"It's scary how good Ben can be"

[Crash]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

BA and Ben adjusted down the stretch on our way to the playoffs. Shorter drops and quicker passes to Sanders and Wallace.

You mean Spaeth and Johnson were off the field and the wides were on?

Oh go on. I don't think anyone here has even suggested that, right?

[feltdizz]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

BA and Ben adjusted down the stretch on our way to the playoffs. Shorter drops and quicker passes to Sanders and Wallace.

You mean Spaeth and Johnson were off the field and the wides were on?

Oh go on. I don't think anyone here has even suggested that, right?

when did I say anything about Spaeth or Johnson?

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

Argument Starters: Best QB Seasons in Steelers History

Posted on February 28, 2011 by adam


Because who doesn’t like a list to argue about?

There’s certainly a lot of subjectivity here, as there always is with a list like this, mainly because it’s difficult, if not impossible, to compare players from different eras. Kordell Stewart’s passing numbers, in many cases, are superior to Terry Bradshaw’s, but that doesn’t mean anybody would take No. 10 over No. 12 with the game on the line. Or at any point, really. Some of Stewart’s numbers appear better than Bradshaw’s because Bradshaw played in an era that wasn’t aimed at improving offensive output or inflating passing statistics. There was no five-yard chuck rule, pass interference was unheard of, and wide receivers weren’t ever considered to be defenseless. It was a different era, with different rules, a different style of play and the numbers reflect that. Simply comparing the raw numbers without any context can be misleading, that’s why you have to try and compare how each player did against peers across the league in that particular season.

I place a high value on Yards Per Pass Attempt, and that plays a large role in my rankings. It paints a nice picture of how effective a quarterback is each time the football leaves his hand, and the higher the number, the bigger the play. And if there’s one thing we know about winning and losing in the NFL, it’s that the team with the most big plays is usually going to come out with the “W”.

So let’s get on with it…

5) Ben Roethlisberger, 2010

This season will be remembered more for the four-game suspension and the loss in Super Bowl XLV, but for the 12 games Roethlisberger was in the lineup he was on top of his game. An incredible 17-to-5 TD/int ratio, a completion percentage north of 60 percent, third in the NFL in yards per attempt and first in the NFL (for the second time in his career) in yards per completion. It was also one of his best seasons in terms of protecting the football, throwing only five interceptions in 389 attempts, a rate that was the 12th best single-season number in the history of the NFL.

4) Bobby Layne, 1958

The more I read about Bobby Layne the more I’m convinced he was reincarnated into Ben Roethlisberger. The words “clutch” and “toughness” are always mentioned and he was a noted party animal, probably to the point that if he was in today’s NFL … well, he probably wouldn’t have been able to play in Goodell’s NFL without a couple lengthy suspensions. He was also one of the last players to suit up without a face mask, which I guess is kind of like riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Layne spent the last five years of his career with the Steelers after being acquired in 1958 in an early season trade with the Detroit Lions that convinced him to curse the Lions organization. They have been at the bottom of the NFL ever since. So there’s that.

He started 10 games with the Steelers in ’58 posting a 7-2-1 record for what had been, at that time, the NFL’s worst franchise. In those 10 starts he averaged almost nine yards per attempt, leading the league for the only time in his career, and threw 13 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions while also completing 50 percent of his passes (more than respectable numbers given the time period). His passer rating of 80.4 that year was good enough for (a distant) second in the NFL to only Johnny Unitas. In the end he finished in the top-three in the following categories: Yards per attempt (first), yards per completion (first by a wide margin), attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, passer rating, yards per game, and lowest interception ration (second lowest, trailing, again, only Unitas). It was one of the most effective and best seasons of his remarkable career, and it happened with the Steelers.

3) Terry Bradshaw, 1979

For the early part of Bradshaw’s career he didn’t really stack up all that well with quarterbacks across the league. His early struggles in Pittsburgh are well documented, and the Steelers also had a powerful running game to rely on. But around the mid to late ’70?s, Bradshaw’s career went to another level and the Steelers passing game began to open up. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is also around the time Lynn Swann and John Stallworth became members of the offense. In 1979 the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl with a come-from-behind win against the Los Angeles Rams in a game that saw Bradshaw throw for over 300 yards on just 21 passes, including two huge touchdowns to Swann and Stallworth.

