‘They can catch the ball or they can be replaced by someone who will’.
short n sweet. I like it. Enuff said.
short n sweet. I like it. Enuff said.
OT: Mike Tomlin....
- Thread starter NCanton Panther
- Start date
Our entire OL and everyone coaching them and drafting them needs to be thrown off the nearest bridge.
His comments today were fantastic. "We expect the routine plays to be made routinely".
Well, I wasn’t trying to suggest that WR drops was the Steelers only current problem, or the greatest one.
Just picking up on one of those Tomlinisms from today that I thought was pretty good.
Roethlisberger would be completing over 73% of his passes without drops.
Tomlin is the most bluntly eloquent coach in sports
Maybe the ball is too hard, as well. Take a page from the Pats and deflate it!
Maybe it's because the defense is sitting/squatting on all these short routes, and the receivers know they are going to be smashed as soon as they catch the ball and don't like being hit constantly. The Steelers have to start throwing down the field or this will be short playoff stay. And the lack of decent run game is not helping. Is there anyone on the Southside who can teach line play and is there anyone who can block?
bingo— Johnson especially and Ebron as well. We need to at least attempt to stretch the field a little
pittdan77
Athletic Director
You've had your share of injuries on the OL and Pouncey being out with Covid has killed them. I don't know who the kid is that's been playing center but he isn't an NFL center. Not yet, anyway. Plus Conner was out with Covid, too, and he's a much stronger runner inside. I don't think this is unfixable but I worry about FIchtner's obsession with a "pass first" game plan. You have to run enough to make teams respect it in the NFL.
Ben can't throw deep anymore and that's a problem. Believe the graphics showed him at 22% over 20 yards.
Yeah his deep balls, I mean he had McFarland on a wheel route, if he threw it accurately could have, should have been 6. Still you got to throw the ball downfield, not just to back off safeties, but the way PI is called, it is worth the gamble.
The problem is absolutely the O-line. They can't give Ben enough time to throw downfield if they are against a decent to good Defensive line like yesterday. The line is too old to get any push and we have had more than enough evidence that this team cannot run it, even when Pouncey plays. The most pressing need, other than an eventual replacement for Ben,is to draft a couple road graders
You bring up a good point re: coaching. Sure, guys like Pouncey and DeCastro are getting older, but this line has not been the same since Mike Munchak left.
It seems to me if these guys get paid millions of dollars to play tackle football they should be prepared to get tackled.
That may be a fair statement. That said, when you are the size of Diontae Johnson, would you want to run crossing routes where you are flying across the middle and there is a 245 pound linebacker waiting to drill you? It is a recipe for Johnson to wind up sidelined for a few weeks or more. Even our bigger receivers like Claypool and Ebron can get lit up if Ben leads them right into a waiting defender. I like crossing routes, but, they are effective against man to man, not so much zone.
The offense has become a little to stale. We can't run, and we don't make a defense defend the whole field. Teams are figuring it out. They play less man, and go more zone and the defensive line always has their hands up if they can't get to Ben. Not coincidently, we have seen Ben get way more passes batted down recently. This offense is completely one dimensional right now. It will not work going forward without some creativity and attempts too at least stretch the field.
You make several good points. People tend to bash Conner but it’s not a coincidence that they suck near the goal line when he’s not available. To your point about being knocked around, Snell seems to away from heavy hits whereas James is a little too eager to show how tough he is. Ultimately, JC is a decent back but he needs better counterpart and like you said until that is addressed Ben is going to have to be Superman if this team is intending on making a deep run.
Just to re-iterate what everyone else has said,
OLine is getting old. And Munchak was a difference maker. Or could be overall scheme under the OC. James just didn't forget how to run. Pitt is evidence of what an OC can do to a run game.
They should have never given Ben the contract extension. Yeah, I know, who else do we have, but the GM should be accountable for that. And while you can't predict Ben would have hurt his arm, it isn't rocket science that the older you get, the more prone to injuries you are.
I have heard countless times that the Analysts were concerned Steelers would have trouble with the passing game when it got cold. Well, there you go. And yes, I am sure having Defenses ready to pop the guy in the middle plays a hand in it.
It is kind of amazing of the similarities of the Panthers and the Steelers. No running game + injured QB + dropped balls = "BAD Times" I always thought steelers were more lucky than good getting to 11-0. Wish the panthers would have been a little more lucky too.
OLine is getting old. And Munchak was a difference maker. Or could be overall scheme under the OC. James just didn't forget how to run. Pitt is evidence of what an OC can do to a run game.
