Steelers look to be more efficient near the end zone

Quote :

By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


When the Steelers took the field as a team for the first time in four months last week, the first team period of the first practice was dedicated to goal-line offense. The Steelers ran seven plays inside the 10, then broke off into their normal practice routine.

The significance of the drill was not lost on the team’s top offensive players. The Steelers ranked second in the league in total offense and passing offense in 2014, but they settled for field goals after many good drives because of an inefficient goal-line offense.

The Steelers were 28th in the league in touchdown percentage in goal-line offense. Red-zone offense (inside the 20) is the more popular statistic, but goal-line offense (inside the 10) gives a tighter snapshot of how teams operate when things are most condensed on the field.

The Steelers did not fare well the closer they got to the goal line, scoring 20 touchdowns on 74 snaps (27 percent) inside the 10. Houston led the league in touchdown percentage inside the 10, scoring on 22 of 49 opportunities (45 percent).

In short, the Steelers could drive the ball down the field better than any other team in the NFL, but they were not efficient at converting those drives into touchdowns. Despite being second in the league in total yards, the Steelers were only seventh in points scored.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/06/01/Steelers-look-to-be-more-efficient/stories/201506010021

these big WRs comming in should help scoring TDs in the redzone.

Just pound Dri Archer down the middle. What could go wrong?

LambertLunatic wrote:

Just pound Dri Archer down the middle.  What could go wrong?  

Does he have enough suddenness and glide to get in?

Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley focuses on red zone and run game

June 11, 2015
By Ray Fititpaldo/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers broke the team record for most yards in a single season in 2014. Their 6,577 yards were 319 more than the record set in 1979. Running back LeVeon Bell and receiver Antonio Brown were named first-team All-Pro and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger set the team’s single-season passing mark and tied his team record with 32 touchdown passes.

The Steelers return every starter from that unit, a rarity in the free agency era of the NFL, and expectations will be for them to be among the best, if not the best, offense in the league in 2015.

In order for that to happen, offensive coordinator Todd Haley said his unit needs to improve in two areas: red-zone efficiency and the running game.

The Steelers were ranked 19th in red-zone efficiency last season.

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http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2015/06/11/Steelers-offensive-coordinator-Todd-Haley-focuses-on-red-zone-and-run-game/stories/201506110051

Josh Harris could become Steelers' short-yardage back in 2015

By Bryan DeArdo on Jun 27, 2015



After being used sparingly in 2014, second year running back Josh Harris might be used in a specific role in 2015.

Maybe, Josh Harris can be the thunder to Le'Veon Bell's lightning.

The Steelers could use a power, short range back in their otherwise dynamic offense. There's a chance Harris could be that guy...

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The red-zone offense was actually good at home last season, but terrible on the road.

Did they also include "cover wrs on other team"?

Why the Steelers should run the ball more in 2015

Jeremy Fowler, ESPN Senior NFL Writer



The Steelers ranked seventh league-wide with 27.3 points per game last season, but 19th in red-zone efficiency at 51.72 percent.

You’ve heard about the 30-30 club. Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell could redefine it.

30-20.

Less than 30 sacks for Roethlisberger, more than 20 carries a game for Bell.

These are modest goals that can vault the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense from a high-yardage attack to possibly the league’s most potent one.

Last season felt like a breakthrough for Pittsburgh’s offense, not only because of its 6,577 total yards -- second in the NFL behind the Saints -- but for Roethlisberger’s best sack rate since 2005. His 33 sacks in 16 games symbolized progress for a quarterback who’s been sacked nearly twice as much as Tony Romo. Romo has 242 sacks in nine seasons as starter, and Roethlisberger has 419 sacks in 11 years.

Less hits will equal a longer career for the 33-year-old. And though Todd Haley’s offense protects quarterbacks with a quick passing game, the Steelers’ running game can make that transition easy for Roethlisberger, who doesn’t need to throw the ball 608 times again for Pittsburgh to win.

There are a few reasons for this ...

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