Check out how underused RBs are in the Steeler passing game. No screens, no swings, no RB vs LB mismatches in space, very few check-downs.
Sack 1:
A 2nd and 8 quickly turns into a 3rd and 13. These are the types of sacks that usually kill you and take you out of field goal range. Mendenhall is wide open at the 23 yard line. Big Ben has always struggled with check downs and hitting his RBs out of the backfield. The Steeler offense has been very good this year but this is one dimension of our passing game that needs a big upgrade. RB screens, passes to the RBs in the flat, swing passes, getting a RB against a LB in space….all crucial elements to many passing offenses in the NFL but we don’t seem to integrate this into our gameplan at all.
On this play, looking for the homerun instead of taking what the D gives you results in a sack.
Sack 2:
5 Offensive Linemen vs 4 Defensive Linemen. Big Ben has all day to throw but the Bengals do a real nice job in coverage. 2nd and 7 here and Ben takes a sack. Spaeth looks open at the 39 but a LB is in the area. This is the type of situation where Ben might want to toss the ball out of bounds. The loss of 7 yards here brings up 3rd and 14 on the next play from scrimmage.
Sack 3:
I don’t really mind a 7 yard sack here on 3rd and goal. Having said that….in this shot you can see 5 Steelers blocking 4 Bengals….you don’t want to give up a shot on your QB if you don’t have to. Why not hit Moore over the middle at the 7 yard line? Hit him in stride, get a nice block from Hines Ward at the top of your screen and you might have a TD. Or maybe toss the ball into the 5th row of the stands and save the sack and the yardage? Pittsburgh settles for a FG on the next play.
Sack 4:
A huge sack here turns this 1st and goal from the 8 into a 2nd and goal from the 17. Huge difference. Ben gets hit very quickly on this play but if the initial read isn’t there….toss it out of bounds and live to fight another day. How ’bout a jump-ball to the top of the screen if he seems slightly covered? Mike Wallace is open for a quick hitter over the middle but Ben has his sights set up top. 3 plays later we settle for another FG.
Video of all 4 sacks: (take a look at the blocking and blitzes and quick
reads—-some of this is on Ben, some on the line, some on the WRs/Coverage)
On the first sack, a defender is on the ground and grabs the quarterbacks leg. Isn't that a fifteen yard penalty, by the terrible rules?
good work, Dagger. couldn't agree more. I don't get why Ben was so intent on forcing the long pass all day, particularly when the D was actually covering it pretty well… seems like he got frustrated and let it impact his decision-making.
Take the freaking check down Ben. I can't yell at the TV anymore…..
mike tomlin has fallen in love so much with wallace speed as tomlin says " blowing the top off the coverage" that they are taking a page out of al davis raiders playbook- guy with lots of speed, throw the 50 yard bombs all the time. and as with the raiders it becomes so predictable and usually fails! need to involve mewelde moore a lot more in the offense, take what the defense are giving you(the underneath stuff) and don't rely so much on the home run ball!
The first sack was all on Ben. He needed to throw to Mendy.
The second sack was a good play by the Bengals. Delayed pressure up the middle and good coverage.
The third sack again was Ben holding the ball. Should have tossed it to Moore.
The fourth sack was a scheme issue. A 5WR set with no one in the backfield to help with mistakes, and the Bengals fooled the o-line. Note the LB faking blitz and dropping out in the middle. There are 5 rushers. Hartwig is blocking no one, and Colon came inside to pick up a rusher, but the outside guy (with his hands down) comes free. I HATE 5WR sets.
Our offense has no gameplan except for Ben to scramble until someone gets open. Ben is a good QB but very undisciplined. He looks deep every play. I wish we had an OC with some playcalling ability and the clout to tell Ben to fix his game instead of making the same mistakes every year. This is a coachable problem.
And please, no posts saying I hate Ben or something, he is a very good QB but he has some problems and they cost us last week. Just because he has great scrambling ability and can buy time doesn't mean he should try and do it every play for 4 quarters.
Nice breakdown. I was also apalled to see the Steelers offense going for huge chunks of yards on the last drive (and failing miserably) when their success in the past in situations like this was a result of methodical drives utilizing short-mid range routes with good YAC potential. They had a timeout and plenty of time and they're airing it out. Terrible.
Mendy wasn't wide open on the first sack, the replay clearly showed a Bengals LB shadowing him. Spaeth also wasn't open, neither was Wallace. The one where you could say a player was open was Moore, but he was being covered also and wouldn't have scored and the result would have been the same, a completed pass short of the goal line and then a FG.
I'd argue that on all of those instances, a pass could have been completed to the player we circled….thus saving yards and a hit on Ben. Wouldn't you rather have a 4 yard catch than a QB sack?
Every QB sack is a potential sack/fumble or a potential for Big Ben getting injured. If Big Ben gets his ACL torn by a low hit on Sack #1 I'm willing to bet you would have liked to see him just dump the ball off on that play.
Guys don't need to be WIDE OPEN in order for the QB to fit the ball in there to them. Save yards, save hits on your QB, avoid bad plays and avoid getting pushed out of FG range. This is probably the final step Ben needs to make in his game.
I'd rather have a big play on 3rd and goal. I'd also like to see less of Matt Spaeth on the field.
People crying for screens are silly, we don't do that much anymore because we don't have the OL's who can run like Faneca did, like Hartings did, like Dawson did. These guys are all oversized OL's with poor feet except maybe for Hartwig. IMO Mendy gets plenty of targets considering he's on the field primarily as a 3rd down back.
Checkdowns aren't the issue, predictable play-calling on first down in goal to go red zone situations is and has been for three weeks.
Taking the check down does more than just 'gain yards' it allows the QB to get in to a rhythm. Now, think about what happens later on once he has taken a few check downs and then 'surprise' pump fakes the check down…someone is running wide open deep down the field…
it gives the defense something else to think about and another area of the field to defend. agreed.
Ben needs to learn to read coverage better. He is so underdeveloped in that regard. Most of the sacks are a result of him being too slow to process the information.
I don't think I've ever seen Ben throw the ball out of bounds on a busted play. Frankly, it's nice that he wants to make a big play but sometimes being cautious and prudent is wise. Ben is a great quarterback, or at least possesses qualities that separate him from others, such as nerves of steel, and the desire to do anything to win. He's also physically gifted and very intelligent after having seen the pressure of the playoffs and SB. Having said that, he is still young….mentally. He hasn't yet matured in his coverage reads…and saving yardage from a sack.
I take that back. Two of the four sacks were bogus. plenty of time and a coincidence on the tackle. The other two were because the LB were hiding behind the DE on a delayed rush.
Nice defense on the bengals part. Steelers need to be more aware next time.