The interception total during the regular season was a bit high (25, second most in the league) but across the board he was one of the best passers in the NFL, finishing in the top-four in yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, yards per completion and touchdown percentage.

2) Terry Bradshaw, 1978

The third of Bradshaw’s four championship seasons was perhaps his best. The Steelers went 14-2 in the regular season, rolled through the AFC playoffs by a combined score of 77-15, and then edged Dallas in another classic Super Bowl, 35-31. Bradshaw led the NFL with 28 touchdown passes (he’s still the only Steeler quarterback to ever accomplish this, also leading the league in the strike-shortened 1982 season), averaged a league-best 7.9 yards per attempt, finished fourth with 14.1 yards per completion and had the second-best passer rating in the league (his highest finish in that category) trailing only Roger Staubach with an 84.7 mark.

1) Ben Roethlisberger, 2005

Roethlisberger’s second season in the NFL was, to this point, his best in my view. It was also the first of his three Super Bowl appearances and first of his two wins. The one thing most people take away from it is his Super Bowl XL performance, and how he was simply along for the ride on a great team. Clowns like Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk use this game as the foundation for their argument that Roethlisberger is not among the game’s elite quarterbacks, and do everything in their power to knock him down to the ranks of Trent Dilfer in the annals of Super Bowl-winning Quarterbacks. And that is simply nonsense.

Ben was a machine during the 2005 season and for as forgettable as his showing in the final game was, the Steelers would have never been in a position to play in the game without his play.

He finished the regular season leading the NFL in yards per Pass attempt (8.9, 26th best single season in NFL history), and was one of only three players that season to average over eight yards per attempt. He also averaged 14.2 yards per completion, a full yard higher than the No. 2 passer on the list, Carolina’s Jake Delhomme (don’t laugh too hard, Delhomme and Steve Smith were a formidable connection in 2005, carrying the Panthers all the way to the NFC title game, and he was just two seasons removed from taking Carolina to the Super Bowl. This wasn’t Cleveland’s Jake Delhomme).

The playoff games leading up the 21-10 win over Seattle were simply dominating. During that three-game stretch against Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver (the No’s 1, 2 and 3 seeds in the AFC … all on the road) Roethlisberger completed over 68 percent of his passes, averaged almost nine-and-a-half yards per pass, and tossed seven touchdowns to just one interception. I remember watching the Broncos beat New England in the Divisional Round on a Saturday night, and listening to, I think it was Phil Simms, talk about the Steelers-Colts game the following day. His analysis came down to the Steelers needing a miracle to win, and the Steelers trying to “establish their will,” or some other line of football cliche, and attempt to come out and grind out a win on the ground. The Steelers came out with the exact opposite game plan, allowed Roethlisberger to throw it all over the Colts defense from the opening drive, and built a 21-3 lead, turning the game over to the ground attack. It was a similar strategy in the AFC Championship game in Denver. As it was for much of that season. And they did it with a group of pass catchers that consisted of Hines Ward, Heath Miller (rookie), Cedric Wilson, Antwaan Randle El and Quincy Morgan.

In some ways this season is a perfect example as to why Roethlisberger never gets the credit he deserves as a football player: He didn’t throw for a lot of yards or a lot of touchdowns … mainly because he didn’t have to. But when he did throw the football, he was as efficient and dominant as any passer in the NFL and was consistently making big, game-changing plays.

[url="http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/02/argument-startersquarterback-seasons-steelers-history/"]http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/02/a ... s-history/[/url]

[grotonsteel]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

[b]
I place a high value on Yards Per Pass Attempt, and that plays a large role in my rankings. It paints a nice picture of how effective a quarterback is each time the football leaves his hand, and the higher the number, the bigger the play. And if there’s one thing we know about winning and losing in the NFL, it’s that the team with the most big plays is usually going to come out with the “W”.



