Ben after the game said

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

1) If anyone could post a link to that interview, I'd appreciate it.
2) That's not a great thing to say as a leader ... they're depending on him, he's all they got ... he's got to keep that kind of thing to himself, IMO.

[Steelhere10]

1) If anyone could post a link to that interview, I'd appreciate it.
2) That's not a great thing to say as a leader ... they're depending on him, he's all they got ... he's got to keep that kind of thing to himself, IMO.

Go to Steelers.com

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

I think they need to stay the course here, with how Ben is being managed. SB isn't won in September or October. Yes, we want to win these games. But making Ben practice all week, I think would be a mistake in the grand scheme. Logic says that Ben will slowly continue to round into form as the season goes along, as long as he realizes this process. You could force Ben to practice more and wear himself out by January, or you could continue to manage him with the hope of him being ready when it really matters.

How hard is practice for a QB? I'm not being snarky, just asking, I didn't think it was physically hard at all.

[Starlifter]

I'm not going to get into reads or progressions - but I was really focusing on two things today at the stadium. Ben's mechanics and the performance of the O-Line. Now, I haven't watched the game again on my Ipad so this is just my observations from the stands but two glaring things stood out to me.

I'm trying to find the word to describe Ben's passes - and the word that keeps coming to mind is 'lazy'. I don't know if it comes across on the TV - but you don't see a lot of zip on his balls. he doesn't really rifle anything in. But moreover on passes longer than 20 yards - they have an arc to them that sometimes resembles a low punt. As a result, the ball seems to hang in the air a bit longer than necessary. an extra half second of flight time allows DB's to close and make a play. He is still big and strong - but I don't really see him stepping into his throws. This doesn't mean every pass is crap - but there is such a fine line between a great play and an interception and a half dozen or so a game can really skew the outcome. When he throws the deep ball it appears almost lackadaisical.

that being said, the o-line again today played below average. In particular decastro. the holding penalty on the TD was not the first point in the game i watched him have a poor play. he was pushed around on more than a few, and flat out missed some blocks on others. He pulled on one play, totally whiffed on the block and LB was tackled for a 5 yard loss. He's not the only one playing poorly at times, i think the line as a whole is struggling. And I have always maintained a great oline makes everyone better - and a struggling line makes the rest of the team look like turds.

we've looked like turds on offense all season.

just my 2 cents from the stadium today.

[Steelhere10]

He said it in a joking off the cuff way. Only Will Graves of the AP reported his comments in the proper context.

But, when you hire garbage? You become garbage.

This system is garbage. Haley wastes too many plays trying to be cute.

Case in point, the Steelers have a chance to take the lead. They have 2nd and 3rd and goal from the five.

Bell is lined up in the slot on 2nd down, and wide left on 3rd down.

Who does Genius Todd Haley have lined up in the backfield next to Ben as a RB?

Roosevelt Nix, who has a grand total of ZERO RUSHING ATTEMPTS in three years.

And he honestly thinks the Jags were going to play the run honest?

It's simple: You either fire Haley, or you trade/cut Ben if he doesn't retire.

They wasted his career, should have just traded him for the King's ransom they would have gotten after 2010 or when they canned Arians.

Because this ownership induced arrangement ruined Ben AND AB's prime.

Sad.

I don't doubt Haley needs to be fired, but why can Brady, Payton and the rest can change multiple OC and still put points on the board but Ben look like garbage. The Great ones adjust.

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

I'm not going to get into reads or progressions - but I was really focusing on two things today at the stadium. Ben's mechanics and the performance of the O-Line. Now, I haven't watched the game again on my Ipad so this is just my observations from the stands but two glaring things stood out to me.

I'm trying to find the word to describe Ben's passes - and the word that keeps coming to mind is 'lazy'. I don't know if it comes across on the TV - but you don't see a lot of zip on his balls. he doesn't really rifle anything in. But moreover on passes longer than 20 yards - they have an arc to them that sometimes resembles a low punt. As a result, the ball seems to hang in the air a bit longer than necessary. an extra half second of flight time allows DB's to close and make a play. He is still big and strong - but I don't really see him stepping into his throws. This doesn't mean every pass is crap - but there is such a fine line between a great play and an interception and a half dozen or so a game can really skew the outcome. When he throws the deep ball it appears almost lackadaisical.

that being said, the o-line again today played below average. In particular decastro. the holding penalty on the TD was not the first point in the game i watched him have a poor play. he was pushed around on more than a few, and flat out missed some blocks on others. He pulled on one play, totally whiffed on the block and LB was tackled for a 5 yard loss. He's not the only one playing poorly at times, i think the line as a whole is struggling. And I have always maintained a great oline makes everyone better - and a struggling line makes the rest of the team look like turds.

we've looked like turds on offense all season.

just my 2 cents from the stadium today.

