merril hoge sure sounded confident

[SteelBuckeye]

It just continues to amaze me the hate that Haley is getting meanwhile our defense is a complete joke.

The defense sucks ... there is a verifiable lack of talent on the defense. The offense has Ben, AB, a healing and re-emerging Heath, a surprising Cotchery, an offensive line that while totally screwed up has been playing well beyond what you could expect given the sum of its parts, a rookie running back that is showing great potential ...
Yep, the Defense totally blows and should get most of the heat ... However, "most" does not mean "all" ... Todd Haley sucks as an offensive coordinator. His best games have come when he lets Ben call the plays from the no huddle, and he's not even smart enough to see that continuing to do so might be the best way to keep his job and salvage his career ... yep, let's keep this guy.

[raycafan]

But he didn't run no huddle .. he didn't call the plays .. When asked why there weren't more runs in the second half, he clearly stated that he didn't know and the reporter should ask Haley. Hence, Haley was making the calls .. Hence the lack of runs against the 25th @!#%!!! run defense in the NFL in the second half falls squarely on Todd "I'm doing just enough to fool most of you" Haley. Yeah, let's bring this MORON back next year! At least we (and the teams we play) will know that we can count on him going away from whatever's working for us!

There is an explanation of what Ben actually said and it was not what the reporter form NFL.com wrote. You should watch on the Steeler wed site the game rewind with Ilkin and Labriola, it explains much about this suppose quote and the way it was worded and used.

[SteelBuckeye]

There is an explanation of what Ben actually said and it was not what the reporter form NFL.com wrote. You should watch on the Steeler wed site the game rewind with Ilkin and Labriola, it explains much about this suppose quote and the way it was worded and used.

Will do ... that said, my belief is that Haley has a tendency ... that tendency is to outsmart himself by going away from what has been working. I think it's either his ego (I'm smarter than you .. I'll change it up BEFORE you even think about stopping it) or he's just intelligent ... but DUMB. And btw, given the perception of Ben amongst the media (and some of our fans) do you really think he's going to outright "Rock the Boat"? I think it's telling that Charlie Batch (follow him on twitter), about as likable and even keeled guy as you could come across, has absolute HATE for Haley and the way he runs his offense.

[Shoe]

But he didn't run no huddle .. he didn't call the plays .. When asked why there weren't more runs in the second half, he clearly stated that he didn't know and the reporter should ask Haley. Hence, Haley was making the calls .. Hence the lack of runs against the 25th @!#%!!! run defense in the NFL in the second half falls squarely on Todd "I'm doing just enough to fool most of you" Haley. Yeah, let's bring this MORON back next year! At least we (and the teams we play) will know that we can count on him going away from whatever's working for us!

Dude, you gotta be kidding me. The people who think that we only move the ball when we go no-huddle, seriously need a dose of reality. This is a bottom-line business. If it REALLY WAS THAT SIMPLE, don't you think that someone in all the professional football players and coaches in that film room during the week might say, "hey, does anyone else notice that we only move the ball when we go no-huddle?"

The TRUTH is that the offense is playing well, especially considering the woeful o-line. And the truth in that is that the o-coordinator deserves as much credit as blame that he received when we struggled. It is so ridiculous, that now that our O is firing, people don't want to give credit where it is due. What sense does it make, for a team fighting for its playoff lives, would "let" their inept O-coordinator continue to play around as an OC, and give up offensive possessions.

Please, get a clue folks.

[SteelBuckeye]

Dude, you gotta be kidding me. The people who think that we only move the ball when we go no-huddle, seriously need a dose of reality. This is a bottom-line business. If it REALLY WAS THAT SIMPLE, don't you think that someone in all the professional football players and coaches in that film room during the week might say, "hey, does anyone else notice that we only move the ball when we go no-huddle?"

The TRUTH is that the offense is playing well, especially considering the woeful o-line. And the truth in that is that the o-coordinator deserves as much credit as blame that he received when we struggled. It is so ridiculous, that now that our O is firing, people don't want to give credit where it is due. What sense does it make, for a team fighting for its playoff lives, would "let" their inept O-coordinator continue to play around as an OC, and give up offensive possessions.

Please, get a clue folks.

