Why Does Steelers Offense Stink?

[flippy]

This. As soon as we get up by 10 we shut down the offense until the other team scores. We rarely put up over 30 points and I can't think of the last time we put up 40. For the big bad Pittsburgh Steelers we play not to lose on both sides of the ball. That's why after being burnt for a TD on one long pass play last week against the Chargers you saw our CB's giving 10 yard cushions on 3rd and 2 allowing Rivers to easily complete short passes. Reminded me of Lebeau being terrified of Tom Brady's long ball so he had Willie Williams giving a 10 yard cushion all AFCCG long in 2004 only to have Brady complete about a dozen short passes right in front of Williams.

The Steelers are a very conservative team and it hurts them.

I think we give a cushion when there's no help for a corner over the top. And we press when there's safety help for the corner. The bottom line is Lebeau is trying to mix it up and have more guys to pressure the QB and he'll give a cushion.

How'd you like when Brown played Alexander tight on his first TD? Everyone else gave a cushion on that play because there was no help over the top. And they went after the guy pressing Alexander. And Brown got beat bad.

[DBR96A]

This. As soon as we get up by 10 we shut down the offense until the other team scores. We rarely put up over 30 points and I can't think of the last time we put up 40.

They scored 41 against the Browns to end the 2010 season.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

I think we give a cushion when there's no help for a corner over the top. And we press when there's safety help for the corner. The bottom line is Lebeau is trying to mix it up and have more guys to pressure the QB and he'll give a cushion.

How'd you like when Brown played Alexander tight on his first TD? Everyone else gave a cushion on that play because there was no help over the top. And they went after the guy pressing Alexander. And Brown got beat bad.

Pretty sure this discussion could automatically go over into the 'Our defense plays worse when Troy is in there' cause when Allen was in there he played safety, not as a 5th linebacker, 100% of the time meaning we had safety help over the top 100% of the time. Why is our safety at the LOS half the time he is in there? Because we have no pass rush...Why do we have no pass rush?

[lloydroid]

This. As soon as we get up by 10 we shut down the offense until the other team scores. We rarely put up over 30 points and I can't think of the last time we put up 40. For the big bad Pittsburgh Steelers we play not to lose on both sides of the ball. That's why after being burnt for a TD on one long pass play last week against the Chargers you saw our CB's giving 10 yard cushions on 3rd and 2 allowing Rivers to easily complete short passes. Reminded me of Lebeau being terrified of Tom Brady's long ball so he had Willie Williams giving a 10 yard cushion all AFCCG long in 2004 only to have Brady complete about a dozen short passes right in front of Williams.

The Steelers are a very conservative team and it hurts them.

You are right: they play "not to lose" even though Cowher is gone. That attitude must be inherent from the Rooneys themselves, or why do different coaches seemingly coach the same way? I love how Brady, Belichick and the Pats just jack up teams and go aggressive and tear them a new butt hole. That is the way to roll, not this wussy, "I am scared to be burned" mindset. New England is also aggressive with weeding out bad attitudes; they don't play pitty pat once a player has a non-team attitude - they cut them out like cancer. Not this team; they wait until the season is ruined before they make any moves to stamp out players with bad attitudes. Wallace should have been dealt with many weeks ago.

[hawaiiansteel]

Roethlisberger, like many quarterbacks coming off an extended injury layoff, wasn‘t spectacular in his return. He went 22 of 42 for 285 yards and three TDs on Sunday, but he missed quite a few throws. He expects to be much better in Dallas. “I think I did come out a little anxious, a little rusty, but we just couldn‘t put it together,” Roethlisberger said. “It wasn‘t like we had any two positions doing the right thing. It was one of those funky things, and I think we‘ve got it corrected.”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3118297-85/wallace-roethlisberger-steelers#ixzz2F4AqDceN[/URL]

[Mister Pittsburgh]

I think the Rooney's make sure that the 'emblem' is the star, not any one player, and that is why they have never fully handed the offense over to Ben like most teams do with a true franchise QB. They really didn't have a true 'brand' until the 70's and once the right players were finally drafted in the 70's and won championships and the city went crazy for those teams and their style of play, that was the brand they chose.

That emblem stands for old school smash mouth football that is led by a vicious defense and a bash your face in running game. They even keep the old sandlot feel by keeping the natural grass mud hole that freezes into the look of an old cow pasture come January. They don't want some high fallutin' finesse offense that throws the ball 45 times a game. They want a run first offense where their offensive line punches the other team in the mouth and they impose their will on the opposition.

Problem is, they don't have players that fit that mold. They have a franchise QB, 3 fast, small WR's whose games are based off of their speed and shiftiness. They have some crappy oft injured linemen that rarely impose their will on anyone. They have two 'ok' power backs but don't have that extra oomph that Franco or Bettis had to plow dudes over or make their own holes. They have one RB that has talent but isn't built as a strictly between the tackles RB like they want in Mendy so he is oft injured and doesn't have the mental approach to be a power back. they drafted Rainey which is a wasted pick considering they have no running plays off tackle. They don't have that Dan Kreider FB anymore that will fly through a hole with wreck less abandon and smash LB's. the only truly hardcore throwback players they do have on offense are Ben and Heath.

