Harris: Steelers offense must excel in 2013

Let‘s assume, for argument‘s sake, that the Steelers‘ defense created seven to 10 more turnovers for their offense this year.

Why do we automatically assume things would be any different?

That players and coaches would be preparing for a playoff game instead of saying their goodbyes and preparing for the offseason?

After all, we‘re talking about a Steelers attack that finished No. 14 in passing offense, No. 20 in total offense and No. 22 in scoring offense under franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Isn‘t it enough that the Steelers‘ defense led the NFL in pass defense and total defense for the second consecutive season? Or that the defense also finished No. 2 in run defense and No. 7 in scoring defense in 2012?

I find it ironic that both of the Steelers voted to the Pro Bowl this year play offense and that none of their defensive teammates was invited to Hawaii. How is that possible?

How about the offensive players doing their jobs better and scoring more points instead of the defense always being expected to bail out the offense?

To get to the bottom of why the Steelers didn‘t qualify for the playoffs for the second time since 2009, it‘s important to dig deeper in search of the truth.

Did you know that the Steelers have never led the league in passing offense or total offense — or even finished among the top five — in any of Roethlisberger‘s nine seasons? Or that the Steelers defense didn‘t rank lower than No. 4 in total defense in any of their three most recent Super Bowl seasons (2005, 2008 and 2010)?

Even if you toss out this year‘s inconsistent offensive performance due to Roethlisberger‘s rib and shoulder injuries, Big Ben‘s body of work reveals similar inconsistencies.

In the three seasons that Roethlisberger led his team to the Super Bowl, the Steelers never finished higher than No. 14 in passing offense or total offense. In a league consisting of 32 teams, that‘s barely above average.

With all the talk about Roethlisberger‘s alleged rift with first-year offensive coordinator Todd Haley, the offense‘s numbers in his one season under Haley aren‘t that different from its average rankings in five seasons with Bruce Arians (14.4 passing defense, 14.4 total defense) and three seasons with Ken Whisenhunt (20.3 passing defense, 12.7 total defense).

Since 2004, the Steelers enjoyed their two highest rankings in net passing yards under Arians and Whisenhunt (2006 and ‘09). They didn‘t qualify for the playoffs in either season.

A year ago, the Steelers earned a playoff berth when the offense finished No. 10 in passing offense and No. 12 in total offense.

Forget the defense not generating enough turnovers for the offense in 2012. The unit deserves much better than that.

Roethlisberger has played on five teams that led the league in total defense. Imagine how many Super Bowls Tom Brady could win if he played with a dominant defense.

It‘s probably asking too much to expect the Steelers to lead the league in total defense in 2013 for a third consecutive season.

However, it isn‘t asking too much to expect the offense to play better.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/johnharris/3219498-74/offense-defense-steelers#ixzz2GjJMPzfN
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In the three seasons that Roethlisberger led his team to the Super Bowl, the Steelers never finished higher than No. 14 in passing offense or total offense. In a league consisting of 32 teams, that‘s barely above average.

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How about the offensive players doing their jobs better and scoring more points instead of the defense always being expected to bail out the offense?

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Did you know that the Steelers have never led the league in passing offense or total offense — or even finished among the top five — in any of Roethlisberger‘s nine seasons? Or that the Steelers defense didn‘t rank lower than No. 4 in total defense in any of their three most recent Super Bowl seasons (2005, 2008 and 2010)?

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Even if you toss out this year‘s inconsistent offensive performance due to Roethlisberger‘s rib and shoulder injuries, Big Ben‘s body of work reveals similar inconsistencies.

The Trib's John Harris gets it. The bottom line is this ... during Ben's entire career, under two different head coaches and three different offensive coordinators, the offense has never been anything other than average. And other than a few games and a few drives, Ben has never been anything more than an above-average quarterback. He's not Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He's a step up from Tommy Maddox. The defense carries the team. More times than not, all the defense needs is for Ben and the offense not to F it up.

When anyone wants to defend Ben, they always fall back on the argument that he won two Super Bowls. Well, so has Charlie Batch. Yeah, but Batch didn't play and contribute to the wins, the defenders will argue. But how much did Ben really contribute to the Super Bowl win against the Seahawks? Here's how his game went:

9 for 21, 123 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.

Not exactly an elite performance. Randle El had more TD passes in the game than Ben did. But we didn't need much from the offense because the defense held the Seahawks to 10 points and the Steelers are Super Bowl champions.

In the Super Bowl against the Cardinals, there's some truth to the fact that the defense almost lost the game and that Ben had to win it. But let's take a closer look ...

Minus the final drive and Harrison's pick 6, Ben and the offense put up only 13 points in nearly four quarters against just an average Cardinals defense. Before the final drive, Ben threw for 178 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Before the final drive, it was another poor showing by Ben and the offense. If the offense had been more productive over the course of the game, there never would have been a need for the final drive. And during that final drive, the Cardinals defense was in soft coverage. As we often see at the end of the half or at the end of a game, the defense plays not to lose and gives up passes underneath. That's exactly what the Cardinals did, and it bit them in the ass. Throwing underneath passes against a prevent defense doesn't make a quarterback elite. Did that one drive make Santonio Holmes an elite receiver? No. So then why does it make Ben an elite quarterback?