well isn’t that the truth. Your post is a work of art.

In particular, the red flag waving above Ben’s head worries me. His longevity is in question if he continues at this rate of concussions. If nothing else makes an OC sit up and take notice that “hm. Maybe we should consider running the ball?” the thought of Ben on the sidelines certainly should.

I’m with you on FWP. I truly believe there’s a lot more advantage and gain to keeping him. I’m not ready to see him go.

We’ve been down this very road before, but as one sportscaster noted; The Steelers don’t rebuild. They reload.

We’re not out of ammo, just need a few more rounds to fill the clip.

Great job, RickVa. Although I did write an article on why I thought Arians should go, I’m really not overly worried about the team next year. I think that they should rebound pretty well, actually. They just lost many of the close games that they would have won in 2008. It happens in football.

Everything said in this eloquent post really nails it home: our weakness was discovered in the superbowl last year, and until we get a solid running game, I don’t see how we can win it out short of lucky plays here and there. Lucky plays didn’t go well for us this year. I think its time to abandon the lets-hope-the-lucky-plays-go-our-way philosophy that quietly solidified ever since the 4th quarter of the SB last year.

Great post. I was rewatching highlights of last year’s SB and also noticed (realized) how this year’s team was much the same – lose leads late & come up short inside the redzone. Maybe what tipped the scales last year was a healthy TP. Some of the plays this year that extended opponents’ drives or put points on the board simply would not have occurred with Troy out there this year…IMHO.

Man, I love how intelligent you people are!

I have read several things about B.A. keeping his job. From, “Tomlin stood up to the Rooneys, who wanted B.A gone”, to “Ben saved his job”. Whatever happend, there was definately some consideration given by the organization to fireing him. But, they didn’t. Why? That is the big question. You have to think that if they were considering firing him and they didn’t, B.A. was told what he had to change this year to keep his job. The question is: Can he do it?
Rick, you wrote about starting strong and then stalling and being overtaken late in the game. I think that is a huge failing for B.A., his inability to adjust his game to the other teams adjusment to his game plan. What I think we have seen is that when Ben goes sandlot on the other team late in the game, the Steelers offense has stepped out of the gameplan and that can’t be schemed or adjusted for. So, while there is a lot of writing about his inept play calling in critical situations and his dismal comittment to the run, you have nailed the third great failing of B.A. and that is his failure to adjust during a game to counteract opposing defenses adjustments. IMO this might be even more serious than the first two failings. I believe great coaches are the ones that are able to adjust during the game. B.A. falls woefully short in this category. This leads to the question of whether or not B.A. has the ability to develop a running game. Does he even know how? Because, now, I question his football intelligence.
I know it is just a very thin rumor, but here are some words you though you would never hear: lets hope Al Davis comes to the rescue.

when the season started mendenhall was iffy at best. then he didn’t study his play book so he sat. Parker missed 5 games in 08 and was only good against the browns in week 16. Everyone got excited over Redman and Summers but they soon faded away.
The Oline was again a work inprogress. If I am ariens in August I have no choice ecept to devise a passing strategy. Ben loves it and what Ben loves he gets. Just like Peyton tom, drew and all the other elite qbs in the league. Lets hope the passing will come down to 55 % v run 45% in 2010. We need to draft a corner in the first. Safeties are a dime a dozon but good corners are hard to find

It killed me to watch them try to run up the middle this year. I do not think we have a bad O line. A few injuries/guys rotating in, effected their cohesive play. A line that plays good together can get away with being less talented individually, but there need to stay healthy. Sorta goes alone with your concept of putting people in the right position to succeed, only I like the way you worded it better… Running on the edges seemed to work better, indeed. I think one on the main reasons for this is the outstanding job our WR’s do in second level run blocking. It is one of the things I admire most about our offense as a whole, and falls under overall unselfishness. Makes me proud of these guys. The implacations of getting a viable FB that can both block to protect BB, and be a possible running threat, cannot be ignored.

They have full backs use casey hampton, the oline can’t block period
only keomatu can block thats why we ran right all year he pulls like faneca did

I dreamt I was Art II and had a meeting with messrs Tomlin, Arians and Colbert. Bruce was upset and asked politely for the floor, which I of course, gave him. Here is what he said, rather emotionally:

“I’ve heard the rumors about my job and if there is any truth to the consideration I will go quietly. But I deserve to be heard. When I was in Cleveland we had no offensive line. As soon as I left they overhauled with Steinbach, Thomas and those guys. My running back was William Green, a total bust. It was all we could do to put together an offense that made the playoffs. We were heavy underdogs in Pittsburgh and almost pulled off a huge upset, but Dennis Northcut dropped a beautiful pass in his hands that would have been the dagger. Still, I get blamed for that game for not being able to “close it out,” though we tried to run the ball and could not.