The old school style they want doesn't fit the talent on the team, or today's NFL. Let's face it, we won the recent Superbowls off the backs of our defense and those hardcore throwback types like Smith, Casey, Troy, Harrison, Farrier, are past their prime or already retired. We now have their ghosts on the field surrounded by too few impact players or players that have talent but are oft injured.

Just my take. Some may not agree.

[RuthlessBurgher]

You are right: they play "not to lose" even though Cowher is gone. That attitude must be inherent from the Rooneys themselves, or why do different coaches seemingly coach the same way? I love how Brady, Belichick and the Pats just jack up teams and go aggressive and tear them a new butt hole. That is the way to roll, not this wussy, "I am scared to be burned" mindset. New England is also aggressive with weeding out bad attitudes; they don't play pitty pat once a player has a non-team attitude - they cut them out like cancer. Not this team; they wait until the season is ruined before they make any moves to stamp out players with bad attitudes. Wallace should have been dealt with many weeks ago.

What about the way Bellichick presents his injury report (which seems to be a major issue for you, since you so strongly objected to the Steelers lying to you about Polamalu's calf injury)? Belichick routinely lists nearly 2 dozen players all as questionable, whether they have a broken bone or a hangnail. At one point, I believe Brady was listed as questionable in every game for something like 2 or 3 years without missing a single snap. Players are never probable, doubtful, or out (unless on I.R.)...they are always questionable.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

To add to my post above, I think that conservative approach is why we have the 'play down to the competition' games. We shut it down on offense or go conservative on defense and then one mistake allows the other team back in the game.

[NJ-STEELER]

i can probably name at least 20 teams with a better feature back or a better #1 receiver.

we've drafted guys in the past to strengthen that but mendy is a dancing bust (pretty much) and they choose not to bring back #1 receiver types after their 1st contract which will probably continue as they let wallace go ( a real good #2 guy IMO)

[hawaiiansteel]

i can probably name at least 20 teams with a better feature back or a better #1 receiver.

at least...

[fezziwig]

It's all of the above. For what it requires from the offense, the o-line for Mendy to have a good game or season then, pretty much any back could produce under the perfect conditions. At least Dwyer and Redman will put up a fight.
I put most things on coaching for having poor issues on the field. Maybe not the offensive turnovers but everything else. I have a construction company and I know when I am the resosn why things are not getting done and when things are getting completed. If I don't prepare my guys, be prepared myself, it's like one step forward and two steps back on the job. Right now we have a lot of work and I've made the mistake of delegating certain things and it hasn't worked out. My crew these Steelers need a leader/coach that is on top of everything and the Steelers do not. As much as I hate Bellicheat, his team always seems foused and nothing comes as a surprise to him or what have you. He's still a no good sour puss cheating unproffesional bastard but outside of that, his teams are well coached. Even when he was with the Browns I would think, " they do't have a lot of talent on that team but, their coach gets the most of of them. " Tomlin doesn't seem to have that ability, Lebeau seems too timid or he recognizes he doesn't have the talent or healthy players to be aggresive. I don't know what it is but it all falls upon the coaches.

No eye of the tiger for these coaches or players.

[NorthCoast]

The Steelers desperately need a beast of a WR, a guy that can win one-on-one jumpballs, a guy that can take hits on a crossing route, a guy that can fight for the ball. the current crop is all about speed and quickness, but that only gets you so much. We saw what SD did. Play press coverage and knock them off their routes. It's easy to do when the CB outweights the WR by 20 lbs.
Heath Miller is the only receiver that can turn on the beast-mode and break the offensive doldrums.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Every keeps drooling over Belichick as the coach who always has his team focused and ready to play all the time. How many titles has he won since SpyGate stopped? Zero. During SpyGate, New England wins titles in 3 out of 4 seasons. As soon as SpyGate ends, Pittsburgh wins titles in 2 out of the next 4 seasons. New England was 9-0 in the playoffs with 3 titles during SpyGate, and 7-6 in the playoffs with 0 titles after SpyGate. Screw them. When allowed to cheat, Belichick's teams performed at an all-time great level...Lombardi-like. When not allowed to cheat, he is still a good coach, but by no means on an elite level...he gets his teams to the playoffs on a regular basis but can't quite seems to reach that championship threshold...Schottenheimer-like.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Every keeps drooling over Belichick as the coach who always has his team focused and ready to play all the time. How many titles has he won since SpyGate stopped? Zero. During SpyGate, New England wins titles in 3 out of 4 seasons. As soon as SpyGate ends, Pittsburgh wins titles in 2 out of the next 4 seasons. New England was 9-0 in the playoffs with 3 titles during SpyGate, and 7-6 in the playoffs with 0 titles after SpyGate. Screw them. When allowed to cheat, Belichick's teams performed at an all-time great level...Lombardi-like. When not allowed to cheat, he is still a good coach, but by no means on an elite level...he gets his teams to the playoffs on a regular basis but can't quite seems to reach that championship threshold...Schottenheimer-like.

I can only speak for myself, but 9 times out of ten when the Pats are favored to win they do and routinely crush crappy teams while we have to hold our breath every game. If you watch that team there is no denying they execute the gameplan typically to precision.