Roethlisberger: Fans Got What They Wanted With New Run-Oriented Offense

[polamalubeast]

Ben Roethlisberger is throwing some nice passes at Steelers OTAs. He’s also throwing some darts, though it can be difficult to decipher their targets. And their significance.

Take our cryptic exchange, for example.

It didn’t last long, perhaps because Ben had to resume the arduous process of getting a new playbook shoved down his throat. But it might have contained a large clue about coordinator Todd Haley’s “Rosetta Stone” offense.

Or not.

I began by acknowledging the obvious: Roethlisberger understandably was not pleased with the coordinator change. So is it now just a matter of getting on board?

“Yeah, absolutely,” Ben said. “You have no choice.”


Then came a dart.

“And like I said, every day’s getting a little bit better, and we’re learning -- and we’ll be running the ball a lot this year, so fans should be happy.”

Me: “Will you guys be running a lot?”

Him: “I think so.”

Me: “Is that the plan?”

Him: “That’s the way it seems ... I know the fans want it, so it looks like they’ll be getting their wish.”


read more

http://triblive.com/sports/1885118-74/ben-steelers-dejankovacevic-fans-roethlisberger-running-game-getting-joestarkey-starkey



click here to play audio

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/05/30/roethlisberger-fans-got-what-they-wanted-with-new-run-oriented-offense/

[ShutDown24]

I'm not at all convinced we will be running more. Just differently. From what I've seen of Coach Haley, the running game will be more traditional than what it was under Arians. However, that doesn't necessarily translate to more of it.

[Count Steeler]

The upside is that Ben MAY play until he is 40. At least he has a fighting chance now.

[stillers4me]

I have to believe most fans just want more touchdowns. The major failing of the Arians era was mediocre red-zone play, and as a consequence, not enough end-zone play.


I want a better, more effective balance of plays. There's no way that Todd Haley is going to ignore his star QB and a stable of speedy, young stud reveivers.


The team’s past four Super Bowl MVPs have been a quarterback (Bradshaw twice) and two receivers (Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward), you know, not running backs or pulling guards.


Nor will anyone forget the longest running TD in Superbowl history or a goal line interception by a linebacker that resulted in a 99 yard sprint for a TD. Fans don't care who scores, as long as we a capable and willing to use every means possible to score, and score alot.

[zulater]

Like him or hate him I think the Pittsburgh media member Ben is closest with is Mark Madden. Something Madden wrote in his notes column this past Monday I believe comes straight from Big Ben's mouth, though he wasn't quoted. In other words I think Ben uses Madden as an unofficial mouthpiece to voice his displeasure. This is what was written Monday...


Peyton Manning, in his first year at Denver, is helping design the Broncos' offense. Ben Roethlisberger, in his ninth season at Pittsburgh, is having a new playbook rammed down this throat with zero compromise, not even with terminology. Manning has one Super Bowl ring, Roethlisberger two. In Pittsburgh, no one can be bigger than the logo or the family. Ben is just another employee.


* By season's start, Haley's playbook will be a non-factor. Everyone will know it. Everyone will execute it. It will feature Roethlisberger as primary weapon. No one involved is stupid.



http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-take-note-of-these-sports-notes/article_4fc3b001-e450-53dd-ae59-dfb8b0f97dda.html

Long story made short, what this tells me is that Ben isn't over it. yet He still has a little bit of a sulk on. But he will be over it by the time it starts to matter.

Ben's a proud guy. I think he feels as if his face has been put into it a bit. If anything Ben reminds me of our former petulant Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. :lol:

So I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. Just a quick chapter in the story, but nothing that significantly alters the book's main theme or successful conclusion.

