In the Locker Room: Roethlisberger

Some excerpts ...

Re: Red zone scoring issues and if they need to run the ball more frequently in that area of the field:

"No, we need to just execute. We were 1-of-4 last week. I think the week before we were a lot better. We’re going to take what the defense gives us. Last week it was throwing the ball. We just need to execute better.

Is the pass heavy play-calling in the red zone a by-product of operating out of the no-huddle?

"Some of it is but that’s me calling plays (and) feeling like we had the advantage in the pass game down there. So I called passes and I don’t regret any of it."

READ MORE: http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/In-the-Locker-Room-Roethlisberger-on-Browns/804dbdd7-6a22-409c-a488-7bb4dcb5af43

So we have a head bowling coach that is ruining our HOF QB and not rolling the pocket. This is just what Art II wants, poor execution in the Red Zone, so we can't pay Ben his money and he resigns.

Since the sperm lottery boy came on board? 19-18.

But thank you BR7 for echoing what I have been saying.

To clarify on why I called BR7 an OC's worst nightmare:
BR7 isn't your conventional QB. He wasn't much for the 3, 5, 7 step drop and get the ball out. BR7 loves to extend the play and try to make the biggest play possible. Does an OC draw up a play for a QB to pump 1, 2, or maybe even 3 times in a play? No. Does an OC draw up a play for a QB to have to break out of a few sacks and then launch the ball 30 yards down field? No. BR7 tries to make the biggest play possible which means sometimes he does it a bit unconventionally. That's what makes him a nightmare because some of his best plays are the ones that an OC couldn't draw up.

As Wally said, I am one of the biggest BR7 supports ever so he's not an ACTUAL nightmare.

Aw, you almost kind of miss that idiot swooping in with non related and irrelevant topics to post in response to yak...


Almost.

It's always interesting when theory is introduced to reality.

Ben's obviously doing his best, but here's just my two cents if they are worth anything.

Throw the ball INTO the end zone. Even if the pass is to the shorter receivers.

The horizontal game does get them down the field, but they need to be more vertical in their red zone passing game.

Or just run the ball with Bell and Blount.

I think they've tried to be too fancy in the red zone.

I'm not sure what the answer is ... I just know that we haven't been good in the red zone for a really long time. I agree with SV that we need to throw into the end zone more. We seem to throw a lot of underneath passes short of the end zone. And I also agree with Truck that sometime we try to get too cute.

Quote :

Rich Gannon On Roethlisberger Calling Redzone Plays: Where’s Haley, Tomlin?

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) – Former NFL Quarterback and current NFL on CBS Analyst Rich Gannon joined the Starkey and Mueller show and had a number of questions about how the Steelers offense works when in the redzone after being told Ben Roethlisberger claimed he called the redzone plays against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I don’t know if they’re tied down enough guys,” Gannon said.  “You hear that, those type of comments and you get that much freedom and flexibility, you go to ask yourself where is Todd Haley in all of this and really, quite frankly, where’s Mike Tomlin?”

Gannon took a look at what does make a team successful in the redzone as the Steelers currently rank 26th in the league in redzone touchdown percentage, scoring just 44 percent of the time they make it inside the 20.

“I think good redzone teams have the ability to run the football, they weren’t good down that part of the field last week,”  Gannon told us.  “They cleaned it up a little bit last week with the penalties, they’ve been sloppy and they’ve not been good enough.”

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/10/09/former-nfl-qb-rich-gannon-on-roethlisberger-calling-redzone-plays-wheres-haley-tomlin/

What is absolutely killing me about the revelation that Ben was calling red zone plays is that up until now, everyone was blaming Haley for the play calls and for not allowing Ben to be Ben. Now that we find out Ben was calling the plays, Haley is getting criticized for giving Ben too much "freedom and flexibility."

Crash got banned just a little too soon...

SteelersYak wrote:

Crash got banned just a little too soon...

Uuuh, no he didn't.

But hats off to you guys for being so patient with the mentally insane fan.

I was unable to watch last week's game, but when I saw a stat that they had nine plays into the redzone and ran the ball zero times, that's an issue.

I'm bothered because in the early games, when they are facing weaker teams, they should be using those situations to learn how to run in short yardage.

I always chuckled when Crash would mention "1976 football". Here's a quick stat for you fans:

Seattle won the Super Bowl last year running the football 54% of the time during the course of 2013. Denver lost the Super Bowl running the ball 40%. Pittsburgh ran the ball 40% of the time last year.  

