At the end of the day, this O doesnt put up points. There's no real rhythm or consistency in production. It's kinda streaky and typically relies on a couple big plays by Ben to bail them out. Haley's over reliant on extra TEs in the formation even when we lack talent. He stops running when we can run the ball. And loves to run when we struggle. He puts a lot of Cotchery in jumbo packages that lets Ds load up the box with 9-10 guys. And his bubble screens infatuation gets a little predictable sometimes.
Im just not sure I'm seeing what he's doing that's so great? This offense is still kinda sputtering putting up about 20 pts a game since he's been here. That doesn't cut it unless our D is playing lights out carrying the team.
Never been a big Roethlisberger supporter. However,.. i must give credit where it is due when indeed it is truth. He's playing like a professional now, with the potential to actually assume the mantle of being one of the best of his generation.
And for anyone to say that Haley's knowledge and or experience in terms of his respective craft has not had a great deal of importance regarding this "evolution" on Ben's part is simply illogical.
We are still have difficulty scoring actual points,....but at least now there is hope.
Last edited by Rod Polamalu; 01-05-2014 at 08:48 PM.
Or the team put me in a funk lol. I do think Bell got better as the season went on. Especially as a blocker. He made some great blocks to help keep Ben clean down the stretch and it made a huge difference. I also thought he showed some consistency as a runner over the last few games. He's the guy I'm most excited about going into next year to see how much he can improve this offseason.
JJ is still a big ? for me.
This is where we differ. I put more credit for the improvement on Ben finally buying into Haley's system. Ben getting rid of the ball quicker and using the check-down made the o-line and Bell better. I have to give Haley's system credit for finding ways to get AB open in space so he can use his ability to get the yards after catch.
Remember the first half of last year Ben was being talked about as a possible MVP. I think the same could have been said for the 2nd half of this year. Like someone before me said, if you take those 2 halves we were 12-4. The lousy part is if you take the 2nd half of last year and 1st half of this year we were 4-12.
We need Ben to play this way for a complete season and we have a shot. At mid-season I was one of those that thought we needed to blow this team up and start to re-build. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Ben changing his philosophy would improve this team so much. Haley might not be the end all to beat all offensive coordinator but if he keeps Ben on track we just might be an offensive powerhouse.
As many on this site think ... The Rooney's suck, Colbert sucks, Tomlin sucks, the coaches suck, and the players suck.
but Go Steelers!!!
All the talk now is on how River's has turned his game around since mid-season. It just so happens it coincides with the emergence of SD's rushing attack. A parallel could be drawn with Roethlisberger/Bell.
I'm just glad Ben wasn't busted up by mid season, playing on with a boot, broken this or broken that and he played all 16 games. This would have never happened under Arians. Haley evaluated the talent or the lack of talent and schemed this offense to handle what it could handle in my opinion. I'm not saying I love everything about Haleys offense or his selection or plays all the time but, he sure has made these guys a unit and Ben is healthier.
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