Bires: Big Ben needs to change his style to survive

[stillers4me]

Mike Tomlin promises change in 2012 for the Steelers. The starting point should come at quarterback.No doubt Ben Roethlisberger rates among the NFL's elite. But for his well being, he must alter the way he plays the game.

Often during his first eight pro seasons, he's been the grand improviser. He's unique in the way he makes plays on the fly. He's strong enough to shrug off tacklers and mobile enough to elude pass rushers and throw on the run. His competitive nature prompts him to keep buying time and extending plays better than anyone in the league.
That's who he is. That's what makes Big Ben tick.

But that style is eventually going to get him destroyed.

He cannot continue to take the hits he does every year and expect to last much longer.............

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[ShutDown24]

I just wrote up my take on Ben in another thread, I'm simply going to quote that here.


Maybe, but now I'm going to throw my two cents in on the subject anyway lol. Ben is a great Quarterback. But he relies on his physical skills way too much. He misses wide open receivers underneath the defensive coverage far too often. But, I don't think he has poor vision. In fact, I think he sees the open receiver many times and just refuses to give up on the deep ball. When the play breaks down I think is when he often comes back to that open guy. A lot of times once he starts running out of the pocket you see him go right to a spot with the ball without hardly even looking. I believe this is the reason why he is able to do that so frequently. However, what I feel that Ben needs to understand is if he would just nail the open guy immediately - over the course of a game, that would open up the deep pass. And he wouldn't get plastered every time he completes a pass. Too often I think Ben watches one of his passes fly into the end zone from the ground thinking "Yes touchdown!... Ouch, that hurts."

[Galax Steeler]

I have to say this is the way he plays. Yes I like him and wish he could change the way he holds on to the ball but when we drafted Ben this is what we got. I don't see him changing his ways.

[ALLD]

If he mixes in the short passing game it will keep some of the blitz off and help a mediocre OL Instead of being too predictable.

[tube517]

He doesn't need to change, but just mix it up, like ALLD says. Pats* game was a good example of that.

[Crow-Magnon]

Umm.....how many SB's have the Steelers won with Ben behind center? Yeah, that's what I thought.

If I recall correctly, I don't think Ben got his high ankle sprain because he was running around like a fool. His main problem is one he can't fix. The OL.

[43Hitman]

Umm.....how many SB's have the Steelers won with Ben behind center? Yeah, that's what I thought.

If I recall correctly, I don't think Ben got his high ankle sprain because he was running around like a fool. His main problem is one he can't fix. The OL.

Thanks Crow, you nailed it. I hate the offseason and all the woulda, coulda, shoulda's.

[Count Steeler]

Write as many articles as you wish. FIX THE O-LINE!

[stillers4me]

Write as many articles as you wish. FIX THE O-LINE!

I totally agree. But easier said than done given the salary cap and available players at the bottem end of the first round which is where we are generally located.

[Crow-Magnon]

Thanks Crow, you nailed it. I hate the offseason and all the woulda, coulda, shoulda's.

If Ben would have been the Ravens QB all this time, you guys would have never sniffed the SB. I know it. You know it.

[43Hitman]

If Ben would have been the Ravens QB all this time, you guys would have never sniffed the SB. I know it. You know it.

Cinci could probably say the same thing, only with not as much conviction. I agree though. Ben has been the key to our success since 04'.

[GBMelBlount]

Originally Posted by ShutDown24
Maybe, but now I'm going to throw my two cents in on the subject anyway lol. Ben is a great Quarterback. But he relies on his physical skills way too much. He misses wide open receivers underneath the defensive coverage far too often. But, I don't think he has poor vision. In fact, I think he sees the open receiver many times and just refuses to give up on the deep ball. When the play breaks down I think is when he often comes back to that open guy. A lot of times once he starts running out of the pocket you see him go right to a spot with the ball without hardly even looking. I believe this is the reason why he is able to do that so frequently. However, what I feel that Ben needs to understand is if he would just nail the open guy immediately - over the course of a game, that would open up the deep pass. And he wouldn't get plastered every time he completes a pass. Too often I think Ben watches one of his passes fly into the end zone from the ground thinking "Yes touchdown!... Ouch, that hurts."

Ben's great performances due to his natural ability and athleticism have likely reinforced his bad habits since high school.

[Edman]

You can "fix" the O-Line as much as you want.

But Ben is Ben, and he's as much a part of the problem. He is so heavily reliant on improvising with his natural ability that he can't run an precision offense effectively.

[steelreserve]

What is this jerkoff talking about. Ben's ankle injury came on a regular passing play where he was "playing it safe" in the pocket. And the hits he takes while scrambling don't tend to be the big bone-jarring kind either - it's a guy eventually dragging you down by the jersey.

Being a pure drop-back passer is simply not Ben's game, and I'd argue it's not much safer than what he does anyway. He thrives on the chaos when a play goes on too long and guys overpursue or lose track of their man in the excitement. This dildo is essentially saying "hey, why don't you throw out the #1 part of your game that makes you more effective than other QBs." No thanks. We got a little preview of that over the last 4 games of the season and that's not really what I want.

[steel striker]

When was the last season where Ben was healthy? His rookie season I think.

[XxKnightxX]

When was the last season where Ben was healthy? His rookie season I think.

Not Even, I forgot which Ratbird drilled him in the Ribs and he was very tender after that.

[GodfatherofSoul]

Bad o-line or not, Ben has to start throwing it away. No point on getting regular season wins if we're so hobbled by playoff time that we can't advance.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I'd rather have a QB looking to be as efficient as possible rather than looking to survive. Too much adaptation to being a conventional QB risks Ben not being as efficient as he usually is. If there's one thing Arians has done correctly, it's not asking him to change his identity. That is probably the only time you will hear me commend Bruce Arians lol so enjoy :lol:

[suitanim]

He's always played like this. Always. There is no "fix" to be had. If the Steelers don't like it, they should trade him. If the fans don't like it, they should join the fanbase of another team.

