Team Outlook for 2021

[Mr.wizard]

Looks Washington is our only good player on offense

[BURGH86STEEL]

Looks Washington is our only good player on offense

There is a place for analytics but.....

[Northern_Blitz]

Patriots are tied for last in league in playoff appearances since they last won a Superbowl.

Seriously, when looking at the chart we are last in the league in one very crucial stat. Who sees what it is?

Ties?

We're not last in any of those categories (assuming I'm reading the chart correctly).

I wish that OPP PPG was better. And my guess is that if "Turnovers / Game" and "OPP Turnovers / game" were included, we'd have some context for why OPP PPG is as high as it is.

There are certainly some playoff games I've been trying to forget in this time span, but my recollection is that in the playoffs in the last decade we've turned the ball over a lot and haven't generated many turnovers.

But I admit that I may be suffering from recency bias here since the games against the Jags and Browns were so terrible.

[NorthCoast]

Let this sink in for a minute....

Pittsburgh is one of the NFL's most stable franchises. It's had just four losing campaigns in the last 30 years, and none since 2003, which was four seasons before Mike Tomlin took over as head coach.

An entire generation of Steeler fans have become spoiled with winning.



But lots of questions looming with the biggest around the remade offense:

The Football Outsiders Almanac is stuffed with data on how strikingly conservative the Steelers' offense was, even as it all but abandoned the running game:

• 66 wide receiver or tight end screens, far and away the most in the league
• An average of 4.4 yards per pass and a DVOA of minus-6.7% on those WR and TE screens, well below the league averages of 5.9 yards and 12.3% DVOA
• 19 defensive pass interference penalties by opponents for 351 yards, second only to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Roethlisberger was 27th in DVOA from Week 13 through that wild-card loss to Cleveland, when Pittsburgh won just once
• Luck: the Steelers managed to recover 14 of 19 offensive fumbles
• More luck: Pittsburgh was fifth-best in adjusted games lost due to injury
• The Steelers are counting on the addition of Harris, who is capable of lining up all over the formation, to boost both the running and passing game. The promotion of Canada, who made his bones scheming up a forward-thinking offense that helped Pitt QB Nate Peterman outgun Clemson's Deshaun Watson once upon a time, figures to bring plenty of modern elements to the Steelers' attack: motions, shifts, play-action, misdirection.

Some of this will be a marked change for Roethlisberger, who attempted just 35 of his 608 passes last year while under center, and who can't exactly stretch the pocket anymore with designed rollouts. The Steelers, per the Football Outsiders Almanac, also ranked 20th in pre-snap motion in 2020, and they've been dead last in play-action usage for six consecutive years. Canada is the right coordinator at the right time given the way football is now being played, but is Roethlisberger the right QB to execute what he can draw up?

[hawaiiansteel]

[Captain Lemming]

Patriots are tied for last...fire the coach!!!

[hawaiiansteel]

Patriots are tied for last...fire the coach!!!

the Patriots* are obviously hanging on to what Bill Belicheat has done in the past.

they should fire him asap or risk the same mistake the Dolphins made with Don Shula.

[Oviedo]

the Patriots* are obviously hanging on to what Bill Belicheat has done in the past.

they should fire him asap or risk the same mistake the Dolphins made with Don Shula.

Belicheck early success was with Pete Carroll's players

[Northern_Blitz]

This is a remarkable achievement by the franchise in a league with UFA and a salary cap.

[NorthCoast]

Asking a question because I could not find an answer; when was the last time the Steelers had an opening series TD?

It's been so long I can't remember.

[Northern_Blitz]

Asking a question because I could not find an answer; when was the last time the Steelers had an opening series TD?

It's been so long I can't remember.

I don't think we've had one in the past 2 seasons....but maybe I'm misremembering.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Asking a question because I could not find an answer; when was the last time the Steelers had an opening series TD?

It's been so long I can't remember.

someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I thought they had one last season. It was becoming a big topic and I thought that it finally did happen once - but I could be misremembering.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

And google is my friend:

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/10/steelers-snap-23-game-streak-with-long-awaited-and-much-needed-touchdown-on-opening-drive/

Last season against the Titans, after a 23 game drought. Nice twist - the Steelers won the toss and chose to take the ball first.

[Northern_Blitz]

And google is my friend:

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/10/steelers-snap-23-game-streak-with-long-awaited-and-much-needed-touchdown-on-opening-drive/

Last season against the Titans, after a 23 game drought. Nice twist - the Steelers won the toss and chose to take the ball first.

You and your fancy computer work!

Thanks for the real answer.

[NorthCoast]

And google is my friend:

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/10/steelers-snap-23-game-streak-with-long-awaited-and-much-needed-touchdown-on-opening-drive/

Last season against the Titans, after a 23 game drought. Nice twist - the Steelers won the toss and chose to take the ball first.

Thanks. Nice work... your google is better than mine. (a season and a half without scoring an opening TD is really pathetic for this offense, regardless of Roethlisberger being out).