Nope, don't think that we "only" move the ball when we go no huddle. I think it's an effective weapon that we don't use enough. I think that Haley tends to go away from what's working and he doesn't have a good grasp of "situational" football. For example, We are winning the game .. our run game has been effective ... our opponent has a run defense ranked in the lower third of the league ... Soooo, let's just go out and throw the ball.

The offensive "SKILL PLAYERS" are playing well despite being handicapped by the ignorance of the OC and a woeful o-line. Btw, did you refer to that O-line as "woeful" when we were winning? Because in this last game Adams was actually an upgrade over Beachum and the only downgrade (which was significant) was Wallace at center.
Even when we were winning Haley had plenty of bonehead play calls ... they were overlooked because of the wins. I applaud the soldiers and question the leader. That said, I've been a Tomlin "supporter" ... If he hired this guy and he alone is responsible for keeping him ... my support ends. I know that "my opinion" doesn't mean crap when it comes to "the decision" about him, but, I sure as heck hope he's gone next year.

btw...as I said on another thread .. Charlie Batch (follow him on twitter) can't stand Haley or the way he gameplans/calls a game ... I think I'd take Charlie's word (as a former Pro QB who had to work with Haley last year) over yours AND MINE any day. THAT is enough of a "CLUE" for me. but, I guess you know more than Batch?

[Starlifter]

before we send haley packing - there are really a couple of big questions that first need answered.

what kind of offense do we want to run?
and is Roethlisberger the QB to run it?

The reason I ask is simple. are we looking for a precision, timing offense that stretches the field (for example)? are we looking for a ground based run first, pass just enough to get the first down offense?

what type of QB is ben? is he a precision passer that is a student of the game and able to not only correctly identify the defense, but call the play to exploit it and ALSO throw an on target pass? or is he a gun slinger who simply waits for the play to blow up, buys some time with his feet while the receivers find a hole?

Listen, we have a franchise QB who knows how to win. His drive and ability to make plays are without question.

In my opinion however, he is NOT the commanding field general (ala manning) or the precision passer that throws beautiful balls (ala brady or kurt warner). He's a scrapper that as a pro can throw a decent pass - but I seriously doubt anyone would rank him high on their list of QB's who consistently throw quality balls.

so maybe the steelers need to recognize not what they want, but what they HAVE in this QB and find a coordinator that accepts it and works with what he has. if ben is a guy who makes plays with his feet as much as his arm - shouldn't our offense be designed around that?

anyway, back to the first point. It makes no sense to covet something different without first recognizing what we currently have, and if it's even possible to go in a different direction.


and having said all THAT - none of it matters with the current state of our defense.

[fezziwig]

I don't think Haley or Ben is the problem. I thought Arians was the problem. Arians seldom mixed things up. Did not stick to what was working. Would try to impose his offense on a defense that had the particulars figured our or defended. Had no concerns about Bens safety/health. Would not change to the condition of the game when things were going rough. The biggest problem with this team is defense. I put most of it on Lebeau and the secondary also the inability to get to the quarterback. I guess that pretty much means the whole defense.

[feltdizz]

I wish Ben would chill with the "ask Haley" after losses... Ben has the power to audible and chose not to..

[steelz09]

But he didn't run no huddle .. he didn't call the plays .. When asked why there weren't more runs in the second half, he clearly stated that he didn't know and the reporter should ask Haley. Hence, Haley was making the calls .. Hence the lack of runs against the 25th @!#%!!! run defense in the NFL in the second half falls squarely on Todd "I'm doing just enough to fool most of you" Haley. Yeah, let's bring this MORON back next year! At least we (and the teams we play) will know that we can count on him going away from whatever's working for us!

If Ben can audible to a pass play then he can audible to a run play if the situation calls for it. If he felt so strongly about running in certain situations, then why not audible to a run?

I've seen him do it before.

[NorthCoast]

I wish Ben would chill with the "ask Haley" after losses... Ben has the power to audible and chose not to..

Exactly feltdizz. So apparently when Ben runs the no-huddle all his decisions are correct and work. But when the offense grinds to a halt, he is merely executing what was called. The only cure I see is for the two of them to figure out how to win ball games together, then all this goes away.