[ShutDown24]

Like him or hate him I think the Pittsburgh media member Ben is closest with is Mark Madden. Something Madden wrote in his notes column this past Monday I believe comes straight from Big Ben's mouth, though he wasn't quoted. In other words I think Ben uses Madden as an unofficial mouthpiece to voice his displeasure. This is what was written Monday...



http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-take-note-of-these-sports-notes/article_4fc3b001-e450-53dd-ae59-dfb8b0f97dda.html

Long story made short, what this tells me is that Ben isn't over it. yet He still has a little bit of a sulk on. But he will be over it by the time it starts to matter.

Ben's a proud guy. I think he feels as if his face has been put into it a bit. If anything Ben reminds me of our former petulant Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. :lol:

So I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. He'll get over this in time.

Weren't Ben and Madden neighbors for a few years?

[zulater]

Weren't Ben and Madden neighbors for a few years?

Yes.

[fansince'76]

He’s also throwing some darts, though it can be difficult to decipher their targets. And their significance.

I'm sure that won't stop you from trying to do so all the same. :coffee:

[bayz101]

Nothing to see here, move along :coffee:

[zulater]

Weren't Ben and Madden neighbors for a few years?

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/for-roethlisberger-complications-grow-352944/


Mr. Roethlisberger moved to a townhouse on Washington's Landing during the summer before his rookie year and largely kept to himself. He surprised neighbors with his small-town manners, whether it was writing thank-you cards to those who had baked him pies, or one day helping a neighbor's ailing mother.

Sports radio host Mark Madden's late mother, Peggy Ann, lived with her son the last 2 1/2 years of her life while suffering from a lung disease. To leave the house for outings with friends, the former North Hills High teacher had to be helped up and down stairs, into a wheelchair and the car.

Once Mr. Madden fell asleep while his mother was out to lunch. He woke up, went into his kitchen and there was his mother -- who died in May 2006 -- drinking coffee with Mr. Roethlisberger, who had helped her into his home.

"It remains one of my fondest memories of her time here," Mr. Madden said. "It was something to see. It was amazing. ... I can't say enough great things about that moment."

[BnG_Hevn]

Ben needs to get over it, if he hasn't already.

If Ben goes to any other team that needed a QB in the '04 draft, would have have 2 SB rings? Although he has two SB rings, was he really that much of a factor in the first one? Granted, he did well in the regular season, but the first SB he was pedestrian.

Also, the Steelers are a machine, the players are but cogs in that machine. The machine is built to do what it does, the cogs serve that purpose.

Besides, what happens in Denver if Manning is there for more than, say, 2 years and then leaves? The team will be built to suit Manning so when Manning leaves, they are going to be hurting to re-adjust. Look at Indy, that team was built solely around Manning and without Manning they are hurting.

You NEVER want to build your team around just one person. Could they have given him a say, or at least ask for him opinion? Sure, but if they do that and "ignore" it then you have a whole new can of worms because THEN Ben will REALLY feel slighted.

As it is, they've done nothing "against" him so as a professional he needs to ante up and perform.

Just like at the end of Rocky III.

Rocky: "You taught me everything you know"

Apollo: "Almost everything. You got to remember Stallion, you fight great but I'm a great fighter"

What that means to me is Apollo can adjust to any circumstances and still win.

So Ben, do you play football great or are you a great football player?

....

[fansince'76]

You NEVER want to build your team around just one person.

LeBeau has kinda done that with the defense, which is why whenever Troy's out, the absence is more than noticeable and the entire dynamic of the unit changes. Been that way for years.

[polamalubeast]

Although he has two SB rings, was he really that much of a factor in the first one? Granted, he did well in the regular season, but the first SB he was pedestrian.


Without Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers would not have participated in the super bowl in 2005

Ben had a QB rating of 125.0 in three playoff games on the road

[HollywoodSteel]

Ben needs to get over it, if he hasn't already.

If Ben goes to any other team that needed a QB in the '04 draft, would have have 2 SB rings? Although he has two SB rings, was he really that much of a factor in the first one? Granted, he did well in the regular season, but the first SB he was pedestrian.

Also, the Steelers are a machine, the players are but cogs in that machine. The machine is built to do what it does, the cogs serve that purpose.

