What Does Ben Do Well Now?

[flippy]

Lots of threads and posts about Big Ben’s weaknesses today.

I wanted to see if anyone has a positive spin on his current plays and capabilities.

In your opinion, what does Ben current do well? What is his biggest strength right now that’s going to help our team mount a SuperBowl run?

I’ll let others share their thoughts and won’t try to steer this discussion in any direction.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

Super bowl run ? Not happening. Ben needs to throw caution in the wind call his own plays. He used to do this so I'll assume he still can. In fact It was his best stuff. Once we cross the 50 air it out. Make the other team defend the deep ball and quit giving the safties and easy game to play. I can live with the interception or so. Fire Canada and put Tomlin on the hot seat. Do it. There is little recovery form 1-3 which is where we are headed unless a change happens.

[flippy]

Super bowl run ? Not happening. Ben needs to throw caution in the wind call his own plays. He used to do this so I'll assume he still can. Once we cross the 50 air it out. Make the other team defend the deep ball and quit givingthe safties and easy game to play. I can live with the interception or so. Fire Canada and put Tomlin on the hot seat.

Ive always wanted to see us go to a 24x7 no huddle offense and spread everything out and just let Ben call the plays and sling it.

For some reason people keep repeating that you can’t do this for an entire game. But every time I hear that, I think of Jim Kelly and the Bills.

I think Jim Kelly is really underrated and was truly one of the best QBs who just gets overlooked because he didn’t win the big one. And I’ve always thought since early in his career that Ben is the new, improved, bigger version of Jim Kelly.

I know Ben is old now, but I’m in the line of Risky Business thinking that sometimes you just have to say WTF. And seriously WTF would it hurt to just let Ben spread us out, go no huddle full time, call plays at the LoS, and leave it up to him to figure out the plays he can still make at this point?

[feltdizz]

Ben is really good at making us believe he has one more SB run in him.. but it certainly doesn’t look like it right now.

Every off season he is in the best shape of his life.

Every preseason he makes a throw or 2 that gives us hope

Every season he has a game or 2 where we think the magic is back…

but its not.

Ben’s best quality was his play on the field.. I don’t think he was ever a vocal leader. Without those throws and Big Ben moments he is probably just an old and grump dude to these young bucks.

[Steel Maniac]

Ive always wanted to see us go to a 24x7 no huddle offense and spread everything out and just let Ben call the plays and sling it.

For some reason people keep repeating that you can’t do this for an entire game. But every time I hear that, I think of Jim Kelly and the Bills.

I think Jim Kelly is really underrated and was truly one of the best QBs who just gets overlooked because he didn’t win the big one. And I’ve always thought since early in his career that Ben is the new, improved, bigger version of Jim Kelly.

I know Ben is old now, but I’m in the line of Risky Business thinking that sometimes you just have to say WTF. And seriously WTF would it hurt to just let Ben spread us out, go no huddle full time, call plays at the LoS, and leave it up to him to figure out the plays he can still make at this point?

This is obviously Ben's final year. So he should just go no huddle. WTF. He's a lame duck QB who's legacy is pretty much set so why not? Wonder mite, do what you like!! Nothing to lose.

[Northern_Blitz]

I think his biggest strength is probably pre-snap reads. Particularly in the spread up-tempo offense.

But what made him a Hall of Famer was the ability to extend the play.

[pittpete]

Bens final year was last year
He is shell shocked and an injury machine now
Very sad he fooled us all

[brothervad]

...I think of Jim Kelly and the Bills.

I think Jim Kelly is really underrated and was truly one of the best QBs who just gets overlooked because he didn’t win the big one. And I’ve always thought since early in his career that Ben is the new, improved, bigger version of Jim Kelly...

You know Flippy, I have often thought about this as well. It lines up with how binary human thought processes are...

If you don't win the championship you fade...but to go to 4 consecutive Super Bowls...not even the vaunted Patriots in Brady's hey day accomplished that feat. While I understand "To the victor goes the spoils", what the Bills/Kelly is not diminished and pretty substantial from my perspective.

Brothervad

["BuzzNuter"]

I am a Big Ben supporter and have been since his last year at Miami. I think the experiment with trying the Canada run attack is a failure because the OL is not able to perform right now. The only way to succeed right now is to let Ben call the shots. No huddle all the time. He has to get his way. Throw on 1st down . let the pass set up the run. I preached run, run , run but it won't work right now. Ben is not committed to it. You can tell by watching. Give Ben what he wants and if it doesn't work, well then I suppose he may realize he is done.

