Steelers dont have a QB problem

[Dwinsgames]

no I didnt write this article but I could have ....


PITTSBURGH -- You know Mike Tomlin's saying, "don't live in our fears"? Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers have only done just that, and it's hitting a point where the offense is starting to leave hints that they no longer want to.



"It's really frustrating, especially when you see the talent there," running back Najee Harris said after the Steelers' 17-14 loss to the Patriots. "It's part of the process. ... The outcome wasn't what we wanted, but I thought we did some good things on third down, better than the last game."

Everyone seemed frustrated after the loss. The entire offense tried to turn the attention to the good - which was a better third down conversion rate - but they also all expressed how much talent this team has. And how they'd like to utilize that talent better.


"It was an emphasis for sure," wide receiver Chase Claypool said on spreading the field. "When we had the plays called, it's hard to go deep against cover three on the perimeter anyway. We just have to be able to call the right plays and move down the field in other ways. But overall, it was pretty good. Mitch [Trubisky] did a good job."
Even Trubisky dropped some hints that players are expressing their displeasure with the play-calling.


"Everyone has an idea of what the offense should or could be, but we have to come together as a collective unit and everyone's got to buy in," Trubisky said. "There's going to be good plays, there's going to be bad plays, but we're a young offense and we're still growing in this thing together. The best thing you can do at this time is to continue to buy into the plan, whatever it is, do your job to the best of your ability."


Here's the thing, while Steelers fans are making it known they want a new quarterback, with Kenny Pickett chants taking just two quarters to make their way into the home opener, it's not going to solve anything.


The Steelers' offense doesn't have a quarterback problem - at least not a major one - they have an offensive coordinator problem.


Each week, the Steelers will take the field with Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth as receiving options. Yet, Canada designs plays where Harris receives a dump-off on 3rd and 6, and leaves Jonhson open down the field flaring his arms in disbelief.


He'll curate drives that last 16 plays and only go 48 yards, and he'll continue to talk about having a mobile quarterback but refuse to utilize their running ability.



"I think we just have to trust our quarterback and trust our guys to go down and make plays," Freiermuth said on the offensive struggles. "It's just pretty simple like that. Just trust each other."


Trubisky isn't perfect. At times, he's not even good. But for the second year in a row, the Steelers' offense is using a quarterback as a scapegoat for Canada's lack of success.
And for the second year in a row, it's working.


"We're still young. We're still meshing as a unit," Trubisky said after the game, continuing to take blame for the lack of success. "... We need to find out our identity. Everyone needs to lean in, come together, and really I just need to play better to give us a chance at the end."


Kenny Pickett might make this offense a little better, but no one is fixing a team that goes against everything they preach week-to-week.

Trubisky will take the heat, but Canada is to blame for the Steelers' offensive struggles


https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/steelers-dont-have-a-quarterback-problem/ar-AA11ZHO6

[fansince'76]

The throwing off the back foot thing with Trubisky is correctable, so coaching (or lack thereof) is definitely a component of the offensive struggles.

[Mojouw]

This article seems to be in an argument with itself. Much like the Steelers offense.

“Canada designs plays where Harris receives a dump-off on 3rd and 6, and leaves Jonhson open down the field flaring his arms in disbelief.”

How is the author so sure the play wasn’t designed to go to the open Johnson (heh heh heh) downfield and that MT just didn’t do it? Did DJ go rogue and start running random routes?

Say Canada demands that the play go to Harris first, second, and third. If the QB isn’t the problem wouldn’t he just be like “Screw It. I don’t want your life!” and throw it deep to the open WR Moxon Varsity Blues style?

[Mojouw]

Also, can’t they both be bad? I see little evidence that either one is any good outside of that one year they can point to in college.

[cubanstogie]

Jesus H Christ, everyone doubling down on MT. Haven’t you seen enough? KP is the future, let’s make him the present. How long do you want to stick with this guy. Ridiculous.

[Mojouw]

Jesus H Christ, everyone doubling down on MT. Haven’t you seen enough? KP is the future, let’s make him the present. How long do you want to stick with this guy. Ridiculous.

I think I can squint and see what some are saying. Not like switching QBs suddenly unlocks some whiz bang offensive system.

I still think part of the problem was prepping all 3 in the preseason. I really believe Trubisky needs to have things programmed in. And I’m not sure he got enough game reps for him to do that. Like got enough for it to happen but just not for him.

On plays where he’s sure what to do, he looks okay -sort of. Thinking of the TD to Friermuth. He hit the top of his drop and fired. Anything else, he looks confused.

