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View Full Version : Gene Collier: Hazy coaching calls darken Steelers' poor season



vader29
12-09-2013, 10:52 AM
Now that there's simply nowhere to turn in this pungent slumgullion of a Steelers season, let's just retrace our collective steps for a minute to follow that smell.

OK, well, that didn't take long.

It's coming from the sideline, according to our preliminary findings, where decisions keep getting made that only further detract from the reliably skittish performance of the athletes.

Do not adjust your nostrils.

"If you punt there, they have an opportunity to convert third downs and kill the clock and the game," Mike Tomlin was saying about what might and might not have been the absolute worst of those decisions Sunday.

"We hadn't done a great job of stopping them in the second half, so we weren't ensured of getting the ball back. If we didn't, then whatever was going to happen was going to happen quickly."

Rarely does the loquacious Tomlin deliver an explanation that makes less sense than the decision in question, but he nailed it right there.

Rare as well comes a football game so wild and entertaining that it still avoids yanking the focus from Tomlin and his staff.

Dolphins 34, Steelers 28 was just such an occurrence.

Running back Le'Veon Bell just shook his head as questioners wondered how he'd pretty much disappeared from the offense after a successful first quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tersely referred questions to offensive coordinator Todd Haley when asked pretty much the same thing.

"Their scheme, I don't know, there was no particular reason," said No. 7.

But let's start at the top, with Tomlin, who successfully refrained from breaking into the hokey pokey along the sideline this week, but succeeded at little else.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/gene-collier/2013/12/09/Gene-Collier-Hazy-coaching-calls-darken-poor-season/stories/201312090063#ixzz2mztxqGOv

stillers4me
12-09-2013, 11:33 AM
So you trust your defense more on your own 10 yard line than you do on their 30?

Spike
12-09-2013, 11:37 AM
Running back Le'Veon Bell just shook his head as questioners wondered how he'd pretty much disappeared from the offense after a successful first quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tersely referred questions to offensive coordinator Todd Haley when asked pretty much the same thing.

"Their scheme, I don't know, there was no particular reason," said No. 7.



We demand a sacrifice - off with Haley's head!

zulater
12-09-2013, 11:57 AM
Running back Le'Veon Bell just shook his head as questioners wondered how he'd pretty much disappeared from the offense after a successful first quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tersely referred questions to offensive coordinator Todd Haley when asked pretty much the same thing.

"Their scheme, I don't know, there was no particular reason," said No. 7.





We demand a sacrifice - off with Haley's head!

I get managing Bell's touches. But having him on the sidelines on the Steelers final possession of the first half when the situation was exactly perfect for a back of his skills, is stupefying! Just over two minutes of the half, starting field position at your own 40 ( first good starting field position all game) and the versatile back who is a legitimate dual threat to run or catch on any play is left on the sidelines so stone hand Dwyer can be in?

Terrible coaching, and if Tomlin were a better coach he would have made sure his asshat OC had the right personell on the field for that crucial possession.

salamander
12-09-2013, 12:00 PM
The more the season progresses, the more I dislike Todd Haley.

one side only
12-09-2013, 12:15 PM
Todd: "Coach, here's the game plan for this week, with the first 10 play script on top."

Mike: "Great! What does Ben think of it, especially the first 10 plays?"

Todd: "Oh, I dunno; didn't ask him."

Mike: "OK"

Todd: "You know how he gets, yammering for the no-huddle all the time."

Mike: "Yeah, I hear you. By the way, do you know of a good dog walker . . . "


Both of them should be canned, and Dick LeBeau should be allowed to come back and read The Night Before Christmas every year, but he should be gone as well.

fansince'76
12-09-2013, 03:20 PM
So you trust your defense more on your own 10 yard line than you do on their 30?

No, you figure (more than likely correctly) that their offense is going to score anyway, but if they do so on a short field, at least they won't drain the game clock down to ten seconds or so while doing it.

Oh, and having a shitty punter who already had one blocked earlier in the game and came very close to having 2 others blocked (and would have more than likely booted another dead-legged line drive that would have been returned to your side of the field anyway, assuming it even made it past midfield) kinda made that decision easier too.

blackngldblood
12-09-2013, 03:23 PM
I mean, am I the only one who see's the irony in bringing in Hailey to bring back the run game and reel Ben in to preserve his health only to see the first couple of plays be straight ahead runs, assess that the run game is a no go, go to passing plays that get figured out by the D fairly quickly, then watch Bell struggle to get 70 yards because he has no chance to get in a groove?

Without Ben and his "back yard" style of play this offense would be dead to rights in the first half of the first quarter, cause it ain't that hard to figure it out. And there are some people around that think Ben is done??? He should get a special metal for surviving and somewhat thriving in this bonehead offense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

Edman
12-09-2013, 07:07 PM
Running back Le'Veon Bell just shook his head as questioners wondered how he'd pretty much disappeared from the offense after a successful first quarter. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tersely referred questions to offensive coordinator Todd Haley when asked pretty much the same thing.

