Video: Ben Roethlisberger in the Locker Room After Losing to Cincinnati

10 Comments

1. 

   buncie

   December 23, 2012 at 7:52 pm

   Tomlin lost another game. It is a simple fact that you go for a tie at home & a win on the road. He has it all backward. This guy has not done a thing all year. We would be in the playoffs if the coaches would just let Ben be Ben. Controling a 102 million dollar qb is like trying to stop ice turning into water at 100 degrees. Time to get a new coach. We have a Superbowl proven QB. Hey Rooney, how about getting rid of the philosepher & hire a coach that knows football? Jack DelRio would be a perfect fit.

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     clarence

     December 23, 2012 at 9:01 pm

     Jack del rio who never made the sb over a coach who been there twice? I guess Tomlin ended 2 games with ints? Or he called the plays that made Ben throw ints? Genius.

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2. 

   Jalen

   December 23, 2012 at 8:32 pm

   I like that suggestion too! Not happy until many steelers are out of wrk!

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3. 

   Jalen

   December 23, 2012 at 8:37 pm

   As a matter of fact I like any suggestion that has any one or a multiple of things happening: bye-by big Ben, so long Tomlin, take a hike Colon, nice knowing you, Troy, happy trails Harrison, put big snack on the shelf, wussy Wallace get lost, mendenhall go home, the physical trainer whoever he is please don’t let the door hit u in the ass, etc!

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     George H

     December 23, 2012 at 11:47 pm

     Colon should of never gotten an extension… he can’t stay on the field and makes too many bonehead penalties. Harrison is most likely gone due to his hit against the cap and mostly ineffective play and injury issues. Troy finally looked like Troy today but he can’t stay healthy either. I expect him to be around next year but a capable backup needs to be readily available. Tomlin and Ben aren’t going anywhere so that’s going to be beating a dead horse. If any coach goes its probably Haley. Bb and the offense needs to find a happy medium between downfield throwing, incorporating Miller as much as Haley has, and quick releases to help bb stay healthy. Wallace is an interesting case, he clearly doesn’t have the fan support and he seems intent in hitting the open market. I think it would be whose tk retain Wallace due to his skill set. He’s still a solid threat and there’s no clear replacement for him unless you want to spend a higher draft pick on a wr. The team has bigger issues to fill with the draft. Snacks is gone, I loved him in his prime, but he’s just not the same player anymore. I hope McClendon gets a shot to start next year. I see some big flashes out of him. Definitely a lot of work to be done though

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       George H

       December 23, 2012 at 11:49 pm

       Oh and 100% agree that this team needs a new team trainer/conditioner. This team
       Has to have the weakest legs in the league. It’s insane how many injuryes this team gets with their legs

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4. 

   DrGeorge

   December 24, 2012 at 2:55 pm

   In an earlier post, Jalen accused me of intellectualizing the Steelers manifest problems. I don’t know what “intellectualize” means in that context. If logical consideration of the pertinent variables and alternatives is to “intellectualize,” then I suppose George H. and I are both guilty of attempting to reason our way to solutions, as the Rooneys must do in running this franchise. Fans always want easy answers and quick fixes, as if the NFL were a fantasy league and firing half the team was a viable option. But the Rooneys live in the real world, where decisions are constrained by history, finances, business considerations, and personnel. Any discussion of the Steelers’ woes that ignores such factors and fails to identify underlying causes isn’t worth much.

   This year, the Steelers suffered from a spate of key injuries, compounded by the fallout from three bad decisions. Let’s take the injuries first.

   We said at the beginning of the season that the Steelers needed to run the ball effectively and Ben needed to release the ball quicker and avoid sacks for the team to be successful on offense in 2012. Neither one happened. Our inability to run the ball was largely due to injuries. The team tried to rebuild the O-line (to better protect Ben) by drafting DeCastro and Adams with their top two picks. Early injuries to both men left Haley with a makeshift line (as in 2011) and made it difficult to run the ball consistently; which, in turn, made play action ineffective and limited play calling. We seldom played the same O-line two games in a row, and we were forced to play linemen out of position. That isn’t a formula for a successful offense. Then injuries to our RBs and Ben made things worse. In early November, we were 6-3. From that point, our offensive production and our record fell steadily. Injuries turned the Steelers into an average team. Take away the O-line injuries, and the Steelers are probably in the playoffs.

   In his comment above, George H. suggests that the Steelers address the injury issue by firing the conditioning coach. At the very least, the team should take a hard look at the conditioning program. Two consecutive years of wholesale injuries indicate something more than bad luck is to blame. That our O-lines and D-lines got pushed around this year by average teams proves how far we have fallen. We simply aren’t tough and strong enough.