Thanks for that perspective, Starlifter. I knew there was something wrong with the O-line, and that it wasn't just Hubbard filling in for Gilbert.

[NorthCoast]

He said it in a joking off the cuff way. Only Will Graves of the AP reported his comments in the proper context.

But, when you hire garbage? You become garbage.

This system is garbage. Haley wastes too many plays trying to be cute.

Case in point, the Steelers have a chance to take the lead. They have 2nd and 3rd and goal from the five.

Bell is lined up in the slot on 2nd down, and wide left on 3rd down.

Who does Genius Todd Haley have lined up in the backfield next to Ben as a RB?

Roosevelt Nix, who has a grand total of ZERO RUSHING ATTEMPTS in three years.

And he honestly thinks the Jags were going to play the run honest?

It's simple: You either fire Haley, or you trade/cut Ben if he doesn't retire.

They wasted his career, should have just traded him for the King's ransom they would have gotten after 2010 or when they canned Arians.

Because this ownership induced arrangement ruined Ben AND AB's prime.

Sad.

You're not understanding Haley's grand plan. He is trying to get these plays on tape so teams will have to game plan for them. I can see DCs spending sleepless nights with the frightening look of Nix in the back field.
But seriously, Bell has done best with a FB leading blocking and yet they rarely run this formation. Who knows? Maybe Haley's hands are tied because he is merely catering to what Roethlisberger wants?

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

Terry Bradshaw played 14 seasons then retired at the age of 35. Looks like history is about to repeat itself.

This made me cry a bit. It could be over, I guess.

[Ernie]

This made me cry a bit. It could be over, I guess.

You are right. It is sad. I have gone from being pissed off all evening... to thinking "Man I better enjoy watching Ben play the rest of this year"... for better or worse, because this is likely the end of an era.

[Shoe]

How hard is practice for a QB? I'm not being snarky, just asking, I didn't think it was physically hard at all.

I think its more mental than it is anything else. I've been on teams where we practiced HARD. On our off-days, we were encouraged to do other things that might enhance our training. I wasn't physically sore (slightly worn on those off-days, but nothing painful--i.e. muscles). But I didn't really have the inclination to do anything, other than take my mind off training. Toward the middle and end of the season, I must say that I was worn down mentally.

I think it is the same thing with older football players like Ben. There is an obvious price to pay, in this case, Ben taking a long time to get on-point. But I think it is a trade-off that we're going to have to make, for a potentially big-game QB.

Now at this point, I think the sense of urgency should take hold here (and it sounds like it is), where Ben is considering practicing more. It certainly needs to be considered. But long story short: I think the mental grind is minimized.

[pfelix73]

I didn't get a chance to see the game on tv, but did listen to it on the radio. After that performance, I didn't miss much by not watching it. I agree, that the OL isn't playing well. A lot of those batted balls are OL fault. But why Haley hasn't been able to adjust to that is poor, like rolling Ben out more, getting him out of the pocket. It's been happening a lot lately. Someone mentioned about Nix being in the backfield on that one series when they couldn't score a TD. I was thinking the same damn thing while listening to it. wth. Haley has to go. Never cared for him. Going to KC and getting a W, seems like a tall task. But it IS early. Peak in late Nov- Jan.. not Oct.

[pittpete]

Haley wastes too many plays trying to be cute.

This x 1000000000000000

[Ernie]

I didn't get a chance to see the game on tv, but did listen to it on the radio. After that performance, I didn't miss much by not watching it. I agree, that the OL isn't playing well. A lot of those batted balls are OL fault. But why Haley hasn't been able to adjust to that is poor, like rolling Ben out more, getting him out of the pocket. It's been happening a lot lately. Someone mentioned about Nix being in the backfield on that one series when they couldn't score a TD. I was thinking the same damn thing while listening to it. wth. Haley has to go. Never cared for him. Going to KC and getting a W, seems like a tall task. But it IS early. Peak in late Nov- Jan.. not Oct.

I think you touched on something that's sorely missed. Ben looks like his mobility is gone. I don't see him extending plays anymore with his legs..and the play action element seems to be gone as well.

[Ghost]

I'm trying to find the word to describe Ben's passes - and the word that keeps coming to mind is 'lazy'. I don't know if it comes across on the TV - but you don't see a lot of zip on his balls. he doesn't really rifle anything in. But moreover on passes longer than 20 yards - they have an arc to them that sometimes resembles a low punt. As a result, the ball seems to hang in the air a bit longer than necessary. an extra half second of flight time allows DB's to close and make a play.

This is exactly right and it most certainly comes across on TV. A lot of throws are soft. A lot are high (AB bailed him out more than once yesterday). Perfect example was the first INT being thrown to McDonald. Ben throws that with some zip and leads McDonald just a touch it's a completion. Instead, he throws soft and the Jag is able to make a diving catch on the ball. There was no reason for that pass to be picked off.

[feltdizz]

Ben has retired.