5 Burning Questions for the Steelers Bye Week

by Hombre de Acero on Nov 16, 2011 2:51 PM EST in Five Burning Questions

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/11/16/2565553/pittsburgh-steelers-news-bye-week-hines-ward-mike-tomlin



The Steelers bye week has arrived at long last. 7-3 is a good place to be at the bye (although it would be better if two of those losses were not to the Ravens.) Here are your 5 Bye Week Burning Questions:

1. The speculation is that Hines Ward has fallen considerably on the depth chart. Yet he only needs 19 catches to reach 1000 career receptions, 30 more yards to reach 12,000, and five touchdowns to reach 90 career TD's. You are Mike Tomlin, do you take Ward's milestones into consideration in game planning and game-day decision making or do ignore them and make cold calculations solely aimed toward winning?



2. Neal Coolong suggested that the Steelers were developing an unhealthy relationship with Antonio Brown. Do you fear that Roethlisberger might start leaning too heavily on Brown because of his phenomenal pass catching ability?

3. Troy Polamalu has never played so frequently and so closely to the line of scrimmage as he has done this year. What does this mean for the Steelers defense?

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do you take Ward's milestones into consideration in game planning and game-day decision making or do ignore them and make cold calculations solely aimed toward winning?

This is a no-brainer ... winning is all that matters. Period. You don't go into a game thinking about Ward's milestones.

But if a game is comfortably in hand, then try to get Ward his numbers.

Quote :

Do you fear that Roethlisberger might start leaning too heavily on Brown because of his phenomenal pass catching ability?

This question doesn't make sense to me. Because Brown is so good, should Ben stop throwing to him so that he doesn't rely too heavily on him? Should he start throwing to David Johnson instead?

To answer the first question, I think it's a combination of both.

You game plan to win, but I think with him being so close, you make attempts to get him the records. I honestly believe you can do both, but at the same time you have to protect the team's goal of getting in to the playoffs and on to the SB.