I miss Bruce

[feltdizz]

and he was pretty bad. I didn't think it could get worse than BA.. but it did.

BA was above average... he wasn't great but he is pretty good. Our OL was trash and he made it work. He got rookies on the field and they produced.

A few of us.. and by few I mean me, crash and maybe Burghsteel said it could get worse but everyone was too busy talking about BA not being a HC. Look at him now...his teams can actually score points and put together this thing they call a drive.

[feltdizz]

5 sacks a game puts Ben on pace for 80 sacks in a season. Even BA didn't get him hit that much. I counted Ben getting hit 10 times today. That's more than he typically got hit in a BA called game. Haley was supposed to prevent Ben from taking shots, not get him hit more often.

It's still tough for me to figure out Haley's overall plan. He's supposed to be helping us run the ball better too. But with all the short passes, more guys are around the LOS stopping the run and getting to the QB faster. At least taking shots down field, it puts less guys in the box and gives the OLinemen less people to block.

All these things Haley was brought in to do, haven't been improving really. Now the one change I did notice is we seemed to take a couple more shots downfield today than I typically saw last season. So is Ben cajoling Haley back into calling a more BA like offense to cater to what Ben wants to do anyways? I mean it's not like we're fixing what was supposed to be fixed, so why not just let Ben do what he's comfortable doing which is what BA seemed to embrace from day 1.

To be fair we did go deep on our first play and Sanders should have caught that pass....

but I agree... how can you run effectively when you have an attack that keeps 8 or 9 guys in the box?

I also noticed a lot of high passes underneath by Ben... our WR's are smallish

[Ghost]

Before the Redman's fumble I thought the O looked good, was moving the ball, and I loved the long ball to open it up. But then the entire O crumbled after the turnover. I am actually having a hard time trying to understand what I saw today. Some of the worst offensive football in my lifetime.

[feltdizz]

Before the Redman's fumble I thought the O looked good, was moving the ball, and I loved the long ball to open it up. But then the entire O crumbled after the turnover. I am actually having a hard time trying to understand what I saw today. Some of the worst offensive football in my lifetime.

Pouncey injury... while some think he hasn't done anything since his rookie season he is still the QB of our OL.

[NorthCoast]

Pouncey injury... while some think he hasn't done anything since his rookie season he is still the QB of our OL.

Yes, Beachum in his second year, playing a position he had not been practicing. Can't expect too much good coming from that, and it didn't.

[Ernie]

BA was above average... he wasn't great but he is pretty good. Our OL was trash and he made it work. He got rookies on the field and they produced.

A few of us.. and by few I mean me, crash and maybe Burghsteel said it could get worse but everyone was too busy talking about BA not being a HC. Look at him now...his teams can actually score points and put together this thing they call a drive.

I don't think he was above average. Look at the weapons he had while he was OC... put some some pretty pathetic scoring totals if you ask me..

We should have been blowing people out most years, especially with the defense we had.

[birtikidis]

Sure... just because you say it doesn't make it so. I would rather see Ben sacked 10 times playing his game than get sacked 5 times while running this pathetic offense.

There is no way BA would have Redman in, Dwyer cut and Jones on the sideline all game.

If BA was our OC then Jones WOULD HAVE BEEN IN. Of course, since he's the OC then that would mean Landry Jones since he doesn't do crap with our defense.

[papillon]

sorry dizz, but eff BA. I hated him and am glad he's gone. Yes we won with him so there's a comfort level, but I think his philosophy would have shortened BB's career. Plus, IDK the stats but his red zone efficiency wasn't much better. I was a big supporter of Haley but he has lost his fire it seems. Just let loose once and a while and provide a spark to the offense. Even if its out of spite.

As opposed to the 80 sack season that Ben is on pace for right now? It's unfortunate that Bruce Arians was escorted out of town, he was the OC the last time the offense was even close to NFL caliber.

If many people would just get over their hate for him for whatever reason and look at the offense I think they would see that he was capable of putting Ben in a position to succeed and that is the most important thing a Steeler OC can do. Last year and early this year Haley isn't putting Ben in a good position. It's early, we shall see soon enough.