When I became the coordinator here in 07, we ran Willie like there was no tomorrow. In fact, we were third in a league of 32 in rushing attempts. THIRD. Parker was leading the league when he went down in game 15.

In 2008 we kept trying to run, and Mike, you saw it, we talked about it every week in films, our offensive line was horsebleep, and that Zierlein guy you gave me was horsebleep. We never recouped from the losses of Faneca, a healthy Marvel, even Hartings. And when we re-tooled there was no way Zierlein was the guy who was going to improve that unit. Still, we finished 9th in the league in rushing attempts, but the output did not equal the effort. We lead the freaking league in one-yard gains, over and over again. Wille would get stonewalled and every so often break outside to make broken-play yardage that made our rushing numbers look better than they were.

You saw it with me Mike. How many times did we watch the plays on film? How many times did you approve my game plan and how many times did we try to make the running game a prominent part of the offense? How many times did we get stonewalled? There was no consistency. There were gameplans where the blocking scheme worked and the opposition couldn’t stop us, and what did we do? WE RAN IT. And then there were games where we could not pick up two yards to save our lives, and you know it.

So yes, we have morphed into a team that doesn’t run very well. If you don’t run very well, you don’t run period. If you don’t run period, you don’t practice it enough. If you don’t practice it enough, you don’t have any confidence in it and if you have no confidence, you can’t do anything. It is a downward cycle. Mendenhall is a very good back, thank you Kevin, but what have we done with the line? Is Hills ready? Is Urbik ready? Can anyone GET them ready?

You go ahead and fire me if you want. I’ll take the half million and play golf for a year. But I’ll tell you this, and you all know it, I don’t care if you reincarnate Paul Brown and Sid Gilman, you will not run the ball if you don’t get your act together on that offensive line, both in terms of personnel and just as importantly, the guy who is coaching and teaching them.

And if you decide to make changes where they need to be made, we can get back to being 3rd in the league in rushing attempts. With the right people in the right combinations and with the right coaching in front of him, Mendy can lead the stinking league in yards.

I play the cards that are dealt to me. What I have now are great skill people with garbage in front of them. You know how to get a hold of me."

Folks, I am not going to banter this any more. I said enough over at Wolfpack’s post. But just answer one question. Can the above scenario possibly have any merit? Can it possibly make sense in anyone’s mind? Or am I living in total dimentia?

maryrose it all makes sense to me BRILLIANT pass it on to all thse people who think we have a first rate running game AMEN and AMEN

the play calling that is the question most of the time. It is the play design. His designs leave everything to be desired. Up the middle on the right. Up the middle on the left. If that doesn’t work let’s try up the middle. Trips bunch almost every time we pass? The occasional ill timed triple reverse pitch pass that everyone telegraphs and takes two days to develop. It’s all just 3 grade, ill designed and predictable.

I remember watching Bettis and imagining Whisenhunt telling him to go for the sideline 20 yards downfield. “Don’t think about anything except getting to that spot.” He would run a straight line towards that spot until he was down, out of bounds or he stopped getting hit, noticed it and then and only then would he turn up field and gain more. I miss those off tackles and slants and that commitment to the first down. Those 8 minute drives.

Don’t get me wrong. I love those Ben, Mike one play touchdowns. My favorite player, Hines, has never looked so good. Not to mention Heath and Tone. But I bet they’d all give it back for another ring.

Useless

We are of the same mind.

I Stop Reading This After The Second Parragraph…I Can Tell When Some1 Is Juswt Going To Tell Tall Tell SAtories That Does Not Answer Any1s Questions Directly…it is fact that the defense lets the team down with poor tackling from are corners…giveing 2 much cushion to apposing teams WRs…i saw an improvement in special teams this year on kick offs and punts, exsept jeff reed…but the number 1 reason why we did not make the post season is because of the plays that were called…this is fact and it is undisputable…i would have to watch the films on the games lost to give u proof…they are there…come see me mr.tomlin if u want a garrantied winning season next year…

In almost every game I watched, BA would set the O up on first down with an obvious “run” set. Since everyone in the house knew it, the defenses would set up with at least eight men in the box, and the Steelers would, for sure, try a basic, run-left, run-middle, run-right play that would either gain them 1, 2 or minus yardage. Now, it’s second and long; guess what? Gotta throw now. Yikes.

I would like to see more PLAY-ACTION ON FIRST DOWN!!! If the D is going to come up in the box like that, SHOW the run, and then hit ‘em right between the eyes with a pass. Plays like that would have loosened up those 8-in-the-box sets, and allowed more for the run later in the game (defenses would have to honor the fact that you just might throw out of a run set). Plus, you’d likely either get a first down on the play, or be looking at second and short (two or less). And you can do whatever you want on second and short.