Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said it is time for the Steelers offense to turn the tables and carry the defense on its shoulders, starting Sunday against Tennessee.
“It’s time for the offense to step up and carry this team,” Ward said, “because the defense has carried us for many years now. And now they’re going through this situation. We need to be there for our teammates and for this organization, we have to go out and make more plays.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not practice Wednesday and still wore a boot on his injured left foot, and two halfbacks did not practice because of injuries — starter Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring) and Mewelde Moore (ankle).
Roethlisberger repeated what coach Mike Tomlin predicted Tuesday, that he will play Sunday. And Ward said they will play as an angry team.
“We have a lot of guys who are [ticked] off right now,” Ward said.
“We know we’re not playing good football.”
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DrGeorge
October 8, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Ward is right. But we were saying the same thing here since before the 2011 draft. The offense does need to carry the team this year, and one way of doing that is to let our defense rest and control the time of possession by running the ball.
Arians’ passing attack lengthens the game by stopping the clock after every incompletion and on every completion run out of bounds. Conversely, the clock continues to roll after every rushing attempt on the field of play. Our coaching staff has yet to utilize that strategic difference to our advantage, even though Cowher became famous for grinding away the 4th quarter of close games, setting up the passing game with the run, and keeping opposing offenses off the field by running the ball. To see how it’s done, all Tomlin and Arians need to do is review the games leading up to Super Bowl XL.
An example of what not to do may be seen on the tape of last week’s Houston game, when the Steelers were on the Texans 49, 1st and 10, with the score tied 10-10. Arians\Ben ran four straight passing plays (even though Redman and Moore had been running well) and gave the ball back to the Texan’s offense with plenty of time on the clock. That series virtually defines coaching incompetence. And the O-line has unfairly taken the blame for it.