[url="http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/02/argument-startersquarterback-seasons-steelers-history/"]http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/02/a ... s-history/[/url]

[Crash]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

1979 Bradshaw was not better than 2007 Ben. The Steelers in 1979 led the NFL in turnovers and Terry had 20+ picks.

[ter1230_4]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

I agree with Crash that Ben is the best QB that the Steelers have had since Bradshaw, and is one of the elite QB's in the NFL. Which is not to say that he is perfect. There is no question that a large percentage of the ties that Ben is sacked it is because he holds on to the ball too long because he is trying to make a play downfield, and I generally accept that as part of the whole package that is Ben. I do wish though that he would be a little more conscious of avoiding sacks when he finds himself in 3rd down between the 25 and 32 yard lines of the opposition, where a sack is likley to cost three points. It happened in the Super Bowl, and it seems to happen at least two or three times every season.

I also think that sometimes Ben becomes so obsessed with getting the ball downfield that he overlooks some really easy checkdown throws. One example is in this year's playoff game against the Ratbirds. With the score tied at 24, in the first down play on the series where Ben threw the 60 yard pass on 3rd and 19, he had Mendenhall WIDE OPEN in the right flat and he never even looked in that direction. Instead he got sacked for a loss of 9 yards. Same is true on the 3rd down play in the last possession of the Super Bowl when Moore was wide open for at least enough to get a 1st down.

Finally, I think that sometimes Ben focuses on one receiver instead of looking for the open receiver. On the 4th down incompletion on the last possession of the Super Bowl there was no way he should have been throwing to the receiver covered by Tramon Williams, who was by far the best secondary player GB had on the field. But it looked like Ben was locked into throwing to Wallace the entire play, no matter what.

Still, my bottom line is that I wouldn't trade Ben for any QB in the NFL.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

Ben Roethlisberger Is a Great Quarterback: Why the Haters Are Wrong

By mad chad (Correspondent) on February 28, 2011



Al Bello/Getty Images

So Ben Roethlisberger didn't play well in Super Bowl XLV. He threw two interceptions and the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers.

Here come the haters.

Ben now has three touchdown passes and five interceptions in three career Super Bowl games. Not very impressive. That being said, Ben is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and of his generation.

Since Ben has been in the league he's had good stats and has won two Super Bowls.

Yet, some suggest that he isn't an "elite" quarterback. That's insane. Why—because he doesn't throw for 4,000 yards every year? Jon Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards as a Detroit Lion; is he elite?

This is a result of the fantasy football generation, aka the stat geeks. Fantasy football is starting to destroy the perception of how players should be judged.

Most of Roethlsberger's detractors say that he only wins because of his defense and running game.

That's true in small doses, but he is certainly a big reason why the Steelers were competing for their third Super Bowl in six years.

Since Roethlisberger has been the starting quarterback for the Steelers, he's been a winner; more than that, he's been clutch in big games and in big moments.

The dictionary defines clutch as "tending to be successful in tense or critical situations."

That's a perfect definition—and defines Big Ben perfectly. Sure, he came up short in the Super Bowl. But let's face it: He wasn't getting much help from his receivers or his offensive line—not to mention that he has to quarterback a team that might have the worst play-caller in the NFL.

I have no excuses for Ben and his play in the Super Bowl; he didn't play well. But who on the Steelers did? Rashard Mendenhall? Up until his fumble he did, but that fumble cost the Steelers the game. The defense couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to save their lives. Where was Troy Polamalu? Did he even play?

Fact is, Ben almost led the Steelers to one of the biggest comebacks in Super Bowl history; he came up short. Does that mean that he's not clutch?

Tom Brady has lost three straight playoff games and has been awful in two of them. Is he still a great QB? Is he still clutch?

In the 2010 playoffs, Roethlisberger received some help from the defense as they forced a couple of turnovers. Ben and the offense did their job, took advantage and turned those turnovers into two touchdowns.

Against the Ravens, he led the Steelers on an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that eventually won the game.



Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Even more impressive is the poise that Ben possesses in these kinds of moments.

