After watching Ben Roethlisberger throw the ball around the Steelers' indoor facility today, you had to come away impressed.
Charlie Batch didn't practice, but Byron Leftwich did. And the differences between Leftwich and Roethlisberger's passes were easy to spot.
Not one of Roethlisberger's passes fell incomplete and there were a couple of occasions when Roethlisberger slipped a pass into a tight spot, eliciting a "Woah," from some of his teammates.
He was that good Tuesday.
© I've heard a lot of talk about how the Steelers shouldn't change their offensive philosophy now that Roethlisberger is back.
After all, the team is 3-1 with its current run-heavy offensive balance.
But anyone who expects Rashard Mendenhall to make it through the season with his current workload is delusional.
Mendenhall is on pace to log more than 350 carries. Add in some receptions and he'll be up over 375 touches.
That's too many.
Yes, the Steelers still need to be able to run the ball. But they're not paying Roethlisberger $102 million to hand the ball off.
11 comments:
Here, here great inside Dale. Let the season begin!! And with all the talk on how great Falco is now that he beat the Steelers, I really like Pittsburgh's chances this year!!
Just need to improve on 2 minute defense, and things are looking good. Depth seems to be there in almost all positions, and special teams are much improved.
Have to win the layup games this year as well!
Does he really look that good, or have you guys just gotten used to watching Dennis Dixon, Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch warm up over the last 4 weeks?
When the guy throws 25 or so passes with the defense on the field and not one hits the ground - or gets tipped or intercepted - he's looking good.
Well he spent the last four weeks in one on one QB training working on his mechanics. It sounds like it has been effective.
I agree that they won't be quite as run heavy particularly early in the game but the good thing is that if they get a lead in the second half, they can run and shorten the game.
dale,
how is ziggy hood looking so far this year?
I think the play action pass is going to be alive and well in Steel Town. I loved the way Charlie Batch played with the tools God gave him but there's just no comparison to the tools God gave Ben.
My only concern with this team is the Secondary. If offenses copy the Ravens and go to a max protect formation and we can't get consistent pressure on the quarterback it appears that our DB's will eventually wear down and give up the big plays at the end of games. Our next draft may require us to look at this area for a first round talent.
That's today's NFL. With the contact rules down the field, you give any receiver enough time, he's going to get open. Remember, the Steelers are playing zone, not man. So even if they've got five rushing and six dropping to cover three receivers, each one of those players dropping has coverage responsibilities for his zone. It's not two guys covering each receiver.
But, if you're rushing five and they've got three players running pass patterns, that leaves seven blocking. Yes, some guys can be doubled, but there are still individual matchups there that you've got to win. Also, overloads to one side can beat that as well, ie. four rushers coming from one side or up the middle. It's the cat-and-mouse game within the game.
Dale, the 3-1 start is great and all, but don't you find it a little disconcerting that the Steelers saved their sloppiest and least inspired effort for the most important game of the four?
Least inspired? I didn't see that at all.
As for the sloppiness, don't you think the Ravens had something to do with that?
The Steelers turned the ball over once - on their final offenive play.
Yes, they had 11 penalties, but some were pretty questionable - the Harrison holding penalty comes to mind.
The Ravens had seven penalties of their own.
That officiating crew is pretty bad.
Three penalties in four plays on the second to last offensive series is not what Tomlin would call "winning football."
Also, the "run on first down, run on second down, pass on third down" offensive gameplan they were using most of the game wasn't exactly fooling the Ravens. I know they were trying to "protect Charlie", but he could have been protected better by allowing him to throw on downs when the defense wasn't expecting it.
Also, now I'm reading there were more "communication breakdowns" on defense? I thought we were beyond that after last year.
Since you brought up officiating, was there any explanation for the Raven's 4th and 2 play? The TE was in motion and the RB stepped forward at the same time. This, before the TO was called. Harrison and others even brought it to the stripes attention, but no flag came. Who knows what they would've called on 4th from the 7, and if it would've worked, picked up yards, or turning it over on the spot. But there's a good chance it would've been Steeler ball on the 7 rather than the 2, and that's pretty significant. Was there any reason given why that wasn't called? Did the TO come from the bench and was just late being called?
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