   Now, let’s consider the bad decisions that hamper our currect coaches.
   1. Granting Ben that long, lucrative contract. The Rooneys will argue Ben’s contract gave us one Super Bowl and almost a second and put warm fannies in the seats. They would be right. But it also gave us an undisciplined QB who is often injured, sulks if he doesn’t get his way, and plays well below his salary. Admittedly, Ben was hampered by injuries late this season, but injuries do not explain why Ben continues to make poor decisions (holding the ball too long, taking too many sacks, throwing into double coverage, mismanaging the offense). Then there is the larger problem of the dysfunctional relationship between Haley and Ben. Tomlin must address all of those issues, without firing Ben, because Ben’s contract keeps the Steelers from releasing or trading him for value, as we learned last year, and the Rooneys are not willing to take a financial bath. Which leads us to failure # 2.

   2. Failure to develop a competent backup to Ben. For three years, we have failed to draft or sign a competent QB who can replace Ben. That decision has held the team hostage, because when Ben sulks, plays poorly, or gets injured, the coaches have no good alternative. Tomlin’s reliance on the aging and fragile Leftwich and Batch was short-sighted. Probably, neither one will be back in 2013. That gives us a chance to remedy the problem. If Pete Carroll can do it with Russell Wilson and Jim Harbaugh can do it with Colin Kaepernick, surely Tomlin and Colbert can find like talent. Ben is undisciplined because the coaches have no options. Colbert must give them two good ones in 2013.

   3. Failure to draft or sign top tier D-linemen and CBs. After the 2009-2010, the Steelers should have replaced key veterans on the D-line and at CB. They tried. But our high draft choices – Wood, Carter, C. Brown, and Heyward – have not developed into dominant players. Our CBs remain second tier. Injuries (again) have limited key players, young and old. In spite of all that, the D kept this season from being a total debacle, by bailing out the offense repeatedly. In fact, the D played its best game of the year against the Bengals. Our young CBs, who are undersized and nursing injuries, all played pretty well; Hampton got a sack; and McClendon and Hood even found the football on occasion. LeBeau has done a masterful job of adapting the D to the new “basketball on grass” rules. (I say “adapting,” because he got very little draft help in 2012. LeBeau can’t be blamed for the talent he doesn’t have.) Opposing QBs picked on our CBs all year long, and we still remain vulnerable to the run. We must find better CBs and faster D-linemen for 2013.

   The decisions made 1-3 years ago created the mess we’re in today and explains why it will take us several years to get out. The Steelers, like the Giants, are a team in transition, built for the old era of power football; successful teams in the new pass-happy era, dictated by Roger Goodell’s rule changes, place an emphasis on the young, lean, and swift. We are getting there, but we aren’t there yet. Colbert and Tomlin must continue the rebuilding process begun in 2012, by paring away unproductive players and raising the level of team talent and speed. Their success in doing that will determine whether the team becomes competitive again in 2013.

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     George H

     December 24, 2012 at 4:24 pm

     No doubt a big issue with the draft lately is the lack of development by the young guys. In hindsight, drafting two 3-4 ends in the first round instead of other areas of need has started to rear it’s ugly head. I hope hood and Heyward become great players, but I tend to think 3-4 ends can be found in the later rounds.

     There is a definite need to upgrade the team at various positions: safety both inside and outside linebacker, possibly wr if Wallace walks, another dt depending on what we do with Ta’amu, and possibly another cb. I expect the steelers to draft best available player that fills anyone of those needs.

     I hope in the first rd it’s an OLB or wishful thinking Teo from ND. Second either safety Reid from LSU or McDonald from USC. Of course these are early Christmas wish lists but still it’s never to early to start mocking some drafts. I do agree though that a very capable back up qb has to be brought in and developed. I guess time will tell

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6. 

   Rusty

   December 26, 2012 at 4:00 pm

   Blame it all on Art Rooney II. He is the one who wanted Arians fired after a 12-4 record. He is the one who wanted Ben to “tweak his game”, what a joke, Ben has already been to 2 Pro Bowls 3 Super Bowls and 4 AFC Championships. He is the one who wanted to “get back to Steelers footall” (3 yards and a cloud of dust). The NFL doesn’t work like that anymore. He should be like the great Rooney owners of the past and not meddle in the coaches decisions. From 12-4 to 8-8 or maybe 7-9. Thanks Art they are doing your way.

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