Passive play-calling a killer

I think Kovacevic nails it. No more analysis needed. This is it ...
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By Dejan Kovacevic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Don’t blame Thursday.

Whatever you do in the aftermath of the Steelers’ atrocious 26-23 loss to a terrible Tennessee team, don’t go the trite route of blaming the short week of preparation. It’s preposterous to even suggest. The Titans had the same break.

Don’t blame all the injuries, either. The Titans were missing starting quarterback Jake Locker.

Don’t blame playing on the road. If the Titans had home-field advantage, it would have been news to the 30,000-plus at LP Field decked out in black and gold.

And you know what?

Don’t even blame the secondary.

No, really.

Yeah, I was here. I saw Ike Taylor picking up three flags and getting torched again and again as if the Titans’ receivers were trading Demaryius Thomas masks amongst each other. I saw Keenan Lewis allow a sure interception — if there is any such thing with the Steelers’ defensive backs — to ricochet so far out of his hands it might well have landed in Kentucky. I saw Will Allen starting for the first time in three years, sadly forced into action by the poor play of Ryan Mundy, who still found a way to hurt the Steelers by missing his man on a Tennessee blocked punt in the first half.

Yeah, I saw. It was awful. No need to pull punches with these guys. Exempting Ryan Clark, who was terrific again, this is the softest secondary the Steelers have seen since the Harvey Clayton days.

“Tackle the catch,” the coaching staff calls it.

Indeed.

But you know where the bulk of the blame for this fiasco should go?

To the play-calling.

Both sides of the ball.

I’ll get into a couple specifics in a moment, but let’s start with this simple premise: When facing a 1-4 team that’s been outscored, 181-88, um, let me think about how to say this … oh, yeah … GO FOR THE JUGULAR.

Storm them.

Stamp ‘em out early.

Sap them of their will.

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How about Pounsey getting hurt and Leg's coming in to replace him it showed in the running game Leg's can stand a d-lineman up but he can't drive him back off the line of scimmage. Colon hasn't figured out all the time who to block when he pulls on a running play. Adams needing some help blocking in the passing game.

Did you watch the game or do you just like to post a write up from some reporter?

effyou515 wrote:

How about Pounsey getting hurt and Leg's coming in to replace him it showed in the running game Leg's can stand a d-lineman up but he can't drive him back off the line of scimmage. Colon hasn't figured out all the time who to block when he pulls on a running play. Adams needing some help blocking in the passing game.

Did you watch the game or do you just like to post a write up from some reporter?

I agree with everything he said. There was nothing for me to add. Did you read the whole article? It deals with more than just the offense.

You reporters like to stick together

effyou515 wrote:

You reporters like to stick together

During our game chat, almost all of us commented on how much it looked like Arians calling the plays. And the defensive play calling wasn't much better.

In other words with Pounsey and Gilbert out a not so great o-line with 2 starters out the Haley didn't think going all out was a wise thing to do?

If it wasn't for the blocked punt and the defense stopping a so so offense a couple of times the Steelers might of won the game.

effyou515 wrote:

In other words with Pounsey and Gilbert out a not so great o-line with 2 starters out the Haley didn't think going all out was a wise thing to do?

If it wasn't for the blocked punt and the defense stopping a so so offense a couple of times the Steelers might of won the game.

So we lost because of injuries? The Titans played without their starting quarterback.

I don't think having Pouncey out should change our entire offensive scheme.

Wallace108 wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

You reporters like to stick together

During our game chat, almost all of us commented on how much it looked like Arians calling the plays. And the defensive play calling wasn't much better.

What I saw was when Leg's came in as the center he couldn't push no one off the line of scrimmage so that pretty much killed the running game.

If it was Arians like offense Redman wouldn't had 100 yards recieving and Ben would of been sacked 6 times.

Wallace108 wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

In other words with Pounsey and Gilbert out a not so great o-line with 2 starters out the Haley didn't think going all out was a wise thing to do?

If it wasn't for the blocked punt and the defense stopping a so so offense a couple of times the Steelers might of won the game.

So we lost because of injuries? The Titans played without their starting quarterback.

I don't think having Pouncey out should change our entire offensive scheme.

the center position is the start of the blocking on running plays did you see Legs knock anyone off the line of scrimmage?

Watch the difference between last weeks blocking of Pouncey and tonights blocking of Legs.

