thoughts on the o-line

How many sacks does Ben avoid by using his mobility and size where other QB’s would be down in a heap? We need O line help bad (Simple as that). This year, given all the injuries, I think we are actually doing quite well and Pouncey is a stud but we have to keep drafting in this area. No more wasted picks on pansy running backs like Mendehall. Anybody else think he runs scared?

give ben 3-5 seconds and he should get rid of the ball..look at how brady always gets 4 or more seconds behind that line but because he throws the ball in less than 3 seconds most of the time..u don’t notice.. I saw the jets vs patriots game and brady had all day to throw against the jets “good” defense.big ben is not the kind of guy to throw it in 2 seconds like brady so thats y more ppl say he holds on to the ball..he wants the big play and the line won’t give 3 seconds a lot..so the way I see it how long is too long?

I think we may have given up on Urbik too soon. He didn’t look bad in Buffalo, well, at least until he ended up on the IR. I think I would rather kept him than Legursky.

I think you also need to take into the context of the overall offensive philosophy. The Steelers – even under Whiz – passed more with Ben than without him. This, of course, is for good reason: Ben is a really good – maybe great – QB and you’re going to want to exploit his talent. Some people say that Bill Cowher ran so much because he favored it over the pass, but I wonder if it wasn’t a function of Cowher never finding a QB he felt both had the physical/mental talent to put the team on their shoulders and was trustworthy in such a situation.

The Pre-Ben lines were drafted primarily for their run blocking ability (they’re bigger and heavier than a line drafted primarily to protect the passer – take a look at the OL of the Colts or Pats), and were never asked to do the same amount of pass blocking as the current line. The guys were drafted to be downhill road graders, not passive protectors and it showed from time to time.

You’re essentially right though. By the time Ben started the line was old (Hartings, Faneca), injured (Smith, Simmons), or Max Starks. Pouncey is a step in the right direction, but he needs to be complimented by other high picks if the Steelers want to keep their QB out of the trainers room.

I think blaming Ben is crap. I know it is the conventional wisdom in the league, but for every sack that is his fault, he avoids two or three. count the protection and you rarely get to 3 seconds. Most of the time he does not hold it too long. Just look at Peyton Manning this year. Is he holding it too long now that his line is crap? Would you rather have Ben throw a pick six like Peyton (instead of getting hit)?

He could be better at diagnosing the coverage ahead of time, but most of the sacks are not his fault. His line is crap. (and too many deep pass plays called)

Right now the biggest problem on the OL for the Steelers is this idiot we signed from Buffalo name Jonathan Scott, I have said it here before…he is by far the worst OL man I have ever seen, he has no technique and is easily beat. The other guys make some mistakes during games and thats not a problem with me, the other guys get paid too…but he is horrid, most of the pressure on Ben is coming from his blind side, and I don’t blame him for having happy feet and getting out of the pocket or stepping up early to avoid what he knows is coming from behind.

I have seen Trai Essex play LT before and he sure as hell didn’t play as bad as this guy, he wouldn’t be a permanent solutions but he can’t be any worse than Scott. Right now he is our problem and the biggest one, he does basically nothing correctly, especially in the passing game. Anyone who disagees with me is a Ravens fan!

If you believed it was Ben’s fault, all you really have to do is go back to the beginning of the year….. In the first game, a mobile Dennis Dixon behind a healthy OL was sacked 3 times on 29 dropbacks (atts + sacks)…. he had 2 rushing attempts. Week 2, passing was horrid! Dixon and Batch combined for 43 yards passing on 21 dropbacks. They were sacked 4 times, and attempted 4 rushes. Week 3, thanks more to the Bucs trying to stop the run and having no pass rush at all, Batch was not sacked in 17 attempts. He rushed 5 times for 26 yards. Week 4 against the Ravens, 2 sacks on 23 drops, 1 rush for 4 yards.

So, the first 4 games with Dixon and Batch gave you these stats…… 81 attempts, 9 sacks… 90 dropbacks, 9 sacks… 10% of the time either one of them went to pass, they went down.

9 games since, with Big Ben and a OL that is not as healthy as it was…… 291 attempts, 26 sacks….. 317 dropbacks, 26 sacks, 8.2% of the time Ben goes down.

Further, in the 1st 4 games they were running more, passing much less…. they averaged 22.5 dropbacks a game without Ben, 35 per game with him! So defenses know they are passing more, yet the percentage of passing plays that led to sacks has gone down.

This is not Ben’s fault, it is because of him these stats are as good as they are! Could you imagine how many sacks Batch or Byron would have sitting back there? To blame Ben for the sacks is pretty outrageous.

This OL needs an influx of talent. The Steelers FO had better pay attention to how much Ben is taking a beating this year. He is the franchise right now, protect him and we have a chance against whomever we play. Without him, we are not an elite team. What is the record against Baltimore lately….. 6-0 when Ben plays, 0-3 when he does not….. That is not a fluke, it shows the difference of 2 similiarly talented teams separated only by the play of the QB.