Mendenhall's 4 attempts at the goal line

[Dee Dub]

I have watched these plays over and over. One thing stands out like a sore thumb. It's Mendehall's pad level. He is either at pad level or above the first defender on all 4 tries. usually in the trenches if you cant get lower than the defender you aren't going to get much penetration. Mendenhall is attacking these holes too high. I am surprised this hasn't been brought to his attention..or if it has..why they would continue (4 straight times), asking him to carry the rock down near the goal line.

Thoughts?

[AkronSteel]

I said the same exact thing last night!!! In short yardage and goal line situations he just runs too high. He needs to get lower to avoid the big hits and gain more leverage. It is very frustrating to me that Redman did not go in the game last night in that situation. Saying that.....Kemo was truly responsible for two of those 4 failures last night. On the third play I believe if he takes the outside guy on a kick out block then Mendy scores with ease but he didn't block anyone and just fell down in the hole. His performance last night should lead to his automatic release. He is abysmal.

[pittpete]

I believe if he takes the outside guy on a kick out block then Mendy scores with ease but he didn't block anyone and just fell down in the hole.

Arians is asking a fat whale with arthritic knees to constantly pull over and over and over again. :HeadBanger

On the other hand, Mendy does look like hes running high at times.
He never seems to just hit the hole and go low.His head is always up because hes looking for something big all the time.
Redman and Mendy need to compliment each other but Brucie doesnt get it I guess. :HeadBanger
But again, the O-line got no push whatsoever

[steelblood]

Mendenhall's skill at the goal line is the cut back (remember the TD vs the Ravens in the playoffs last season). He ran hard yesterday, but he is not a short yardage type. He is good sized, but he prefers a style that is too finesse oriented for the goal line. It is time to try Redman regularly down there. He will get low and linebackers cannot find him. He'll get stuffed sometimes, but he will also drag defensive linemen and linebackers down field. Also, we need a better fullback.

One last thought, if Mendenhall cut left on third down, he would have scored easily.

[pittpete]

One last thought, if Mendenhall cut left on third down, he would have scored easily.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

One last thought, if Mendenhall cut left on third down, he would have scored easily.

The play was there. I told my son, "Redman would have scored on that one for sure."

[SidSmythe]

Mendenhall is the same Running Back he was day 1 in the NFL.

He belongs in Detroit w/ Mike Martz ... He is all finesse w/ no powers
Great observation DeeDub. Low man wins EVERY time

[NorthCoast]

My exact thoughts!! His body position was nowhere near what it should have been for a goalline push. Why Redman wasn't in for at least one try is beyond me. Look at Redman's stats, on 3 and 2 or less he is money with a 3.5 yd avg.

Does the coaching staff look at this stuff????

[TallyStiller]

OOOhhh!!! Sentence completion exercises. I liked these when I was in school! "Mendenhall's 4 attempts at the goal line... should have gone to Isaac Redman." Did I get it right???

[Dee Dub]

OOOhhh!!! Sentence completion exercises. I liked these when I was in school! "Mendenhall's 4 attempts at the goal line... should have gone to Isaac Redman." Did I get it right???

:lol:

Yes you got it right.

[Shoe]

In BA's defense, Mendenhall was in the flow of the game, and there wasn't much of an indication that he wouldn't be able to score from 1 yard out at that point. I prefer Redman too, but at that point... I'm guessing he figured we'd get in regardless.

[sd steel]

If you're gonna run Mendenhall on the goal line run C gap and out. Throw the 235 LB quick back a pitch and let him cut back or take it to the pylon or find a seam and run over a DB if necessary. Our line got no push, as soon as Kemo pulls everyone knows where the play is going, and Mendy does run too high to run between the tackles in short yardage situations. How about changing up the cadence? There is a difference in trying to "impose our will", and being stupid and stubborn when it comes to play calling.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

If you're gonna run Mendenhall on the goal line run C gap and out. Throw the 235 LB quick back a pitch and let him cut back or take it to the pylon or find a seam and run over a DB if necessary. Our line got no push, as soon as Kemo pulls everyone knows where the play is going, and Mendy does run too high to run between the tackles in short yardage situations. How about changing up the cadence? There is a difference in trying to "impose our will", and being stupid and stobborn when it comes to play calling.
:Agree

[Steel Life]

Kemo showed both the ability & discipline last night that will have him wearing a different uniform next year...he is awful.

