Steelers most effective set, both running and throwing. It's the set, as HOF suggests, that employs our most lethal weapons on the field. It does appear to me that Arians got "cute" on that one, and prioritized surprise rather than what we do best, that being having Ben drop back with multiple options from which to choose. Not as severe, but akin to 3rd & 6. My two cents.

Oh...Steelers suffered another sack on 3rd & 2.

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Much better run/pass balance out of all the different sets this week. All we need to catch the ball, and we could have a decent offense.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Sep 22, 2009 8:27 AM EDT reply actions

see if thisis more readable....i'm a techno-dummy

STEELERS BY OFFENSIVE SET ’09: GAME 2

SET* #Plays Rushing Passing Int Sack

3+W 39 11-79yds 18/26-185 one 2

2T/2W 7 3-3yds 2/4-24yds

2T/FB 6 4-14yds 1/2-3yds

2W/T/FB 5 4-9yds 1/1-9yds

3T/FB 1 1/1-1yd

TOTAL 58 22-105yds 23/35-221 1 2

“Bunch
3wides 7 3-3yds 3/4-41yds
2tights 4 3-3yds 1/1-15yds
Total 11 6-6yds 4/5-56yds

*W=Wide Receiver, T=Tight End, FB=Fullback

by swissvale72 on Sep 22, 2009 10:52 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks Swiss

Great job. The one stat that struck me is the effectiveness of the running game out of 3+W sides. Even if you discount the 39-yarder by Mendenhall, that still leaves a productive 40 yards on 10 carries. I believe that set is very helpful for Mendenhall particularly and if we’re going to get good trap blocks as we saw on his quick hitter for 39, then the running game will do nothing but improve.

Agree with you on the third-and-2 play. One of the basic problems I’ve had with Arians is that his X’s and O’s might be excellent, but he doesn’t take into account enough who the player is that those X’s and O’s represent. On the third-and-2 I think Ben was zeroed in on Holmes from the snap because he read Holmes in single coverage, but it didn’t help that the TE open in the short zone was Johnson instead of Heath. Why not put your best hands receiver in a position for potentially the most important first down of the game, rather than a rookie still looking for his first career reception? Another example was the passing play to Parker prior to Reed’s first FG miss. Yes the running back was open, but it was Parker, not Moore or Mendenhall. I was surprised he even caught the ball, maybe because it was a poor throw and he had to concentrate on it. If it had been thrown perfectly it probably would have gone through his hands.

All in all though it was a diverse and well-planned offensive scheme and the lack of predictability in 3+W was a big reason for an improvement in the running game. On predictable running play formations, the run game still struggled.

by steeler.lifer on Sep 22, 2009 6:34 PM EDT reply actions