The Steelers are a pass-first team right now and I don’t have a problem with it. In fact, I love it. Getting more balance on offense is something we need to strive for but if you have Big Ben, Holmes, Ward, Miller, Wallace, Sweed, McDonald, Spaeth, etc…then you BETTER be a pass-first team. Being a run-first team at this point would be an improper use of the team’s personnel. Having said that, one thing that has been bothering me lately is the offensive formations the Steelers are deploying in short-yardage and goal line situations.
If you’re lined up in a Shotgun on 3rd and 2….you don’t even give the defense the need to worry about defending the run. You make their jobs much easier. If you put 4 WRs on the field on 3rd and 3….you once again make life easy on the defense. You tip your hand at what type of play you are running and you lose some strategic advantage. You can still pass from “big” running formations…in fact many big pass plays can come off of play-action passes in goal line formations.
This may not bother some of you, but take a look at the DOWN, DISTANCE, and FORMATION below:
3rd and 1: Moore left tackle to CIN 27 for 12 yards
3rd and 2: Roethlisberger pass short middle intended for Ward INTERCEPTED by Rucker.
3rd and 1: Mendenhall right guard to CIN 12 for no gain.
4th and 1: Roethlisberger up the middle to CIN 11 for 1 yard.
3rd and 3: Roethlisberger pass incomplete short left to Miller.
I like the first formation a lot, because you have both Mendy and Moore in there. They are both threats to run or enter a pattern. You have to respect a play action to either of them in that formation. Notice in the last screenshot, there are 9 guys in the box even when the Steelers show 3WR on 3rd and 3.
The Steelers can run out of a 3WR and 4WR shotgun set, but they don't seem to run draws or delays very well. Don't know why.
BINGO! …..
You nailed it Dagg's …. I've said it all along that it's all about scheme. It's all about play selection in situational football. You can't make your offense one dimentional by tipping your hand on what you plan on doing.
Going out of the shotgun and putting Mendenhall in motion on 3rd and 1 and 3rd and 2 is absolutely bullshit. There's no reason we can't go with a 2 back set or even a power I "playaction" to add some element of surprise as to what we're going to do.
Both teams know each other very well. They were going to go at each other in the same physical style football of the AFC north. Telegraphing a play isn't a big deal when you can blow them off the line of scrimmage. The steelers were simply limp. Not explosive off the snap, or getting open running routes. They were on again off again, and the Bengals wanted it more.