That said, I agree that Mendy was running hard last night but those tough interior runs are not his forte. Redman probably would've scored on at least two of those plays. Good pick-up on the pad level Dub...

[Jooser]

To say that Redman would've scored is simply speculation. Redman runs hard, but Mendenhall ran hard as well. Our running problems start nowhere else but up front. The OL dictates the tone of the running game. RB's can give all they've got, but when you're being hit consistently behind the LOS, the chances of success shrink exponentially. Mendenhall was not only hit behind the LOS on all four of those tries, but he was tee'd off on by defenders who had clear shots at him with a head of steam built up. Often he was hit by multiple defenders. Redman was stopped on short gains on similar plays in that game as well. I think the hatred towards a RB that gained almost 1300 yrds last season is unfounded. The problem lies with inconsistent line play all along the LOS and an offensive coordinator who can't understand that RUTFM 4 straight times is a doomed proposition in the NFL if you don't have the Big Uglies to get a little push - especially when it's obvious to everyone that you're running it right at them. That's all.

-Joos

[CanadianSteel]

I'd bet my life that Red gets in on 4 attempts. I just don't see what more Red can show to convince BA he deserves more\ goal line carries. Very frustrating to watch.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Putting Mendenhall back in for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th down after getting rocked helmet-to-helmet by Gocong on 1st down was as bad as the Browns putting McCoy back in just in time to throw an INT in the end zone after getting rocked helmet-to-helmet by Harrison (when Seneca Wallace made a nice throw to get Cleveland into the red zone).

[hawaiiansteel]

Chalk Talk: Steelers Coaching Stubborn and Stupid On Thursday Night

AUTHOR: Craig
Dec 10, 2011

One of the best scrambling and play extending quarterbacks in the league is hobbled due to an ankle sprain. Your team is on the 2 yard line with a 1st and Goal. You are playing one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. So it only makes sense to run the ball and punch the rock into the endzone. But, using Rashard Mendenhall to do it four times in a row wasn’t just stupid…. it was stoopid.

If you stood Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman side by side, you would see to differently built running backs. Though they are similar in weight (Mendy 225lbs, Redman 230lbs), Redman is a bit taller and carries his weight differently. Mendenhall is built like a sprinter – bigger upper body, trim torso, and powerful legs. You can see all those things working in tandem when he breaks the edge and is off to the races… well I guess you would have seen that last year. Redman is built with most of his weight in the lower half of his body – kind of like Bettis, but with less beef in the butt. These are qualities that work well oh say when you have a goal line situation and you need a guy to churn and push his way through a crowded line of scrimmage.

Mendenhall has shown all season long his lack of ability when it comes to bowling over a defender to get extra yards. Sure, he can get a couple more yards after the first hit – but it usually comes in the form of a spin move or stiff arm (things you don’t have time for at a crowded goal line). Redman on the other hand has shown that he can get two or three guys strapped to his back and keep running for another yard or two… or more.

There’s a determination in his running in the form of his legs constantly churning until he is brought down. Mendenhall lacks this quality. So it would only make sense that on a 1st and Goal with your scrambling QB injured that you would shelve your speed RB for a more power back. But not for Arians and Tomin.

http://nicepickcowher.com/files/2011/12/09000d5d824dfa15_gallery_600.jpeg

This should not be what your goal line offense looks like.

