Originally Posted by
asiansteel
Originally Posted by
NKySteeler
Good read, man... Thanx!
We keep hearing how he is more understanding of the system, and better aware... It was the same story last season to an extent (being better aware, taking more control...). While I do agree with it, and understand that it also plays a part in how much dirt he accumulates on his uniform, there are alot of other issues that contribute to him being sacked that this article doesn't go into by design. .... Just sayin'
I know what your hinting to there, NKy. The Arians factor is on everybody's mind. This will be the single most measurable factor that will impact our offense's success this upcoming season. Let's hope our OC learned to play chess this year. He has the pieces to attain success, how well he moves these pieces is the real story.
In Arians defense, last season was his first as OC. But he comes into his second campaign with virtually no turnover in personnel (outside of Faneca) and a new RB and WR from the draft who both have a chance to be premier players in short order.
There's something to be said about continuity and unit cohesion. In times past the Steelers allowed players like Lloyd, Gildon, Kirkland and Porter to walk when the time was ripe. There were no regrets from the Steelers end on any of those departures (Porter is only a "possibly" at this point). Faneca is trending toward the same profile upon playing in his "greener pastures".
Meanwhile, Mr. Arians is still learning how to use all the tools in his tool box, but he has another year under his belt to learn how to avoid what didn't work the year before.
I'm willing to give Arians the benefit of the doubt. But Ben and his OL must coalesce and drive the number of his sacks down to at least half of what it was last season. That will go a long way toward improving an already efficient offense. Bringing Mendy and Sweed in and letting their individual talents add diversity to the offensive portfolio will only add to that improvement.
There's a lot to look forward to if the Steelers can get a good measure of health (never a sure thing) and equal measure of heads up play from a well-designed offensive game plan. There's no reason that the Steelers couldn't be an offensive juggernaut if they've done their homework and put in the effort.
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