Leg's sucks as a center and the Steelers defense sucks so bad they couldn't stop a washed up QB with so so WRs

effyou515 wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

In other words with Pounsey and Gilbert out a not so great o-line with 2 starters out the Haley didn't think going all out was a wise thing to do?

If it wasn't for the blocked punt and the defense stopping a so so offense a couple of times the Steelers might of won the game.

So we lost because of injuries? The Titans played without their starting quarterback.

I don't think having Pouncey out should change our entire offensive scheme.

the center position is the start of the blocking on running plays did you see Legs knock anyone off the line of scrimmage?

Watch the difference between last weeks blocking of Pouncey and tonights blocking of Legs.

Leg's sucks as a center and the Steelers defense sucks so bad they couldn't stop a washed up QB with so so WRs

I'm not saying there's not a difference in blocking between Pouncey and Legursky. What I'm saying is that they're not going to change their entire offensive scheme if Pouncey is out. The playcalling was different last week than in previous weeks, and it wasn't all because Pouncey wasn't in there.

I do have to say that while they were without their starting QB, I don't think it's as big as the injuries we sustained and also the ones we had coming into the game. No Troy has historically been bad...not that it should be just stating a fact. Also not having Mendy for most of the game hurt us as well. Now throw in the depleted o-line and it's a wonder we did as much as we did. IMHO if it was only Pouncy I think we woulda been alright, but Adams is a rookie and it shows!!! If we didn't have to use an extra blocker to help him out we would have had more weapons to use. Yes we did have a shot going into our final drive but still have to call it b.s. that with the inordinate amount of injuries wasn't a major factor. Even great teams can be decimated by injuries.

Now all that being said I will say if Ike had been Ike we would have won that game. I have not seen Ike (the real Ike) in quite some time. Maybe if Troy was in that would be different but at this time Ike has vanished like a fart in the wind.

If I was the Special teams coach I would be looking over my shoulder. Seems they have at least one let down every game. I for one am getting tired of it.

As for game planning I have to think we went conservative on O because of the injuries. Again if Adams could at least hold a 1/2 decent block we might have stood a chance, but he's a rookie and it clearly showed. His man had to be double teamed or Ben was going to be sacked.

We were pointing out a difference in the play calling before Adams came into the game.

Wallace108 wrote:

We were pointing out a difference in the play calling before Adams came into the game.

My bad I will admit I was lazy and did not read the article. I still think we came in with bigger injury issues than them simply having to go with a backup QB. No Woodley, Troy and limited use of Mendy and an already think o-line.

Butch wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

We were pointing out a difference in the play calling before Adams came into the game.

My bad I will admit I was lazy and did not read the article. I still think we came in with bigger injury issues than them simply having to go with a backup QB. No Woodley, Troy and limited use of Mendy and an already think o-line.

Yeah, I don't disagree that injuries have taken a toll on us. When you have Batch running the ball instead of Mendy or even Redman, you're going to get a drop-off in production. And of course having Legursky and Adams in is going to worsen an already shaky line. The point I was trying to make to Eff is that we didn't change our play calling because of the injuries we suffered during the game. The play calling was different from the first play. It looked like they were using Arians' play book, hence all the bubble screens and things like shotgun on 3rd and 1. As for the defense, where was the blitzing we saw against the Eagles? The players have to execute, but as I'm sure you've seen me say over and over in all the Arians discussions, coaches have to put the players in a position to succeed. I don't think that happened against the Titans. The players failed, and the coaches failed. I think our problems are much deeper than just injuries.

I have to agree that coaches have to put players in a position to succeed. I used to say that you have to use a player's strengths not try to make them use yours. The pass rush or should I say lack thereof has hurt this team in all their losses. And offensive 3 and outs don't do us any favors either.

Butch wrote:

I have to agree that coaches have to put players in a position to succeed. I used to say that you have to use a player's strengths not try to make them use yours. The pass rush or should I say lack thereof has hurt this team in all their losses. And offensive 3 and outs don't do us any favors either.

Yeah, that's what's frustrating me right now. I'm not happy with either side of the ball. It's easy to just blame the defense (and make no mistake, they are to blame), but when the offense has the ball late with a chance to win the game, they HAVE to win the game and not rely on the defense as they have tended to do over the years. Our defense carried the team for a lot of years. Now we need the offense to carry us.