They should have never given Ben the contract extension. Yeah, I know, who else do we have, but the GM should be accountable for that. And while you can't predict Ben would have hurt his arm, it isn't rocket science that the older you get, the more prone to injuries you are.
I have heard countless times that the Analysts were concerned Steelers would have trouble with the passing game when it got cold. Well, there you go. And yes, I am sure having Defenses ready to pop the guy in the middle plays a hand in it.
It is kind of amazing of the similarities of the Panthers and the Steelers. No running game + injured QB + dropped balls = "BAD Times" I always thought steelers were more lucky than good getting to 11-0. Wish the panthers would have been a little more lucky too.
Yeah they are getting old. This is Okafor's first year in starting. Pouncey is on the downside, but didn't play the last 2 years. Villaneuva has had a stellar career, but he's now done. DeCastro has been banged up all year, but he also maybe on his way down. Feiler's, "meh". They really like Dotson to come in at one Guard, but I suspect in the offseason Villaneuva's gone, and Pouncey may be gone also. I don't know why the cut Wisniewski, sure seems like they could have used him the past 2 weeks.
One thing, when this franchise drafts an OL fairly high, usually they do a pretty good job in indentifying talent (don't give me Jamain Stephens that was a while go) but Pouncey, DeCastro, Faneca, Marcus Gilbert, Chuks is now starting....Dotson already has started as a rookie, but the fact is, the Steelers have not spent a 1st or 2nd rd pick on an OL since 2012, so they really haven't brought in premium talent in awhile.
One thing, when this franchise drafts an OL fairly high, usually they do a pretty good job in indentifying talent (don't give me Jamain Stephens that was a while go) but Pouncey, DeCastro, Faneca, Marcus Gilbert, Chuks is now starting....Dotson already has started as a rookie, but the fact is, the Steelers have not spent a 1st or 2nd rd pick on an OL since 2012, so they really haven't brought in premium talent in awhile.
Yeah, I don’t know how any fan cannot love Tomlin. He is the epitome of a no nonsense, Pittsburgh type coach.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
If that's true, it's a pretty recent development given the BS he put up with from several players.
Ben's contract is fine. He's under contract through next season and is still playing at a high level: 5th in touchdowns, 7th in INT rate (behind Brees and Burrow who aren't playing), lowest sack % in the league.
The Steelers decided to ride their QB off into the sunset and hope a talented D would be enough to keep them near the top of the league for a few more years. It's paying off so far.
And that was merely window dressing because it had no shot and you didn't see anything remotely down the field after that. No defense is going to be fooled to think Ben can throw deep just because he chucked on up the first play of the game that had no chance of being caught.
No one likes to take hits...NO ONE! That's why you hear so many players talking about making "business decisions".
While his deep ball strength (and accuracy?) may not be what it was, there were some promising things to take away from Monday. For example, he took more shots towards the middle third than he probably has the entire season combined. If they connect on a few more of those, defenses will have to start respecting that possibility and not just playing the outside hashes.
Right now is the best time to mix in some down the field throws. The d-line knows they can't get to Ben because of the quick passes, so they're taking 2 steps and getting there hands up and tipping a good bit of passes it seems. Now, if they start mixing in 15-20 yarders and longer the d-line wouldn't be coming as hard. But that will last for like 2 games.
Like who? He benched 2 all pros in brown and and bell, and his after game interviews are awesome
He is scheduled to count over $41 million against the cap next year. That is... not fine.
That's not Ben's fault and has nothing to do with the initial contract. His 2021 cap hit of $41M is because the Steelers restructured Ben's contract in March of this year. Restructuring the deal freed up money to franchise Bud Dupree.
Yes, the hit is crazy but it has nothing to do with extending Ben originally, it was a trade off the Steelers FO made to keep putting a competitive team on the field. Plus it's likely the last year he'll ever be under contract - it's the last year he's signed and he'll probably retire. There won't be a multi-year dead cap number for a guy who isn't playing.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
He let Brown's act go on for a few years before anything happened and that was more because of Brown than anything Tomlin did. James Harrison's nonsense went on for almost two years. When was Bell benched?
Well of course it isn't. It all has to do with the Stillers continually kicking the salary cap can down the road. And the road is at an end next year. If the cap comes in where they are talking about now the Stillers will have trouble putting a reasonably competitive team on the field.
They are going to have to get really, really lucky in the draft or it could get ugly next year. And $41 million in cap space for the quarterback is the biggest reason for that.
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