For four straight plays the Steelers ran Mendenhall. The PPG reports that the third down play was to be a passing play, but Roethlisberger checked that off and called an audible because the Browns overloaded the side where the pass was intended. Can’t fault Ben for that, he was doing his job. But why was Mendy even in those packages to begin with? At least for me it made complete sense to put Redman in those packages instead of Mendenhall. Since when does Mendenhall get pushed through a line? Granted, he has a few short TD runs this season, but I’m pretty sure none of them came inside the 5 yard line.
Arians in his true Arians way called three stale running plays. And, once again, our confidence in this coach and offense to score in the red zone when it matteres, were knocked down a bit. Aside from Mendy running for a chunk of yards in the 3rd quarter alone, he was ineffective most of the evening as was the offensive line in getting push off of the 2nd worst rushing defense in the league. Understandably, play calling is limited when your QB can’t run a play action bootleg or pitch out. So if that’s the case, then Redman should have been the guy in the huddle to put your team in a position to score. Arians did have a chance to get creative in this series. He could have gone Wildcat with Ward taking the snaps. Ward was actually the third string QB should Batch have been injured while Ben was temporarily sidelined. Arians could have put Hines under center and gone two or three wide. Ward certainly could have run with the ball if he needed to.

Bottom line with that series, as with most of the Steelers series that get inside the 10 yard line, Arians lacked the killer instinct to find the right play in order for the Steelers to put away the Browns – they way the Browns and McCoy were playing the Steelers truly only needed another 7 points to ice that game. Stubborn and stoopid.

Tomlin is responsible for this stuff as well because he should have roped in Arians on this drive knowing how limited his QB really was. Tomlin was also stupid for allowing Kemoeatu to stay in the game after the second holding call and hands to the face penalties. If you think Kemoeatu is your next best choice when a guard moves to center or goes down, it’s only because Kemoeatu holds on practically every call. I’m surprised the NFL doesn’t assign a line judge to just watch him. The guy is (as Kimmy put it) a penalty machine and has been responsible for numerous drive killing penalties. Trai Essex may be lower on the skill level than the rest of the line, but at least the dude shows some discipline. Maybe Tomlin was so worried about Big Ben that he put Kemoeatu in there knowing that even though Kemo would hold, at least Ben would be safe. Again, stoooopid. If that kind of thinking is hindering your team from being effective, then Ben should have been pulled and Kemo left to freeze on the bench.

Next week against the Niners is a critical game and a tough one. This coaching staff will need to get creative in how it will attack the Niner defense. They are #1 in the league against the rush but 16th in the pass. So we will need to see production from the QB position – no matter who is under center. The Niners are 14th in the league in sack totals. I foresee a bunch of shotgun formations for Ben (if he plays – as of this morning the MRI ‘didn’t look good’) with a bunch of short quick outs. I’m sure the Niners, having a Harbaugh at the helm, will try and exploit this injury as much as possible. I hope Arians is graced with a stroke of genius next week, or we could see the Steelers limping, quite literally, to the playoff finish line.

http://nicepickcowher.com/2011/12/10/ch ... day-night/ (http://nicepickcowher.com/2011/12/10/chalk-talk-steelers-coaching-stubborn-and-stupid-on-thursday-night/)

[fezziwig]

As much as I would like to bash Arians and Tomlin, it was our players on the field that didn't get the job done for 4 x. Yep, I would have had Redman in there for sure and especially on the play that was supposed to be the pass. Why ? for one the defense once again would have assumed with Redman it would be another run and secondly, now that Ben needed to audible, might as give Redman the chance.
No matter how you look at it, any opinions out there of who should have been in there during the running plays, the o-line just didn't do the job.

I do see the reasoning behind going for the TD against a poor running defense but, not when they stopped them three times and the fieldgoal made such a diffrence in the Steelers favor.

take the points !

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Kemo showed both the ability & discipline last night that will have him wearing a different uniform next year...he is awful.

Yes, and the uniform comes with a funny paper hat and he will often get to use the phrase "would you like to upsize your combo?"

[fezziwig]

In the start of his career I wasn't sure about Kemo then, he showed a little upside once in a while. Then I thought he would finally get things together but he hasn't. The best he ever offered this team was up and down games and now he is on the decline from that.
When the Jets made him an offer I started to think he must be better than I figured but now, I wish they would have signed him. Having said that I don't know whom we would have replaced him with.
Remember in the Cowher era the o-line was always our strength ? I remember when they grabbed guys like Duvall Love, Tom Newberry and these players fit the team and performed like pro's.
Even that we have made it to two Super Bowls with guys like Hartwig, Kemo, Colon and whomever I was never happy with our o-line performance because this offense/Ben could be so much more with the right o-line guys.
I guess you can't have it all.