Besides, what happens in Denver if Manning is there for more than, say, 2 years and then leaves? The team will be built to suit Manning so when Manning leaves, they are going to be hurting to re-adjust. Look at Indy, that team was built solely around Manning and without Manning they are hurting.

You NEVER want to build your team around just one person. Could they have given him a say, or at least ask for him opinion? Sure, but if they do that and "ignore" it then you have a whole new can of worms because THEN Ben will REALLY feel slighted.

As it is, they've done nothing "against" him so as a professional he needs to ante up and perform.

Just like at the end of Rocky III.

Rocky: "You taught me everything you know"

Apollo: "Almost everything. You got to remember Stallion, you fight great but I'm a great fighter"

What that means to me is Apollo can adjust to any circumstances and still win.

So Ben, do you play football great or are you a great football player?

....

Didn't Apollo get killed in the ring in Rocky 4 due to his hubris? Not sure if I'd be looking to him for wisdom.

[shutdown]

If Ben goes to any other team that needed a QB in the '04 draft, would have have 2 SB rings? Although he has two SB rings, was he really that much of a factor in the first one? Granted, he did well in the regular season, but the first SB he was pedestrian.

How many rings did they have for the last 20 years without him?

[fansince'76]

Caption the photo:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/garyb12001/Haley-Roethlisberger-1.jpg

:chuckle:

[GodfatherofSoul]

"Awwww...but daa-a-aaad do I have to hand it off?!?!?"

[zulater]

Without Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers would not have participated in the super bowl in 2005

Ben had a QB rating of 125.0 in three playoff games on the road

Thanks for saving me the trouble. Some people seem to think we got to Super Bowl XL by invitation.

[Chidi29]

Like him or hate him I think the Pittsburgh media member Ben is closest with is Mark Madden. Something Madden wrote in his notes column this past Monday I believe comes straight from Big Ben's mouth, though he wasn't quoted. In other words I think Ben uses Madden as an unofficial mouthpiece to voice his displeasure. This is what was written Monday...



http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-take-note-of-these-sports-notes/article_4fc3b001-e450-53dd-ae59-dfb8b0f97dda.html

Long story made short, what this tells me is that Ben isn't over it. yet He still has a little bit of a sulk on. But he will be over it by the time it starts to matter.

Ben's a proud guy. I think he feels as if his face has been put into it a bit. If anything Ben reminds me of our former petulant Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. :lol:

So I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. Just a quick chapter in the story, but nothing that significantly alters the book's main theme or successful conclusion.

And we have to remember the trust factor that existed between Ben and Arians. They had each other figured out.

That doesn't exist here. The trust that exidted between those two is irrelevant to Ben and Haley. It has to be built from scratch again. So it's understandable if Ben feels upset and a little boxed in. When he says he feels like a rookie because he doesn't know the playbook, I think he also means he feels like he has to prove himself all over again just like he did when he first came into the league.

[XxKnightxX]

Ben can nag and bitch all he wants, but his sometimes wreckless style of play and sandlot football wore thin on the fans. This isnt a rec league team, its a proffesional football team in the NFL. And ever since 2009 , teams with sophisticated, organized, and run efficiency balanced offenses have won the Super Bowl. A prime example was in SB XLV, when the second half was the same 4 plays over and over it again.

[fansince'76]

And ever since 2009 , teams with sophisticated, organized, and run efficiency balanced offenses have won the Super Bowl. A prime example was in SB XLV, when the second half was the same 4 plays over and over it again.