[whisper]

Ive always wanted to see us go to a 24x7 no huddle offense and spread everything out and just let Ben call the plays and sling it.

For some reason people keep repeating that you can’t do this for an entire game. But every time I hear that, I think of Jim Kelly and the Bills.

I think Jim Kelly is really underrated and was truly one of the best QBs who just gets overlooked because he didn’t win the big one. And I’ve always thought since early in his career that Ben is the new, improved, bigger version of Jim Kelly.

I know Ben is old now, but I’m in the line of Risky Business thinking that sometimes you just have to say WTF. And seriously WTF would it hurt to just let Ben spread us out, go no huddle full time, call plays at the LoS, and leave it up to him to figure out the plays he can still make at this point?

Kelly's K-gun was amazingly simple, to hear JK talk about it. He'd go to the line, if safeties play up, he'd call a pass, if they were back he'd call a run to Thurman Thomas, in which there were 4 choices: up the middle right, left and toss right or left. That was it. I was surprised to hear last year's Bills' team broke the franchise scoring record; those 90's Bills could light it up. Kelly, Thomas, Reed, Loften, Beebe, great O-line. I remember the play off game they hung 50+ on Oakland.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

I am a Big Ben supporter and have been since his last year at Miami. I think the experiment with trying the Canada run attack is a failure because the OL is not able to perform right now. The only way to succeed right now is to let Ben call the shots. No huddle all the time. He has to get his way. Throw on 1st down . let the pass set up the run. I preached run, run , run but it won't work right now. Ben is not committed to it. You can tell by watching. Give Ben what he wants and if it doesn't work, well then I suppose he may realize he is done.

We can't go no huddle all the time, but some it sure. Can our OL deal with the ad lib calls? Give Ben permission for 20 plays or so. Choose your time to do it.

[Northern_Blitz]

I am a Big Ben supporter and have been since his last year at Miami. I think the experiment with trying the Canada run attack is a failure because the OL is not able to perform right now. The only way to succeed right now is to let Ben call the shots. No huddle all the time. He has to get his way. Throw on 1st down . let the pass set up the run. I preached run, run , run but it won't work right now. Ben is not committed to it. You can tell by watching. Give Ben what he wants and if it doesn't work, well then I suppose he may realize he is done.

It seems like we've had a pretty similar offense across 3 OCs.

I think Ben already has lots of control of the offense. And rightfully so given his accomplishments.

I don't know if Canada is the right fit for Ben and for this offense.

But I do think that the reason we have Canada and not Fitchner is that Fitch did what you suggest here and gave most / all of the control to Ben. And it ultimately fell off a cliff once there was some tape out there.

We still can't seem to beat the thing that all defenses seem to be doing to us.

[NorthCoast]

I am a Big Ben supporter and have been since his last year at Miami. I think the experiment with trying the Canada run attack is a failure because the OL is not able to perform right now. The only way to succeed right now is to let Ben call the shots. No huddle all the time. He has to get his way. Throw on 1st down . let the pass set up the run. I preached run, run , run but it won't work right now. Ben is not committed to it. You can tell by watching. Give Ben what he wants and if it doesn't work, well then I suppose he may realize he is done.

uh.... isn't that what we saw for the last six weeks last season? You can have some success for about half a game then faggettaboutit. Can't fool a defense for half a season.

[Eich]

He doesn't have the same arm strength but I think Ben can still make most of the throws. His arm is far from beeing a noodle as some have suggested. His deep ball was never Russell Wilson-like or even Rudolph-like but he can still make the intermediate throws. He's just not getting enough time in the pocket and the receivers aren't getting enough time to get open.

I believe we have primarily a line problem. Team are going to stack the line and bring pressure until we prove we can deal with that. Hurry-up or spreading them out still has yet to give Ben enough protection to make the intermediate throws. And Do we even have a normal screen play in the playbook?

["BuzzNuter"]

You know I've been thinking since I made my earlier post. If Ben has a game against the Packers like he did against the Bengals and we lose by double digits, that may be it for Big Ben. This may be one of the most important games of his life. He has been written off by everybody. One more episode of sh#t the bed football may end his career.