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Bob Smizik: Todd Haley deserves some credit
December 9, 2014
By Bob Smizik / Special to the Post-Gazette
In the aftermath of their 42-point, 543-yard performance Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers are second in the league in yards per game, second in yards per play, sixth in points, sixth in third-down conversion and first in time of possession. Over the past seven games, they are averaging 34 points.
The primary architects of this offensive onslaught have been quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Antonio Brown and a continually improving line.
Roethlisberger years ago established himself as one of the best in the league, in the tier right behind the top four of Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Bell and Brown have sprinted toward the top of their respective positions this season and no one should be surprised if they are not just Pro Bowl but All-Pro. Brown is first in the league in receptions, 15 more than anyone else, and first in yards. Bell is second in rushing yards and second in receptions among running backs.
Accolades pour down on all three. But what about the man standing in the background of all this success? The one who always seemed to be put front and center when the success was lacking? That would be offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who some people still think isn’t doing a good job.
Here’s what Ed Bouchette wrote about Haley at post-gazette.com: ''Although it has under-performed at times, the Steelers’ offense has done its job for most of the season, hitting 30 points or more seven times, more than 40 three times. It should not just earn Todd Haley a new contract, but a raise.’’
People want to judge the offensive coordinator on a play-by-play (the passion of many) and game-by-game basis, and there’s nothing wrong with that, if you know what you’re talking about. But there’s a broader view of the job and that’s where no one is even looking at Haley.
The spectacular improvement of Bell in this his second season, after a promising but hardly overwhelming rookie season, and the elevation of Brown from very good to elite rests mostly with the players. But coaches play a role in that success, too.
Any fair person who has criticized him in the past would have to acknowledge Haley deserves some of the credit for the overall improvement of the team and the specific improvement of individual players.
Even after the Steelers scored 42 against the Bengals, there were some negative comments about his play-calling. There’s no kind way to put this, but most fans and media have no way of evaluating play-calling and those who think they can by watching on television or sitting in the stands do not understand the game.
The most brilliantly conceived play can be undone by just one player botching his assignment. There is no play ever devised that works without execution. And even if all assignments are executed well, a superior defensive performance can still blow up the best-called play.
There are so many unknowns that it is impossible to evaluate each play in terms of whether it was smartly called.
* Who made the call: The coordinator or the quarterback?
* In what defense was the opposition and what are its tendencies in that defense?
* What has the defense done against that type of play in the past?
* How did every player on the field perform during the play?
Those are some of the variable that the average viewer in the stands, in the press box or in front of their TV knows next to nothing about.
And just as a great call might fail, a bad call might succeed because of a defensive breakdown.
So judge Haley on his play-calling if you wish, but know this: You probably don’t know what you’re talking about. The mere fact the Steelers are averaging 6.2 yards per play would indicate that criticism of Haley is a bit over the top,
It is next to impossible for fans or the media to properly evaluate a coordinator because so much of their success depends on the players. The calls the coordinators make are important, but not nearly as important as how the players perform. In football, strategy is important but not nearly as important as execution.
[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2014/12/09/Bob-Smizik-Haley-deserves-some-credit/stories/201412090120[/URL]
December 9, 2014
By Bob Smizik / Special to the Post-Gazette
In the aftermath of their 42-point, 543-yard performance Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers are second in the league in yards per game, second in yards per play, sixth in points, sixth in third-down conversion and first in time of possession. Over the past seven games, they are averaging 34 points.
The primary architects of this offensive onslaught have been quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Antonio Brown and a continually improving line.
Roethlisberger years ago established himself as one of the best in the league, in the tier right behind the top four of Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Bell and Brown have sprinted toward the top of their respective positions this season and no one should be surprised if they are not just Pro Bowl but All-Pro. Brown is first in the league in receptions, 15 more than anyone else, and first in yards. Bell is second in rushing yards and second in receptions among running backs.
Accolades pour down on all three. But what about the man standing in the background of all this success? The one who always seemed to be put front and center when the success was lacking? That would be offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who some people still think isn’t doing a good job.
Here’s what Ed Bouchette wrote about Haley at post-gazette.com: ''Although it has under-performed at times, the Steelers’ offense has done its job for most of the season, hitting 30 points or more seven times, more than 40 three times. It should not just earn Todd Haley a new contract, but a raise.’’
People want to judge the offensive coordinator on a play-by-play (the passion of many) and game-by-game basis, and there’s nothing wrong with that, if you know what you’re talking about. But there’s a broader view of the job and that’s where no one is even looking at Haley.
The spectacular improvement of Bell in this his second season, after a promising but hardly overwhelming rookie season, and the elevation of Brown from very good to elite rests mostly with the players. But coaches play a role in that success, too.
Any fair person who has criticized him in the past would have to acknowledge Haley deserves some of the credit for the overall improvement of the team and the specific improvement of individual players.
Even after the Steelers scored 42 against the Bengals, there were some negative comments about his play-calling. There’s no kind way to put this, but most fans and media have no way of evaluating play-calling and those who think they can by watching on television or sitting in the stands do not understand the game.
The most brilliantly conceived play can be undone by just one player botching his assignment. There is no play ever devised that works without execution. And even if all assignments are executed well, a superior defensive performance can still blow up the best-called play.
There are so many unknowns that it is impossible to evaluate each play in terms of whether it was smartly called.
* Who made the call: The coordinator or the quarterback?
* In what defense was the opposition and what are its tendencies in that defense?
* What has the defense done against that type of play in the past?
* How did every player on the field perform during the play?
Those are some of the variable that the average viewer in the stands, in the press box or in front of their TV knows next to nothing about.
And just as a great call might fail, a bad call might succeed because of a defensive breakdown.
So judge Haley on his play-calling if you wish, but know this: You probably don’t know what you’re talking about. The mere fact the Steelers are averaging 6.2 yards per play would indicate that criticism of Haley is a bit over the top,
It is next to impossible for fans or the media to properly evaluate a coordinator because so much of their success depends on the players. The calls the coordinators make are important, but not nearly as important as how the players perform. In football, strategy is important but not nearly as important as execution.
[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2014/12/09/Bob-Smizik-Haley-deserves-some-credit/stories/201412090120[/URL]
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