DAMN YOU SEATTLE FOR WINNING THE SUPER BOWL USING 1976 FOOTBALL!!!!

All kidding aside, you have to be able to run the football to win. There's a reason Payton Manning only has 1 ring, Dan Marino has no rings, etc. You have to be able to run the ball.

Had to edit my comment... didn't mean 9 "trips" into the redzone ... meant 9 plays in the redzone. Fingers not type what brain is thinking.

Truth ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yes, the NFL has become a passing league, and our defense has to change to be able to stop passing offenses. But other team's offenses should not determine what our offense does.

Wallace108 wrote:

I'm not sure what the answer is ... I just know that we haven't been good in the red zone for a really long time. I agree with SV that we need to throw into the end zone more. We seem to throw a lot of underneath passes short of the end zone. And I also agree with Truck that sometime we try to get too cute.

By not being good for a long time you mean going back to BA right? The difference I see now is we have the 2 back system and even with a subpar line we still should be able to punch it in, at least in short yardage situations. If we're outside the 10-15 I still think on 1st down we should test their defense with a run. Ben could always throw a quik slant to Moore or go up top to Bryant. Something other than what we're doing because as you said Wally it's not working.

solardave wrote:

By not being good for a long time you mean going back to BA right?

Yep. Our red zone scoring percentage under Haley is almost identical to what it was under Arians.

solardave wrote:

The difference I see now is we have the 2 back system and even with a subpar line we still should be able to punch it in, at least in short yardage situations. If we're outside the 10-15 I still think on 1st down we should test their defense with a run. Ben could always throw a quik slant to Moore or go up top to Bryant. Something other than what we're doing because as you said  Wally it's not working.

I think part of the problem is that we get too cute in the red zone.

SteelersYak wrote:

Crash got banned just a little too soon...

No he didn't Or maybe we just need a crash lite version. More relevance less bullshit.

Ok.

I'll play the role of McCardinal (I'm pissed right now anyway)

Haley blows, LeBeau Blows, ArtII doesn't know what the hell he is doing, except that he wants Ben to leave and go to AZ, where he will flourish under Arians and win a Super bowl.

There......just don't expect me to dog Hines.

I think part of the problem is that we get too cute in the red zone

In a nutshell. Why are we not using Blount more to pound it in?

solardave wrote:

I think part of the problem is that we get too cute in the red zone

In  a nutshell. Why are we not using Blount more to pound it in?

Too cute? They ran a jumbo set run play 3 straight times first apperance and were making up for it the rest of the game.

Btw, something is seriously wrong with Ben. And I would be the last to agree with asshat, but why isn't he playing hard like he always has??

Gingerchip wrote:

Ok.

I'll play the role of McCardinal (I'm pissed right now anyway)

Haley blows, LeBeau Blows, ArtII doesn't know what the hell he is doing, except that he wants Ben to leave and go to AZ, where he will flourish under Arians and win a Super bowl.

There......just don't expect me to dog Hines.

Anyone who puts all the blame on Haley and LeBeau (as I'm sure McCardinal is doing) either didn't watch the game or is just a hater. This team has LOTS of problems.

Drizztbob wrote:

Btw, something is seriously wrong with Ben. And I would be the last to agree with asshat, but why isn't he playing hard like he always has??

I have my theories, which I'm not going to get into right now (too many beers ).

I'll agree that he isn't playing well, but what do you mean when you say he isn't "playing hard"?

I mean, he isn't extending plays, isn't getting in receivers asses after a dropped pass, isn't cheerleading on the sidelines, isn't doing everything he can to keep a play from dying regardless of how poor his o line is playing.

Drizztbob wrote:

I mean, he isn't extending plays, isn't getting in receivers asses after a dropped pass, isn't cheerleading on the sidelines, isn't doing everything he can to keep a play from dying regardless of how poor his o line is playing.

I'm not sure I've seen the same thing in Ben, but if you're correct, how much of that has to do with age? I touched on this in another thread, but just as Troy can't do what he used to do because of his aging body, Ben also can't be expected to do what he used to do in his 20s. No matter what Steeler Nation wants to think, he's not the same player he was 4, 5, 6 years ago. As for his attitude, perhaps he knows what we know ... this team really isn't all that good.

Age doesn't defy passion...

Drizztbob wrote:

Age doesn't defy passion...

True. But ...

Troy still has passion, but is he the same player he once was? Not only can he not do what he used to do, but I saw him hanging his head today ... even aside from the physical limitations of his age, he just looked defeated. He's not the same player he once was. And neither is Ben.