Wallace108 wrote:

Butch wrote:

I have to agree that coaches have to put players in a position to succeed. I used to say that you have to use a player's strengths not try to make them use yours. The pass rush or should I say lack thereof has hurt this team in all their losses. And offensive 3 and outs don't do us any favors either.

Yeah, that's what's frustrating me right now. I'm not happy with either side of the ball. It's easy to just blame the defense (and make no mistake, they are to blame), but when the offense has the ball late with a chance to win the game, they HAVE to win the game and not rely on the defense as they have tended to do over the years. Our defense carried the team for a lot of years. Now we need the offense to carry us.

I have said that more than once on other boards. While I joke with some about B.A. being at fault for the defensive woes...there is some truth to the Offense not doing their part when the D would hand them the ball at point blank range and they still can't score.

Wallace108 wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

In other words with Pounsey and Gilbert out a not so great o-line with 2 starters out the Haley didn't think going all out was a wise thing to do?

If it wasn't for the blocked punt and the defense stopping a so so offense a couple of times the Steelers might of won the game.

So we lost because of injuries? The Titans played without their starting quarterback.

I don't think having Pouncey out should change our entire offensive scheme.

You're right Wally Pouncey out should not matter.(We've played way bigger games with him on the side) Lewis dropping the INT. That hurt.( by the way it DID land in Kentucky I found it in my backyard this morning). Mundy whiffing on that block, that hurt. 2 Titan fumbles we should have recovered hurt. One way to make our secondary look better is to RUSH THE DAMN PASSER!! We spent high picks on guys like Hood and Heyward and we have a 72 year old Keisel applying more pressure. All I can say is if we don't turn this thing around fast it wii be a short season.

Butch wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

Butch wrote:

I have to agree that coaches have to put players in a position to succeed. I used to say that you have to use a player's strengths not try to make them use yours. The pass rush or should I say lack thereof has hurt this team in all their losses. And offensive 3 and outs don't do us any favors either.

Yeah, that's what's frustrating me right now. I'm not happy with either side of the ball. It's easy to just blame the defense (and make no mistake, they are to blame), but when the offense has the ball late with a chance to win the game, they HAVE to win the game and not rely on the defense as they have tended to do over the years. Our defense carried the team for a lot of years. Now we need the offense to carry us.

I have said that more than once on other boards. While I joke with some about B.A. being at fault for the defensive woes...there is some truth to the Offense not doing their part when the D would hand them the ball at point blank range and they still can't score.

If I had a dollar for every time I've mentioned this ...

Last season, there were 8 games when we had the lead and the ball with about 5 minutes left in the game. All 8 times, the offense failed to score or run out the clock. All 8 times we gave the ball back to the other team with a chance to win the game on their final drive. Our defense made the stop in 7 of the 8 games (they failed in the second Ravens game). And of course, everyone blamed the defense for allowing the Ravens to march 90 whatever yards down the field to win the game, completely forgetting about the 7 other games that the defense won the game. You can't always expect the offense to make a game-winning drive, but if they have the lead and ball late, they have to control the ball and either score more points or run out the clock. They can no longer put it on the defense to win the game.

solardave wrote:

You're right Wally Pouncey out should not matter.(We've played way bigger games with him on the side) Lewis dropping the INT. That hurt.( by the way it DID land in Kentucky I found it in my backyard this morning). Mundy whiffing on that block, that hurt. 2 Titan fumbles we should have recovered hurt. One way to make our secondary look better is to RUSH THE DAMN PASSER!! We spent high picks on guys like Hood and Heyward and we have a 72 year old Keisel applying more pressure. All I can say is if we don't turn this thing around fast it wii be a short season.

When Legursky has filled in for Pouncey in the past, he'd done quite well. And they didn't change the offense because Legs was in there instead of Pouncey. So I don't think they did it this time either.

Ed Bouchette Breaks Down Steelers’ Loss To Titans

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — 93-7 The Fan Steelers insider and Post-Gazette sports reporter Ed Bouchette joined The Fan Morning Show on Friday to break down the Steelers’ Thursday loss to the Titans.

He said that injuries and poor decisions on both sides of the ball ultimately doomed the Steelers, and offered his insider’s view of what is ailing this team, which is now 0-3 on the road.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/10/12/ed-bouchette-breaks-down-steelers-loss-to-titans/
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Yep. I'm going to beat this into the ground ... it's not just the injuries. It's also schemes, play calling, and decisions. Other than a few players, the loss against the Titans might be the very definition of TEAM loss.