"Their scheme, I don't know, there was no particular reason," said No. 7.

We demand a sacrifice - off with Haley's head!

Whoa now. Wait a minute. This board is mindfucking me.

Whatever happened to crucify Haley for "taking the offense out of Ben's Hands".

Now you want to destroy him for "putting the ball in Ben's Hands"?

zulater
12-09-2013, 07:44 PM
Whoa now. Wait a minute. This board is mindfucking me.

Whatever happened to crucify Haley for "taking the offense out of Ben's Hands".

Now you want to destroy him for "putting the ball in Ben's Hands"?

So Ben's the weak link Edman? Wondered how long it would be before you got around to blaming it all on him. Thanks for being consistent.

Spike
12-12-2013, 11:49 AM
Whoa now. Wait a minute. This board is mindfucking me.

Whatever happened to crucify Haley for "taking the offense out of Ben's Hands".

Now you want to destroy him for "putting the ball in Ben's Hands"?

Having Ben in control calling the plays at the line doesn't mean he's throwing every time.

Let him run the offense and kick Haley back to his family tree so he can take his weak ass to some other team.

Steeldude
12-12-2013, 11:43 PM
So you trust your defense more on your own 10 yard line than you do on their 30?

Yep. It makes perfect sense...lol.

zulater
12-13-2013, 09:11 AM
No, you figure (more than likely correctly) that their offense is going to score anyway, but if they do so on a short field, at least they won't drain the game clock down to ten seconds or so while doing it.

Oh, and having a shitty punter who already had one blocked earlier in the game and came very close to having 2 others blocked (and would have more than likely booted another dead-legged line drive that would have been returned to your side of the field anyway, assuming it even made it past midfield) kinda made that decision easier too.

Maybe that plan makes sense, but remember this, if it hadn't been for Wallace's late spear and subsequent personal foul the 'Dolphins would have been in position to get a first down and run out the clock anyway. So unless Wallace was acting upon coaches orders ( he wasn't) then really that goes out the window. Outside of not trusting the punter to get the ball off, that explanation doesn't wash. And if it was about the punter, well who's fault is it we're stuck with him anyway?

GBMelBlount
12-13-2013, 10:46 AM
There have arguably been a lot of miscues and poor playcalling.

Lack of quality personnel further magnifies the problem.

Personally I think Tomlin may have become a bit complacent.

When you are winning superbowls right out of the gate it reinforces whatever you are doing whether it is right or wrong.

Dwinsgames
12-13-2013, 10:59 AM
great players often times deliver wins in spite of coaching , good players and less , depend on good coaching to provide wins ...

one side only
12-13-2013, 11:03 AM
Tomlin isn't complacent; he's a spectator to the process. When forced to make decisions under pressure, he usually screws it up.

Shoes
12-13-2013, 11:09 AM
Tomlin isn't complacent; he's a spectator to the process. When forced to make decisions under pressure, he usually screws it up.

Man do I agree with this! :chuckle:

GBMelBlount
12-13-2013, 11:44 PM
great players often times deliver wins in spite of coaching , good players and less , depend on good coaching to provide wins ...

I agree.

Sometimes you will see an entire team play this way....somehow they collectively figure out a way to win the close ones in the clutch week after week.

I remember when we were as good as anyone in the league at closing out games.

fansince'76
12-13-2013, 11:52 PM
Maybe that plan makes sense, but remember this, if it hadn't been for Wallace's late spear and subsequent personal foul the 'Dolphins would have been in position to get a first down and run out the clock anyway. So unless Wallace was acting upon coaches orders ( he wasn't) then really that goes out the window. Outside of not trusting the punter to get the ball off, that explanation doesn't wash. And if it was about the punter, well who's fault is it we're stuck with him anyway?

OK. And if Tomlin opted to punt on 4th down and the offense never got the ball back, which was quite likely considering the way the defense was playing, he'd have been vilified for not going for it. And when's the last time we had a really good punter? I honestly can't remember.

zulater
12-14-2013, 06:45 AM
OK. And if Tomlin opted to punt on 4th down and the offense never got the ball back, which was quite likely considering the way the defense was playing, he'd have been vilified for not going for it. And when's the last time we had a really good punter? I honestly can't remember.



Like I said before, if Wallace doesn't commit the spear the Steelers would have turned the ball over to the Dolphins at a spot where they could have got a first down and run out the clock even without the punt. So again unless Wallace was acting upon coaches orders then his rationale for not punting isn't valid.


And I've even come to grips with going for it, even though I disagree with it. I can see some sense in it. Ben could convert it after all. But the misuse of the timeout is what pisses me off. You don't call a timeout on a dead ball ( incomplete pass) in that game situation if you're a well coached team.That's 40 seconds lost on your next possession.