The fuel light is on

The fuel light is on
Rashard Mendenhall and the Steelers rushing attack appear to be out of gas as the ground game has come to a screeching halt
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Above all else, the Steelers have been consistent in their proficiency in two general aspects of playing football through the years. They know how to play defense, and they can run on offense.

That is why their inability to generate much in their running game this season has come as a surprise. There was little sign that Rashard Mendenhall, who has run for 2,381 yards the past two seasons, would have such trouble through the first three games.

Consider what offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said about Mendenhall a few days before the Steelers opened the season in Baltimore.

"That's our lead dog," Arians said that Thursday after practice. "Everybody wants to talk about the wideouts and everybody else. Our lead dog is Rashard. We're going into the game with Rashard as the lead dog and everybody else feeds off of him."

Well, in the dog-eat-dog world of the NFL, they're having Mendenhall and the Steelers ground game for lunch.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11270/1177831-66-0.stm?cmpid=steelers.xml#ixzz1Z8lIZL2x

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I like this quote especially:

"One source on the team said the run calls against the Colts looked nothing like the ones they practiced the week leading up to the game."


If this is true......

And it isn't like the defenses we'll be facing the rest of the season are any cream puffs.

Buddha Bus wrote:

I like this quote especially:

"One source on the team said the run calls against the Colts looked nothing like the ones they practiced the week leading up to the game."


If this is true......

Should I just go ahead and merge this thread with the Fire Arians thread now?

Maybe it's just me, but there's no mystery why our running game is faltering.
1. Our O-line sucks.
2. Defenses are putting 8 in the box and blowing up an already weak line.
3. Mendy does too much dancing in the backfield.
4. Too many calls designed to go straight up the middle.
5. No fullback.

There's no easy fix to the O-line. All we can do is shuffle the deck and maybe try to bring someone else in. Flozell?

To soften up the defense, I think we need to start using more short passes and utilize our RBs out of the backfield. We have to force defenses to stop putting 8 in the box.

I'd like to see Redman get more carries. He doesn't dance around in the backfield.

Rather than running the ball up the middle every time, we need more runs to the outside. And how about throwing in some play action?

And fullbacks are your friend.

You know what I notice in the Indy game last week was how quick the hole was there then it closed. When I see that why are we not shorting up Rashard starting point. Instead of being 7 yards back from ben lets bring up two or three yards. The way Freely and Mathis were playind it would have been so easy for them to take themselves out of the play with how hard they rush inside. I myself think B/A does an ok job. Just something to throw out there for ya. He gives Big Ben alot responsiblity to call the plays at the line and audible from there. lets make sure we understand what is going in the huddle before we judge B/A

blastfurness wrote:

You know what I notice in the Indy game last week was how quick the hole was there then it closed. When I see that why are we not shorting up Rashard starting point. Instead of being 7 yards back from ben lets bring up two or three yards. The way Freely and Mathis were playind it would have been so easy for them to take themselves out of the play with how hard they rush inside. I myself think B/A does an ok job. Just something to throw out there for ya. He gives Big Ben alot responsiblity to call the plays at the line and audible from there. lets make sure we understand what is going in the huddle before we judge B/A

Fair enough, BF.

But three points:
1. Who determines where Mendy lines up on a play?
2. Maybe BA should take away some of Ben's responsibility.
3. We don't have access to the huddle.

moore had the same Oline
and HE gave us 2 key first downs in the 4th qt.
so is it the Oline or is it Mendenhall or maybe both
i just don't like Mendy a whole lot
he'd be good for dancing with the stars tho

fer69 wrote:

moore had the same Oline
and HE gave us 2 key first downs in the 4th qt.
so is it the Oline or is it Mendenhall or maybe both
i just don't like Mendy a whole lot
he'd be a good for dancing with the stars tho

It could have just been that the D softened up on the run a bit in the 4th quarter and was trying to prevent the big pass play.

Our O-line is still shit right now and I don't like the whole "Twinkletoes" Mendy dance routine he's been practicing this year so far. All we can do is hope the O-line stiffens up with time and Mendy starts hitting some damn holes.