Pappy

[papillon]

Sure... just because you say it doesn't make it so. I would rather see Ben sacked 10 times playing his game than get sacked 5 times while running this pathetic offense.

There is no way BA would have Redman in, Dwyer cut and Jones on the sideline all game.

Quoted for truth.

Pappy

[Eddie Spaghetti]

If BA was our OC then Jones WOULD HAVE BEEN IN. Of course, since he's the OC then that would mean Landry Jones since he doesn't do crap with our defense.

uhhh

felix jones

[feltdizz]

I don't think he was above average. Look at the weapons he had while he was OC... put some some pretty pathetic scoring totals if you ask me..

We should have been blowing people out most years, especially with the defense we had.

What weapons? Sweed.... Spindenhall... an old Hines Ward...an old Bettis... Nate Washington? Mahan... Kemo...

Gimme a break.A big reason we had weapons is because BA utilized the guys he had and put them in a position to do what they do best. Wallace was fast but a horrible route runner so he had him run fast in a straight line...

The OL couldnt run block and stayed hurt so he RUTM and baited the D and then went over the top. Ben didn't like XYZ so he didn't run XYZ.

We definitely had games where the O was subpar but when it mattered most we always put up 20+.

The real problem is the "we shoulda blown everyone out" with BA. That isn't realistic at all?


we have never been a team who believes in blowing teams out.

[feltdizz]

As opposed to the 80 sack season that Ben is on pace for right now? It's unfortunate that Bruce Arians was escorted out of town, he was the OC the last time the offense was even close to NFL caliber.

If many people would just get over their hate for him for whatever reason and look at the offense I think they would see that he was capable of putting Ben in a position to succeed and that is the most important thing a Steeler OC can do. Last year and early this year Haley isn't putting Ben in a good position. It's early, we shall see soon enough.

Pappy

NFL caliber is spot on... BA definitely had some WTF games but teams feared our big play offense. Not anymore...

[Ernie]

"We shoulda blown everyone out"??

I didn't say that...

With the parity in this league... I agree that is not realistic... and a reason I wouldn't say that.
I think we had a hell of alot more in the way of weapons than you mentioned. Heath..Randle El, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Brown to name a few...

I watched too many games where we played bottom tier teams down to the wire...like 12-9 ballgames.. years when we went deep into the playoffs.

and to say that BA utilized his weapons...we never had any kind of screen game after whizenhunt left... to offset the blitz. He couldve done alot more. Not saying he was terrible... definitely not a top tier coordinator though. just average.

[NorthCoast]

As opposed to the 80 sack season that Ben is on pace for right now? It's unfortunate that Bruce Arians was escorted out of town, he was the OC the last time the offense was even close to NFL caliber.

If many people would just get over their hate for him for whatever reason and look at the offense I think they would see that he was capable of putting Ben in a position to succeed and that is the most important thing a Steeler OC can do. Last year and early this year Haley isn't putting Ben in a good position. It's early, we shall see soon enough.

Pappy

Sorry, but no. Last year it was Haley's first, this year it is a brand new blocking scheme. BA more or less carried on the same offense each season. For as great a coach people like to say BA is, many of the wins by Indy were by Luck. And Luck only completed 54% of his passes at less than 7 yds/completion. Plus I believe he was hit more than any other QB last season. BA is a QB killer.

[papillon]

Sorry, but no. Last year it was Haley's first, this year it is a brand new blocking scheme. BA more or less carried on the same offense each season. For as great a coach people like to say BA is, many of the wins by Indy were by Luck. And Luck only completed 54% of his passes at less than 7 yds/completion. Plus I believe he was hit more than any other QB last season. BA is a QB killer.

Maybe having the same offense that everyone knew allowed the players to play without thinking. BA wasn't the greatest, but his offense actually looked like an offense and he used the strengths of his quarterback to produce offense. At times BA's offense put Ben in harms way, but Ben would rather that than to try and take three steps and dump it to a back or crossing WR. Sometimes you just have to let Ben play, he knows the risks. The Steelers have one of the best quarterbacks of all time and they're going to waste his best years changing coaches and schemes.

Pappy