[BigNastyDefense]

He's always played like this. Always. There is no "fix" to be had. If the Steelers don't like it, they should trade him. If the fans don't like it, they should join the fanbase of another team.

I agree with this.

Ben has NEVER been a pocket passer. Not his one year in high school playing QB, not his three years in college, not throughout his entire career as an NFL quarterback.

And what needs fixed is the offensive line. When Ben takes his biggest hits, it's when he's still sitting in the pocket. I get the feeling that he doesn't fully trust his offensive line. I think if they would get him a legit offensive line in front of him, then we would see a more conventional quarterback.

[steelreserve]

I agree with this.

Ben has NEVER been a pocket passer. Not his one year in high school playing QB, not his three years in college, not throughout his entire career as an NFL quarterback.

And what needs fixed is the offensive line. When Ben takes his biggest hits, it's when he's still sitting in the pocket. I get the feeling that he doesn't fully trust his offensive line. I think if they would get him a legit offensive line in front of him, then we would see a more conventional quarterback.

Unless all these great new linemen want to play for free, I think if they got him a legit offensive line, we would have a mediocre defense and we could kiss Wallace and Brown goodbye. There is such a thing as the salary cap, which we're right up against every year. We've made our choice about where we want to spend the limited money we have available.

[BigNastyDefense]

Unless all these great new linemen want to play for free, I think if they got him a legit offensive line, we would have a mediocre defense and we could kiss Wallace and Brown goodbye. There is such a thing as the salary cap, which we're right up against every year. We've made our choice about where we want to spend the limited money we have available.

It's called DRAFTING OFFENSIVE LIMEMEN IN ROUNDS 1 & 2.

I don't expect us to go out and sign some big name free agent lineman. However, they need to draft offensive line in rounds one and two, instead of 5/6/7. If they have to, trade up in the draft.

I would like to see them take Cordy Glenn of Georgia to give us a legit guard.

Nobody is asking the Steelers to go drop a huge free agent money on someone, just to draft some first round talent for the offensive line.

[tihmtahm]

A zebra can't change his stripes... Ben will always scramble.

[steelreserve]

It's called DRAFTING OFFENSIVE LIMEMEN IN ROUNDS 1 & 2.

I don't expect us to go out and sign some big name free agent lineman. However, they need to draft offensive line in rounds one and two, instead of 5/6/7. If they have to, trade up in the draft.

We did that the last two years, duh. We can't do it every year; we have other positions to worry about too.

Listen, I understand that people want better lineman, but the math just isn't there to satisfy what people want. There are five positions, and rookies are under contract for 3-4 years and then you have to pay them. So either we're drafting nothing BUT linemen in perpetuity, or else we're essentially spending the same amount as we would in the free agent market, and we don't have the money to do it for all five positions without a disastrous effect somewhere else. Sorry, I don't know what else to tell you. If you want to blame someone, blame it on the people who put together the latest CBA.

The one thing I do agree we COULD do better is to spend our money more wisely on the line when we do go that direction. It's not like we completely neglect it - but we did give $5M a year to Kemo, $6M a year to Colon, $7M a year to Starks ... we definitely could've done better than that for the money. But as things stand, it seems like one or two talented young players, maybe one mid to mid-high free agent, and a couple of journeymen are about what our means will allow, as long as we want to keep the rest of the team good. In this year's draft, we need about three positions (NT, S, LB) just as badly as OL, so realistically our chances of taking an OL in the first round are about 1 in 4.

[SMR]

You can "fix" the O-Line as much as you want.

But Ben is Ben, and he's as much a part of the problem. He is so heavily reliant on improvising with his natural ability that he can't run an precision offense effectively.

He can't, or he won't? I think many times he WON'T (and that is part of the problem). Exception: he did practically FLAWLESS against the Patsies this season. Unforgettable performance in that game!

[86WARD]

Without his "style," he'd get killed week after week after week.

[katmandu]

I totally agree. But easier said than done given the salary cap and available players at the bottem end of the first round which is where we are generally located.We're going to lose a lot of big name and $$$ this off season. That's going to free up a whole lot of Cap money!

[suitanim]

I don't really think Big Ben's playing style is the sort of thing that he consciously controls. It's like a person having a bad temper: They just do.

[steelreserve]

I don't really think Big Ben's playing style is the sort of thing that he consciously controls. It's like a person having a bad temper: They just do.

I know. Telling Ben to be more conservative would be like telling Brady to act less gay. Just not gonna happen.

[BigNastyDefense]

I know. Telling Ben to be more conservative would be like telling Brady to act less gay. Just not gonna happen.

:rofl:

Ben is never going to be conservative either, he's got like a sixth sense on when to escape the pocket to extend the play. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it often ends up in a big play.

[Edman]

Without his "style," he'd get killed week after week after week.

With his style, he still gets killed week after week.

What people seem to forget is Ben destroyed his ankle against Cleveland doing what? Not sitting back in the pocket, but doing his typical freelancing with the ball out of the pocket.

[zulater]

With his style, he still gets killed week after week.

What people seem to forget is Ben destroyed his ankle against Cleveland doing what? Not sitting back in the pocket, but doing his typical freelancing with the ball out of the pocket.

You can't take that away from him completely, but you do have to get him to choose his spots better. What he did that play was over the top, and needless given the game situation.

[SteelGhost]

Maybe a good QB coach can help him read defenses/WR's routes faster :noidea:

[steelerdude15]

Maybe a good QB coach can help him read defenses/WR's routes faster :noidea:
They hired a new one a couple of years ago, but I'd like to see Charlie our QB coach one day.