Pointing yet again to the play calling:

Quote :

STAT THAT STICKS: Zero -- Rush attempts outside the tackles for the Steelers, their lowest total since Week 4 of 2008 when they attempted one such rush against the Ravens, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/56669/upon-further-review-steelers-19

Quote :

Upon Further Review: Steelers

By Jamison Hensley | ESPN.com

You can justify failing to hold fourth quarter leads to Peyton Manning and Michael Vick because they've done it so many times before. You can understand losing in the final minute to Carson Palmer because he knows how to play the Steelers defense.

But it's hard to excuse letting the Titans score 10 points in the final 4 minutes, 19 seconds on Thursday night. This is a Tennessee team that had scored more than 14 points just once this season. The Titans had produced 14 points in their last 19 drives entering the fourth quarter.

Where the Steelers are falling short is they're not playing smart or aggressive at critical moments. Pittsburgh, which has blitzed as much as any defense in the league, got beat when it became passive. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completed 6 of 8 passes when the Steelers sent four or fewer pass rushers in the second half, including the game-tying touchdown to Kenny Britt late in the fourth quarter. Then, on the 25-yard completion to tight end Jared Cook that set up the Titans' winning field goal, linebacker James Harrison was in coverage instead of rushing the passer.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/56669/upon-further-review-steelers-19

Wallace108 wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

In other words with Pounsey and Gilbert out a not so great o-line with 2 starters out the Haley didn't think going all out was a wise thing to do?

If it wasn't for the blocked punt and the defense stopping a so so offense a couple of times the Steelers might of won the game.

So we lost because of injuries? The Titans played without their starting quarterback.

I don't think having Pouncey out should change our entire offensive scheme.

It's not like they had a rookie backup in there.

Maybe some of the play calling was because of injuries, nobody really knows cept the coaches and players.

But as you've said something's not right.

Wallace108 wrote:

Ed Bouchette Breaks Down Steelers’ Loss To Titans

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — 93-7 The Fan Steelers insider and Post-Gazette sports reporter Ed Bouchette joined The Fan Morning Show on Friday to break down the Steelers’ Thursday loss to the Titans.

He said that injuries and poor decisions on both sides of the ball ultimately doomed the Steelers, and offered his insider’s view of what is ailing this team, which is now 0-3 on the road.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/10/12/ed-bouchette-breaks-down-steelers-loss-to-titans/
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Yep. I'm going to beat this into the ground ... it's not just the injuries. It's also schemes, play calling, and decisions. Other than a few players, the loss against the Titans might be the very definition of TEAM loss.

At what point do we start blaming Tomlin? Ultimately he is responsible for the product that he puts on the field injuries or not. The standard is the standard.

Mach1 wrote:

At what point do we start blaming Tomlin? Ultimately he is responsible for the product that he puts on the field injuries or not. The standard is the standard.

Good question.....He is the man in charge....if he don't shake it up who will? He needs to at the minimum, figure how to try to make this a winning season. (injuries be damned)

Defense: F

They no longer stop the run completely. They no longer scare quarterbacks and come up with late stands. It isn't due to the philosophy of Hall of Fame coordinator Dick LeBeau or the injuries to star safety Troy Polamalu (calf) and linebacker LaMarr Woodley (hamstring), neither of whom was playing up to his accustomed level this season anyway. These Steelers show little character or leadership after the departures of Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Smith and linebacker James Farrior. They show little punch in their front seven, which always was the saving grace for the back end that rarely over the past decade proved stellar defending the pass. They show little ability to create the big takeaway, with Hasselback passes fluttering through the hands of CBs Keenan Lewis and Ike Taylor, who, since being toasted on the game-winning touchdown in the Denver playoff last January, has been picked on regularly by opposing quarterbacks. Few can remember the last time the Steelers played four close games so early and failed to shut the door, the offense bailing them out last Sunday against Philadelphia with a game-winning, 6½-minute drive to a field goal. Previous game's grade: B

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/nfl-rapidreports/20552730/steelers-report-card-fail-major-fail

Read this article yesterday on CBS sports.com I know the problems go way beyond, but I will still stick to my theory that one of the problems is loss of leadership, especially on the D.