The drive had come to a halt as the Steelers stared at an impossible 3rd-and-19. Ben decided to change the play call, drop back and toss a 54-yard bomb to rookie receiver Antonio Brown.

The throw was perfect and almost went for a touchdown, but Brown's momentum carried him out of bounds.

A few plays later, Rashard Mendenhall carried the ball into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Against the Jets in the AFC Championship game, Roethlisberger did not play great, but he still made some clutch plays and helped his team win.

He completed two passes on third downs late in the game, clinching the victory. He wasn't throwing the ball well, so he used his feet, running for three first downs and a touchdown.

For me and fellow Big Ben and Steelers fans, it's nothing new and certainly isn't surprising—Ben has always embraced these moments since he's been a Steeler.

He has the most fourth-quarter game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks since he's been in the league.

Roethlisberger has a regular season record of 60-26—but perhaps most impressively, he is now 10-3 as a starter in the playoffs.

He engineered possibly the most dramatic Super Bowl drive and game-winning touchdown pass in history, and has a total of two Super Bowl rings and four AFC Championship appearances in just seven years.

At some point, I just have to throw my hands up in the air and say there's an anti-Roethlisberger bias.

I know some people don't like the guy, as there's a perception that he's not a "good" guy. But as far as being a quarterback and player goes, he's special.

Yes, he has been blessed with a good supporting cast—he's been blessed by being drafted to a franchise that is committed to winning.

That being said, how many Super Bowls did the Steelers win after Terry Bradshaw retired and before Ben became the quarterback?

The Steelers had championship-caliber teams in the '90s and in the the early 2000s, yet they never had a championship-caliber quarterback.

Kordell Stewart threw three interceptions in two home AFC Championship games. Neil O'Donnell almost single-handedly lost Super Bowl XXX.

What if the Steelers had Roethlisberger on some of those teams?

Yes, Roethlisberger was drafted to a good team and to a good franchise—but the Steelers were just 6-10 the year before Ben got here.

He rejuvenated the Steelers, going 15-0 in the regular season his rookie year. He made big plays and gave the team a newfound energy.

People have made a big deal that the Steelers went 3-1 this year without Roethlisberger, yet the Patriots went 11-5 without Brady two years ago. Again, there's a double standard when it comes to Ben.

What separates Roethlisberger from other quarterbacks is something that you can't teach. His physical and mental toughness is what makes him special. Ben can have a miserable first half and find a way to prevail in the end.

What I don't understand is why people fail to mention Roethlisberger with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Is it because of his stats?

Do these people not realize that Ben is the eighth-highest-rated passer in NFL history? Did Ben not go 9-6 last year while throwing for over 4,300 yards, with 26 touchdowns and a QB rating over 100?

I hear a lot of people say that it's the team, not Roethlisberger. I hear people say that if you put Peyton on the Steelers, he would have multiple Super Bowls as well. That's ridiculous.

Manning is a choke artist.

He has had a top 10 defenses four different times in his career (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), including the best defense in the NFL in 2007. He's also played with more Pro Bowlers than Big Ben.



Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

If you say to me, "Give Peyton Manning the Steelers' defense," I'll say, "OK—let Roethlisberger throw to Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Marvin Harrison with Edgerrin James in the backfield in a dome with a perfect climate."

If you want Manning to have Roethlisberger's defense, then he has to play outside in Pittsburgh, behind Ben's offensive line, with Roethlisberger's receivers.

Are these same people suggesting that Tom Brady has never benefited from good defenses? The Patriots have had a top 10 defense in eight of the last 10 seasons, including the best scoring defense twice.

Now Aaron Rodgers is considered an elite QB. That's fine; but his defense was ranked second in the NFL this year in scoring defense.

Roethlisberger got killed for winning the AFC Championship with no TD passes, two picks and a 35 QB rating. Yet Rodgers also won the NFC Championship with zero TD and two picks.

Can someone say double standard?

Aside from having the eighth-best quarterback rating of all time, Ben has the fourth-best yards-per-attempt in NFL history.