Seems to me we had almost dug out of an 18-point hole, were beginning to shove the ball down the Packers' throats at will and were threatening to take the lead when our now full-time FB whiffed on a block (another recurring theme with this offense over the last 5+ years) resulting in Matthews clobbering Mendenhall in the backfield and Mendenhall coughing it up. :noidea:

[tube517]

Caption the photo:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/garyb12001/Haley-Roethlisberger-1.jpg

:chuckle:

You and me, big boy #7, Mr. Improvise and chuck the playbook. In the octagon. NOW! Referee is Sean Kugler. John Mitchell is doing play by play. LeBeau is timekeeper. :chuckle:

[Mach1]

Seems to me we had almost dug out of an 18-point hole, were beginning to shove the ball down the Packers' throats at will and were threatening to take the lead when our now full-time FB whiffed on a block (another recurring theme with this offense over the last 5+ years) resulting in Matthews clobbering Mendenhall in the backfield and Mendenhall coughing it up. :noidea:

Yep should of called a bubble screen instead. :doh:

[X-Terminator]

Anyone want to tell me where he's wrong? Because I sure saw, read and heard a LOT of fans whining and moaning because they chose to let their franchise QB actually do what he gets paid to do. Well, we certainly can't have that...let's go back to Cowherball and running it 65% of the time. Wouldn't that just be peachy? Now, there really hasn't been any indication that Haley is going to do that and I think Ben is confusing "run-oriented" with "establishment." Haley isn't stupid - he will not waste all of that talent in the passing game and Ben will still throw the ball plenty. But Ben was not wrong in what he said.

[fansince'76]

Yep should of called a bubble screen instead. :doh:

Or maybe Johnson could have just made the block...

[fansince'76]

...let's go back to Cowherball and running it 65% of the time.

Sign TJ Duckett! :chuckle:

[polamalubeast]

Sign TJ Duckett! :chuckle:

And Brandon Jacobs and Landale White!

[Animal Mother]

http://i.imgur.com/Q1lhE.jpg

[ALLD]

Personally, I wouldn't have Ben call the plays in the first 45 minutes, but if we were down in the 4th quarter I would give him the ball and ask him to win it.

[shutdown]

http://i.imgur.com/0nVLq.jpg

[shutdown]

http://i.imgur.com/byZCP.jpg

[SteelGhost]

IMHO it's safer to run a little bit more while the new OL glue AND the whole offense digest the new playbook. When this happens we'll have a VERY dangerous passing offense. I hope the redzone efficiency goes up as the season advances.

[fansince'76]

http://i.imgur.com/byZCP.jpg

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Count Steeler]

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/garyb12001/Haley-Roethlisberger-1.jpg



I hope the media gets a shot of this face, 'cuz we are going to tear it up!

[86WARD]

Perfect time to run more. It's turned into a "passing league."

[Iron Steeler]

We need this offseason to end now

[SCSTILLER]

We need this offseason to end now

Yes we do!

[O'Malley]

They're playing the media... Ben and company already get it and are playing like they'll never understand the new playbook.. Finally keeping the truth secret and projecting confusion and distain to the media..

[Craic]

Much ado about nothing.

If the story wasn't framed as "darts" we'd be talking about how the glory days are coming back. Well, some of us.

Personally, I can just hope this was a bit of misinformation. Players are too big and too fast for the run game to be as effective as it used to be - or better said, to be used in the same way. The days of finding the bigger back that can outrun linemen and mow down linebackers are pretty much gone - when you have D-line players in the mid- to high 4s for the forty at close to, if not over 300 pounts and still bench ungodly amounts of weight, it's a different ball game.

I mean, Dontari Poe ran a 4.98 40, but also benched 44 reps and weighs 346 pounds . . . as much as people don't want to admit it, the game's changed because the players have changed physically.

[GBMelBlount]

And we have to remember the trust factor that existed between Ben and Arians. They had each other figured out.

That doesn't exist here. The trust that exidted between those two is irrelevant to Ben and Haley. It has to be built from scratch again. So it's understandable if Ben feels upset and a little boxed in. When he says he feels like a rookie because he doesn't know the playbook, I think he also means he feels like he has to prove himself all over again just like he did when he first came into the league.

I completely agree on all points Chidi.

[Polamalu Princess]

I completely agree on all points Chidi.

With you both - agree.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Yep should of called a bubble screen instead. :doh: or a long pass from our own end zone that gets intercepted and returned for a TD.

