Will Johnson

to me this player looks to be getting better and better every week the steelers might have found them a new FB.

Agree with you eff he's had a solid year and he keeps playing better each week

I like the guy a lot. He's a great blocker and has some hands. DJ may not have a spot next year when he's healthy.

He looks really good and hopefully he will just get better. He is part of the reason our run game is better.

Galax Steeler wrote:

He looks really good and hopefully he will just get better. He is part of the reason our run game is better.

Absolutely! All I kept hearing from fans who think Ben should be chucking the ball 40 yards down the field 50 times a game is that the NFL has changed and the days of the fullback are over. I never understood that reasoning. Yes, the NFL has changed to more of a passing league, so our defense has to change and adapt to what offenses are doing. But what other teams' offenses are doing have absolutely no bearing on what our offense has to do. In fact, going "old school" and having an offense with a fullback helps the Steelers in two ways:

1. It's what the Steelers do best.
2. As defenses change and adapt to the rest of the league, which is pass happy, they're no longer built to handle a power running team. Especially one that uses a fullback.

effyou515 wrote:

to me this player looks to be getting better and better every week the steelers might have found them a new FB.

Agreed. I'd also like to see some T-formations where he lines up in the traditional FB slot where he can lead the runner. I see an awful lot of motion and lining up strong side where the play is going to go. Yea it's about execution and all but it does allow the defense to stack that area. I always like a runner following a lead blocker where he can cut off the block rather than looking for a hole. Not suggesting all the time, but mixing it up would be nice.

Wallace108 wrote:

Galax Steeler wrote:

He looks really good and hopefully he will just get better. He is part of the reason our run game is better.

Absolutely! All I kept hearing from fans who think Ben should be chucking the ball 40 yards down the field 50 times a game is that the NFL has changed and the days of the fullback are over. I never understood that reasoning. Yes, the NFL has changed to more of a passing league, so our defense has to change and adapt to what offenses are doing. But what other teams' offenses are doing have absolutely no bearing on what our offense has to do. In fact, going "old school" and having an offense with a fullback helps the Steelers in two ways:

1. It's what the Steelers do best.
2. As defenses change and adapt to the rest of the league, which is pass happy, they're no longer built to handle a power running team. Especially one that uses a fullback.

Don't forget the time of possession factor. The best defense is keeping the other teams offense on the bench drinking Gatorade.

exncite wrote:

Don't forget the time of possession factor. The best defense is keeping the other teams offense on the bench drinking Gatorade.

Yep.

Last year we were actually one of the top teams in terms of time of possession. Arians supporters always pointed to that fact as a reason why we didn't need to run more ... we controlled the ball while passing. The problem with the argument is that we were really good at controlling the ball in the first 3 quarters. In the fourth quarter, however, our time of possession dropped considerably. Our offense was horrible in the fourth quarter. We scored far fewer points and continually handed the ball back to the other teams. When you have the lead in the fourth quarter, that's when you need to start controlling the ball and killing the clock. Going 3 and out and killing only about a minute off the clock with incomplete passes isn't a good strategy.

I love me some Johnson.

This guy can really be a weapon. He's not just a fullback, but he can fulfill fullback duties properly. Once he gets more experience, he can really become a weapon in this offense, like a John Kuhn that doesn't suck.

Can someone please add Dodens "I love me some Johnson" to the Out of Context thread? My phone can't quote.

bayz101 wrote:

Can someone please add Dodens "I love me some Johnson" to the Out of Context thread? My phone can't quote.

Done!