My opinion is that fantasy football geeks and stat junkies get mad because they don't have a way of understanding how Ben always seems to find a way to get a victory.

It's because he's a natural winner. He has "it." "It" can't be explained, but Ben has it.

You have to talk about him being an all-time great. Then you have to put him in with Brady and Manning regardless of stats or what the "experts" might think.

All I know is that despite all the stats and arguing, one thing is for sure—Roethlisberger is clutch.

When his career is over, Roethlisberger may end up being the best clutch quarterback of his generation and maybe even of all time.

[url="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/620380-the-haters-are-wrong-ben-roethlisberger-is-a-great-quarterback"]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6203 ... uarterback[/url]

[Crash]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

He has had a top 10 defenses four different times in his career (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), including the best defense in the NFL in 2007

And every one of those years is with Ben in the league.

But yet his ignorant sheep still cry their PR spin because he gags worse than Kordell did in Schenley Park.

[feltdizz]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

I agree with Crash that Ben is the best QB that the Steelers have had since Bradshaw, and is one of the elite QB's in the NFL. Which is not to say that he is perfect. There is no question that a large percentage of the ties that Ben is sacked it is because he holds on to the ball too long because he is trying to make a play downfield, and I generally accept that as part of the whole package that is Ben. I do wish though that he would be a little more conscious of avoiding sacks when he finds himself in 3rd down between the 25 and 32 yard lines of the opposition, where a sack is likley to cost three points. It happened in the Super Bowl, and it seems to happen at least two or three times every season.

I also think that sometimes Ben becomes so obsessed with getting the ball downfield that he overlooks some really easy checkdown throws. One example is in this year's playoff game against the Ratbirds. With the score tied at 24, in the first down play on the series where Ben threw the 60 yard pass on 3rd and 19, he had Mendenhall WIDE OPEN in the right flat and he never even looked in that direction. Instead he got sacked for a loss of 9 yards. Same is true on the 3rd down play in the last possession of the Super Bowl when Moore was wide open for at least enough to get a 1st down.

Finally, I think that sometimes Ben focuses on one receiver instead of looking for the open receiver. On the 4th down incompletion on the last possession of the Super Bowl there was no way he should have been throwing to the receiver covered by Tramon Williams, who was by far the best secondary player GB had on the field. But it looked like Ben was locked into throwing to Wallace the entire play, no matter what.

Still, my bottom line is that I wouldn't trade Ben for any QB in the NFL.

You agree with Crash but I doubt he agrees with you...

[BURGH86STEEL]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

I agree with Crash that Ben is the best QB that the Steelers have had since Bradshaw, and is one of the elite QB's in the NFL. Which is not to say that he is perfect. There is no question that a large percentage of the ties that Ben is sacked it is because he holds on to the ball too long because he is trying to make a play downfield, and I generally accept that as part of the whole package that is Ben. I do wish though that he would be a little more conscious of avoiding sacks when he finds himself in 3rd down between the 25 and 32 yard lines of the opposition, where a sack is likley to cost three points. It happened in the Super Bowl, and it seems to happen at least two or three times every season.

I also think that sometimes Ben becomes so obsessed with getting the ball downfield that he overlooks some really easy checkdown throws. One example is in this year's playoff game against the Ratbirds. With the score tied at 24, in the first down play on the series where Ben threw the 60 yard pass on 3rd and 19, he had Mendenhall WIDE OPEN in the right flat and he never even looked in that direction. Instead he got sacked for a loss of 9 yards. Same is true on the 3rd down play in the last possession of the Super Bowl when Moore was wide open for at least enough to get a 1st down.

Finally, I think that sometimes Ben focuses on one receiver instead of looking for the open receiver. On the 4th down incompletion on the last possession of the Super Bowl there was no way he should have been throwing to the receiver covered by Tramon Williams, who was by far the best secondary player GB had on the field. But it looked like Ben was locked into throwing to Wallace the entire play, no matter what.

Still, my bottom line is that I wouldn't trade Ben for any QB in the NFL.

You agree with Crash but I doubt he agrees with you...