[Prok]

I think Ben stereotypes the fanbase because he hears the same bitching n whining alot. He doesn't realize that most fans frustrations stem from one Bruce Arians head-scratching play-calling most games. And who could blame us, as FANS, for tiring of 600 yards of offense and 12 points on the scoreboard? I'd still love to see him throw it 35 times a game and run alot of no-huddle. Most of us just wanted more consistant offense from our team. Hopefully Haley gives that to us because i have a sneaky gut feeling this offense is going to have to carry this team much like the defense has the last 2 decades or so. At least until we get some corners that can shut down above average WR's and the young front 7 developes. Something tells me our defense is about to drop off in the near future, hope i'm wrong.

[Craic]

I think Ben stereotypes the fanbase because he hears the same bitching n whining alot. He doesn't realize that most fans frustrations stem from one Bruce Arians head-scratching play-calling most games. And who could blame us, as FANS, for tiring of 600 yards of offense and 12 points on the scoreboard? I'd still love to see him throw it 35 times a game and run alot of no-huddle. Most of us just wanted more consistant offense from our team. Hopefully Haley gives that to us because i have a sneaky gut feeling this offense is going to have to carry this team much like the defense has the last 2 decades or so. At least until we get some corners that can shut down above average WR's and the young front 7 developes. Something tells me our defense is about to drop off in the near future, hope i'm wrong.


Dang, how many Steelers fanbase meme's are in this post:

1. Bruce Arians has no strategy
2. Lot of yardage, little points.
3. No huddle
4. Consistent offense (this one's my favorite, I use it most of the time myself)
5. Defense has carried the team
6. We need corner backs
7. Player development
8. impending future problems.

That's dang impressive - a meme per line!

(Just poking fun at you Prok)

[pepsyman1]

Dang, how many Steelers fanbase meme's are in this post:

1. Bruce Arians has no strategy
2. Lot of yardage, little points.
3. No huddle
4. Consistent offense (this one's my favorite, I use it most of the time myself)
5. Defense has carried the team
6. We need corner backs
7. Player development
8. impending future problems.

That's dang impressive - a meme per line!

(Just poking fun at you Prok)

The "lots of yardage, little points" is my personal favorite to use...and still is. I personally was not an Arians fan, not because he passed to much, but because our offense rarely accomplished what they needed to...SCORE! If we go no huddle the whole game and Ben throws for 450 yards and we score 38 points, I'm happy. If we do that and score 13, I'm not. I don't care which way Haley leans, as long as what he installs scores points. Give our defense a 400 point offensive season for a change and see what they do with that kind of cushion.

[X-Terminator]

400 points = 25 PPG

That is certainly doable.

[Bluecoat96]

400 points = 25 PPG

That is certainly doable.

I'm envisioning a scenario of Roethlisberger dumping off the ball to whoever in the same fashion as Drew Brees and his stable of RB/WR. We also need to remember that the Saints had a pretty darn good running game when needed. Didn't Haley and Sean Payton spend some time together on the offensive staff at Dallas? I'm telling you, I have a feeling this is the route our offense is going. If that's the case, then holy crap we'll be dangerous!!!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I think we will see the Steelers establish the run and then pass out of running formations to confuse defenses. Also, will see the Steelers run some out of passing formations to confused defenses.

Contrary to the previous offense which was designed to not establish the run game and then pass out of running formations, pass out of passing formations and mix in some empty backfield formations to show the pass pre-snap.

[SteelGhost]

Dang, how many Steelers fanbase meme's are in this post:

1. Bruce Arians has no strategy
2. Lot of yardage, little points.
3. No huddle
4. Consistent offense (this one's my favorite, I use it most of the time myself)
5. Defense has carried the team
6. We need corner backs
7. Player development
8. impending future problems.

That's dang impressive - a meme per line!

(Just poking fun at you Prok)

My fav "beef" :chuckle: