For just about the entire year, the comments here at Steelers Gab have been centered around wanting the team to go back to what has always been known as “Steelers football,” which would mean running the ball more, and not having franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger throw 30-35 times a game.
If this was to happen, the team would likely have to change offensive coordinators, which of course means getting rid of Bruce Arians, who seems to be public enemy number one for Steelers fans as well as those that visit this website on a frequent basis.
But is it that easy?
I realize that the team could, and probably should use running backs Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall more. I was livid Thursday when in the first third and one situation of the game, Roethlisberger was lined up in a shotgun, only to get sacked and kill what could have been a first drive that could have put the Browns to sleep.
To me, in a game where it’s negative zero at kickoff with the wind chill, you need to run the ball. The team didn’t do that, and they lost. Now even if they would have won Thursday, people still seem to want Arians head on a platter. Seems that for whatever reason, people just don’t like the pass happy style the team has fallen into.
But again, let’s say this. The team has never had a QB like Roethlisberger, a guy that right now as we stand is the 2nd best QB in franchise history next to Terry Bradshaw. Wouldn’t it be a shame to waste him by handing off 35-40 times a game?
It’s a tough call, but I don’t blame the offense for scoring 24 points vs both Oakland and KC, and then 17 vs the Ravens with a third string QB making his first pro start. If Arians gets canned, does it right away fix the problems with this team? I don’t think so. What do you think?
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jay
December 15, 2009 at 6:49 pm
It’s not necessarily the amount of points being scored, as crazy as that sounds. I just think the OVERALL scheme of the offense is too one dimensional…Remember that just because on opinion presides in one extreme, it does not negate it’s polar opposite….Just because we want to stop being pass happy doesn’t mean we want to run the ball65% of the time. True, running the ball that much might need to happen in the very near future in order to get the proverbial pendulum to swing back to the middle (balance)…but ultimately it is Arians’ seeming stubborn streak and aversion to balance that has caused the offense to be suspect. I don’t look at point totals per se but I do look at each individual play and see how Ben seems to be under a lot of pressure quite regularly. In K.C., he was pressured a lot. same against the Raiders. You can’t have a franchise QB and expect him to play like Peyton Manning. IN other words, Peyton Manning is a franchise QB, not all franchise QB’s are Peyton Manning. Balance is required in this league and Arians does not possess it nor does he possess the offensive line talent to drop back Ben as often as he does. Another prevailing opinion on here is that what is wrong cannot be fixed immediately so to imply that getting rid of Arians will not fix the problem immediately is redundant because we all know that. But it is a start especially since the aging defense will need more and more rest (i.e., long, sustained ball control-smashmouth drives) as it gets older and is infused with more young talent.
Crowned
December 15, 2009 at 7:40 pm
It’s not the fact that he’s pass happy, Arians runs such a vanilla offense, it’s just a waste of the talent we have on this team.
Spacemonkey
December 15, 2009 at 8:15 pm
We tried this before, with a guy named Maddox, remember? We had a great set of wideouts and a QB that loved to throw. Didn’t work out all that well then, either.
To me, Arians is killing Big Ben with his approach. Ben is a gunslinger, who refuses to give up on a play due to his competitive nature and refusal to admit he’s mortal.
In order to keep a guy like that upright – as well as ALIVE – opposing defenses need to respect the run. Otherwise they will “pin their ears back”, which somehow translates to “knock him into the new millennium.” That is exactly what we are seeing, and have seen for several years under the pass-wacky Arians scheme.
Folks can talk about Steeler Football and the days of yore, but ultimately if we want our franchise quarterback to survive the length of his current contract, we need a running game, and one that makes teams put nine men in the box.
That ain’t happening when we’re 3rd and short and go five wides. Four freaking times in a row. Someone shoot me, already!
On a side note, my 8 year old has been playing QuickHit football. He watches these games, and he says “3rd and short!” and rubs his hands together in anticipation. He then sees the lineup, and yells “where’s the halfback?!?!”
There, is THAT enough evidence that change has to happen?
Mike
December 15, 2009 at 9:14 pm
We don’t need to go back to running it 60-65 percent of the time. we need to be 50-50 or as close to it as possible. I have no problem when we come out throwing at the begining of games. What bothers me are the short yardage and goal to go play selection and also that in the second half, with a lead, we continue to throw the ball. Bengals game away and cheifs game, we turn the ball over on the opening possession of the second half. Double digit lead in both cases. All we needed to do was play field position, control the clock with the run and maybe sprinkle in a play action pass. We do not try and break teams will to play anymore. Ultimately, Tomlin enables arians to game plan the way he does. TOmlin is signing off on this crap.
mark
December 16, 2009 at 8:50 am
I think showing Arians the door is the tonic that the team needs. It will show players as well as fans, just who is in charge.Right now there is plenty of talk that Arians is running the show and Tomlin is letting him do what he wants. This is Tomlin not upsetting his QB and thus the apple cart. I love Ben as the Steeler QB, but ego’s have to go. Tomlin should realize that this current offense is not working and endangering the health of his QB. I believe there is too much talent on this offense to be so ineffective at times. What happened to Heath Miller? Spaeth,Screens to Moore and Mendy? None of that is going on and the team is not wearing out opponents.I personally do NOT believe Arians is gettting fired, but I have been wrong a lot this season!!
Jay
December 16, 2009 at 11:59 am
On behalf of myself and many, many fans, Mark….We all hope you’re very wrong!
DrGeorge
December 16, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Obviously, Matt, simply firing Arians will not solve anything. The next OC would be Arians II for all we know, or (gulp) even worse. Absolute questions require qualified answers. The fellows above have it analyzed right. However, your underlying assumption — that owning a cannon (Ben) demands that it be fired loud and often — begs the question and skews the comments.
I submit the better question is whether you want crowd pleasing plays or victories? As good as Ben is, I’d rather see him hand off 40 times and win, than lose passing for 400 yards.
I submit that great defenses and punishing rushing win Super Bowls. Teams with just an average QB can win it all with those ingredients: Washington (Doug Williams), Baltimore (Trent Dilfer), and even the Steelers with Ben in Super Bowl XL. Williams and Dilfer were gone the next season, and Ben’s QB rating verged on appalling in SB XL. In the last decade, every Super Bowl champion has had a tough defense and a top rushing game. Without them, even Manning and Brady struggled and and their teams took years to rebuild the supporting cast to become top tier teams again.
Although Ben is very gifted, our present reliance (dependence) on Ben is a flawed strategy, especially with his history of concussions. To win, we need a game plan even an average QB can execute if Ben goes down or when the winds or other field conditions negate the pass. Opposing defenses presently stop our rushing game with four linemen and keep outside containment to force Ben to pass from the pocket against a 7-man zone, which he does not do well. If we had a power rushing game, opponents could not use that strategy.
Arians is looking for a head coaching job and loves to put up big numbers on offense to pad his resume. I’d rather see the Steelers win. Therein lies our differences. Right now, other teams are beating us by playing “Steelers football” better than the Steelers do. We need to fire Arians and get back to basics.
mark
December 16, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Jay, believe me, I hope I am wrong too. However, firing Arians is only the beginning. Like DrGeorge states, who knows who will follow Arians? I would suspect Ken Anderson or Batch. But, what if its worse then what we have? I know, how can it be worse we ask? But, the team still needs the players to execute certain strategies. The line needs fixing schematically and an infusion of better players. The defense certainly needs help(secondary and d-line)but no one is calling for Lebaeu’s head. I am not a fan of Arians. Like you I think he is angling for a head job somewhere and he has a Super Bowl ring on his resume now. Fine, take your ring and go elsewhere! Its time to be the Steelers again. There really is too much talent on the team to believe the Steelers will have to start at the bottom. Tomlin is the key to the process though. He lost his team in the first crisis of his career. Lets see if they can believe in him and if he has the stones to fire the ineffective!
Chris
December 16, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Wouldn’t it be nice….
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had an OC who was capable of finding opposing defenses weaknesses and exploited them.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had an OC that was capable of making in-game adjustments based on the opposing teams gameplan.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had an OC that understood there is no need to pass if the opposing defense cannot stop the rush.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had an OC that understood if our team was incapable of consistently gaining 1 yard on 3rd and 1 then personnel changes are required, not the gameplan.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we never, ever, ever, ever, never, never, never, ever saw an empty set again
I pray our next offensive coordinator is a running back or offensive line coach. I’m done with ex-receivers coaches.
jay
December 16, 2009 at 11:34 pm
I totally get that there is a lot of synergy involved with what needs fixing. I do believe that ti does start, however does not end, with getting rid of arians (purposefully not capitalizing his name). We might be able to minimize our o-line needs if we reverted back to a run first philosophy being that we already have road graders…we could potentially cut our (6) glaring needs in half or in three quarters if we play somewhat of an active/relevant role in free agency this year. If Arians becomes a head coach, then I will lose respect for the NFL. There’s not much else to say except that to wait it out during the offseason and see what happens. There definitely is a fine line, however, between having talent and playing well b/c of good coaching and motivation and having talent and playing like ass b/c of bad coaching and lack of motivation.