[birtikidis]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

Why anyone would want to cut part of the offense out is beyond me. There is nothing wrong with the short passing game, intermediate, or the vertical. Keeping the defense guessing is where the problem is. Like crash said, most of the time when Johnson and Spaeth are on the field you know it's going to be a run. I don't hate either player, both have their positives, it's the type of play that is called when they're on the field. Using Johnson as a lead blocker is also ridiculous. The guy is a TE, he's played his entire career as a TE. He is a good blocking TE. Nothing he does makes me think he is a good lead blocker. I'd rather have an actual FB that can catch and block... is that too much to ask for?

[Blockhead]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

Why anyone would want to cut part of the offense out is beyond me. There is nothing wrong with the short passing game, intermediate, or the vertical. Keeping the defense guessing is where the problem is. Like crash said, most of the time when Johnson and Spaeth are on the field you know it's going to be a run. I don't hate either player, both have their positives, it's the type of play that is called when they're on the field. Using Johnson as a lead blocker is also ridiculous. The guy is a TE, he's played his entire career as a TE. He is a good blocking TE. Nothing he does makes me think he is a good lead blocker. I'd rather have an actual FB that can catch and block... is that too much to ask for?

Agreed. The multiple te offense can be devastating, both in the passing and running game. The problem is our idiot OC or QB, whoever is calling the plays(Ben controls most according to many) at the time, doesn't have a clue and our moron HC won't hire an OC who will coach and teach Ben how to run the offense correctly. As long as Arians stays, Ben will continue to be inconsistent and a physical player but a mental midget.

[Crash]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

Why anyone would want to cut part of the offense out is beyond me. There is nothing wrong with the short passing game, intermediate, or the vertical. Keeping the defense guessing is where the problem is. Like crash said, most of the time when Johnson and Spaeth are on the field you know it's going to be a run. I don't hate either player, both have their positives, it's the type of play that is called when they're on the field. Using Johnson as a lead blocker is also ridiculous. The guy is a TE, he's played his entire career as a TE. He is a good blocking TE. Nothing he does makes me think he is a good lead blocker. I'd rather have an actual FB that can catch and block... is that too much to ask for?

Agreed. The multiple te offense can be devastating, both in the passing and running game. The problem is our idiot OC or QB, whoever is calling the plays(Ben controls most according to many) at the time, doesn't have a clue and our moron HC won't hire an OC who will coach and teach Ben how to run the offense correctly. As long as Arians stays, Ben will continue to be inconsistent and a physical player but a mental midget.

Ben calls plays in the no huddle and when he audibles 43, you know this. Don't come on this board spewing your crap.

Ben does not decide what formations are brought in the huddle and who comes in and who goes out, that's Arians.

The two TE set is garbage. It's a speed league now, and the ONLY time this offense really works, is when we use the speed we have.

[Blockhead]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

The two TE set is garbage. It's a speed league now, and the ONLY time this offense really works, is when we use the speed we have.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning do quite well with multiple te packages. The multiple te packages can be devastating, both in the run and pass game, when ran correctly.

[feltdizz]

Re: "It's scary how good Ben can be"

Why anyone would want to cut part of the offense out is beyond me. There is nothing wrong with the short passing game, intermediate, or the vertical. Keeping the defense guessing is where the problem is. Like crash said, most of the time when Johnson and Spaeth are on the field you know it's going to be a run. I don't hate either player, both have their positives, it's the type of play that is called when they're on the field. Using Johnson as a lead blocker is also ridiculous. The guy is a TE, he's played his entire career as a TE. He is a good blocking TE. Nothing he does makes me think he is a good lead blocker. I'd rather have an actual FB that can catch and block... is that too much to ask for?

Who said anything about cutting something out? Most are suggesting adding onto what we already have.

If you don't think the short passing game can be improved on that is your opinion.

We added more slants and shorter routes after Ben had a club foot and a broken nose.

Do you think Mend can be a lethal RB in the flats? I sure do and every time he has caught a pass out there he makes the first guy miss and picks up 8 to 10 yards.

I have no idea why more of these passes would "hurt" the offense.