How big was the Steelers Change on Offense

[Sword]

This last game is how I have wanted them to play for years on Offense...never quit, play aggressive and
throw to win....

Was it just for this game or did they behind close doors change their approach going forward. I sure hope they did for all games!
Ben is their number one weapon with the pass and then this will make the run even better.....

[Slapstick]

I'm hoping that it's a philosophical change. I'm hoping that Tomlin said something like, "F this noise. Let's score points!" Or something to that effect. There is no doubt that Bell is still a big part of the offense, but he shouldn't be bigger than Ben.

On D, I'm hoping something similar happened...

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

I'm all for it as well, IF our O-line can protect Ben like they did on Sunday.

I think the small ball we've seen was probably nobody's first choice, but was made necessary by the way the O-line was(n't) protecting him in the past. It would have been QB-cide to draw up plays involving 7-step drops and post patterns then. Focus then was: "keep Ben upright by making him release within 1.7 seconds" (yes, I was a fly on the wall ... ).

If we win the SB this year, Munchak should get an automatic game ball, because it will be because the O-line has developed enough to consistently give Ben time to use his entire skill set.

[feltdizz]

Until I see it again I'm thinking it was a game plan specifically for the Colts. There is an article on the Post-Gazette about our O finally passing the ball like the rest of the NFL. I hope its true.... but until I see it again???

Plus, Ben is up for a new contract so Art2 has to make sure Ben doesn't get stats... lol

right crash?

[B&GinNC]

''I'm not kicking the field goal right there and go up by 13 and have these guys put two late touchdowns on the board,'' Tomlin said. ''We were not taking our foot off the gas.''

Yes, please. This is exactly how I've put this for as long as I can remember. "Taking our foot off the gas". Even back to the latter years of the '70's Super Bowl era, it seemed as if there was this sense about the Steelers that our offense was there to score enough points, but games were won on the defensive side of the ball. In the '70's, it meant taking the ball out of the hands of a HOF QB and two HOF receivers in their primes. Now it means taking the ball away from your future HOF QB and your perennial Pro Bowl WR who keeps getting picked MVP by his teammates. Sometimes, the strategy has to bend to accomodate who's on the roster... or else you end up with Jason Worilds and Cortez Allen trying to close out the juggernaut that is Mike Glennon in the closing seconds of a coach killing type of loss.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

I'm going to say this. Knowing the Steelers...I think it is entirely possible. We may get wind of this in the offseason when...<cough>...They change OC. Randy Fichtner is "more" involved in the Steelers offensive gameplan & design over the last couple weeks. I "smell something from the kitchen".

[K Train]

Highly doubt it.

Haley is allowed to call a great game....hes done it before. Bryant has provided such a spark to the offense, haley loves WRs like him too...Bryant right now is better than Jon Baldwin ever was

[BradshawsHairdresser]

I'm going to say this. Knowing the Steelers...I think it is entirely possible. We may get wind of this in the offseason when...<cough>...They change OC. Randy Fichtner is "more" involved in the Steelers offensive gameplan & design over the last couple weeks. I "smell something from the kitchen".

Got any evidence, or is this just a feeling?

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

That's my belief...My speculation form what my eyes see. Philosophy doesn't change overnight. Haley didn't realize PA just existed when you have Bell. I don't believe he just realized route combinations help WRs create separation & holes in zones more efficiently than bunch & rub routes. They are really utilizing now the concept of running off safeties & working Bell underneath. Throwing verticals rather than bubbles to keep the Safeties out of the box. Randy isn't calling plays...That's not what I'm saying. I see fingerprints that aren't Haley's...I don't think he just found pages stuck together in his playbook. That's my opinion.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Got any evidence, or is this just a feeling?

Just what my eyes are seeing. I would say maybe Tomlin but I don't think he has the offensive mind. Look at some things. J Brown's helmet taken for Bryant. J Brown's strength was his blocking ability that help with bubble screens & downfield run blocking. That shift happens & we see less screens & more verticals. We see more spread sets. Utilizing Bryant & DHB to run off safeties. More PA & less run/pass read plays. More Moore...Less Archer. If Acrher loses his helmet there goes Haley's gadget. Maybe it's Tomlin telling Haley to utilize different personnel but I see a scheme change with it. I was a Haley supporter when he got here but have lost confidence in him. Maybe I gave up too soon on him but I can't see him being the man who turned it all around on his own. He had too many ups & down here & I truly "smell" something by the product on the field.

[feltdizz]

Just what my eyes are seeing. I would say maybe Tomlin but I don't think he has the offensive mind. Look at some things. J Brown's helmet taken for Bryant. J Brown's strength was his blocking ability that help with bubble screens & downfield run blocking. That shift happens & we see less screens & more verticals. We see more spread sets. Utilizing Bryant & DHB to run off safeties. More PA & less run/pass read plays. More Moore...Less Archer. If Acrher loses his helmet there goes Haley's gadget. Maybe it's Tomlin telling Haley to utilize different personnel but I see a scheme change with it. I was a Haley supporter when he got here but have lost confidence in him. Maybe I gave up too soon on him but I can't see him being the man who turned it all around on his own. He had too many ups & down here & I truly "smell" something by the product on the field.

I think Bryant making his first TD catch changed our philosophy on offense. Why throw a bunch of bubbles when you have WR's actually separating from defenders?

[steelsnis]

To all those complaining about why Bryant hasn't been playing until the past two games. Could it be that he just wasn't ready yet? I think the "Steelers don't play young players" narrative is changing. Maybe it's out of necessity or maybe not, but the past two seasons have seen Jarvis Jones, LeVeon Bell, Wheaton, Justin Brown, Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt starting games or getting serious minutes as rookies. Now add to that Bryant and McCullers (and Archer when he figures things out).

Sometimes the coaches see things in practice that give them indications if a guy is ready or not. Maybe Bryant, while having EVERY physical tool wasn't prepared mentally to get thrown into the fire. Maybe one coach was pushing for him to play more and another wasn't. You just never know. Not everyone is wired the same. Could it be that they were being cautious with Bryant in the beginning because they were wary of what happened in the Sweed situation? Throw a rookie out there and if he drops a few balls early or blows some chances, could it backfire and set him back?

I'm just throwing it out there that maybe the coaches DO have a clue about a few things.

Ahh, who am I kidding. Fire em all!

[K Train]

bryant was not ready prior to last week, according to a few sources

[Slapstick]

I think it may have been a combination of Haley and feeling that Bryant was ready to contribute. Both Ben and Haley work well with multiple WRs...Wheaton wasn't scaring anybody lined up on the outside. Bryant catching that 35 yard TD as his first NFL catch was huge. That gets noticed. As does scoring two TDs the following week. Now, you can line Wheaton up in the slot where he can scare people. Now, you have Heath with a 49 yard reception. Now, you can have a wide open play book.

[Northern_Blitz]

In general, I think the Cower style of holding on to a 10+ point lead doesn't work well anymore. It's too easy for teams like Indy to come back now. But, at the same time, I think we need to protect our QB especially when a game is essentially over.

For example: It's stupid to run your franchise QB over the right end with 1 minute left when you're up by 17. While Ben was getting dragged down by one defender, he gets kind of lit up by the second. Hits like these are players get accidental head shots. And it's a needless risk in this case. We easily could have run up the gut, or taken a knee.

With our back up QB situation, imagine how you'd feel if Ben was out for any amount of time after needless play like that.