Of course, that’s not to say I think he’s the answer to literally any question. But I’ve prattled on about for 6 months. So no one needs it from me any further.

[cubanstogie]

I think I can squint and see what some are saying. Not like switching QBs suddenly unlocks some whiz bang offensive system.

I still think part of the problem was prepping all 3 in the preseason. I really believe Trubisky needs to have things programmed in. And I’m not sure he got enough game reps for him to do that. Like got enough for it to happen but just not for him.

On plays where he’s sure what to do, he looks okay -sort of. Thinking of the TD to Friermuth. He hit the top of his drop and fired. Anything else, he looks confused.

Of course, that’s not to say I think he’s the answer to literally any question. But I’ve prattled on about for 6 months. So no one needs it from me any further.
Im not ignorant enough, key word enough to think KP is going to light it up. That’s not the only reason to put him in. Look at the leaps Hurts has made in week 1 and first half of tonights game. You don’t get that with a baseball cap on.

[Mojouw]

Im not ignorant enough, key word enough to think KP is going to light it up. That’s not the only reason to put him in. Look at the leaps Hurts has made in week 1 and first half of tonights game. You don’t get that with a baseball cap on.

For sure! You’ll get no pushback from me on that.

If I was running a team, the day I draft a QB in the first round is the same day I hand him the starting gig.

They’re seemingly wasting time to my untrained mind.

[DuckHodges]

Could have a Canada problem, but you know, it’s quite possible that we went from one bad QB (washed up Ben) to another bad QB (1st round bust who was run out of Chicago)

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

For sure! You’ll get no pushback from me on that.

If I was running a team, the day I draft a QB in the first round is the same day I hand him the starting gig.

They’re seemingly wasting time to my untrained mind. Tomlin's brother in-law is named Mitch, so there is that.

[Born2Steel]

This article seems to be in an argument with itself. Much like the Steelers offense.

“Canada designs plays where Harris receives a dump-off on 3rd and 6, and leaves Jonhson open down the field flaring his arms in disbelief.”

How is the author so sure the play wasn’t designed to go to the open Johnson (heh heh heh) downfield and that MT just didn’t do it? Did DJ go rogue and start running random routes?

Say Canada demands that the play go to Harris first, second, and third. If the QB isn’t the problem wouldn’t he just be like “Screw It. I don’t want your life!” and throw it deep to the open WR Moxon Varsity Blues style?

I have no idea what the play call was and I'm not saying who's fault it was that 3rd down wasn't converted. I do know that when you watch that play you see 4 guys run basically vertical routes and Najee run out to the left underneath. MT only ever looks at Najee at the snap and the whole way through the play. I did not get a wide enough angle to see DJ's frustration but I did see PF turn across toward the middle of the field about 5 yards out with no defender near him. From all of the talk and from what I have seen, the play there was either DJ or PF, it was not Najee. Again, I don't know if that was the play called or if MT just decided where the ball was going before the snap, and decided poorly. Either way, Ben would have hit DJ or PF and picked up the 1st down.And that is what we are used to.

[cubanstogie]

Could have a Canada problem, but you know, it’s quite possible that we went from one bad QB (washed up Ben) to another bad QB (1st round bust who was run out of Chicago)
I appreciate the efforts to turn first round busts into starter. Lynch, Haskins, MT. It showed me atleast they new Rudy wasn’t the guy. But let’s face it, the professional coaches who recognize talent and see it day in day out in practice don’t cut ties with a first rounder unless there’s some serious deficiencies. Each instance I was hopeful but skeptical. I don’t think I’ll even feel hopeful if it happens again. It’s a pipe dream. Turn the page, new chapter.

[DuckHodges]

From nfl.com:

Trubisky's effort on Sunday -- 21 of 33 for 168 yards with one touchdown and one pick -- just doesn't cut it. Not with the weapons he has at his disposal. Mitch is averaging just 5.1 yards per attempt this season. On passes of 10-plus air yards, per Next Gen Stats, Trubisky owns a completion rate of 39.1 percent and a passer rating of 46.5. Amateur hour.

[Mojouw]

I have no idea what the play call was and I'm not saying who's fault it was that 3rd down wasn't converted. I do know that when you watch that play you see 4 guys run basically vertical routes and Najee run out to the left underneath. MT only ever looks at Najee at the snap and the whole way through the play. I did not get a wide enough angle to see DJ's frustration but I did see PF turn across toward the middle of the field about 5 yards out with no defender near him. From all of the talk and from what I have seen, the play there was either DJ or PF, it was not Najee. Again, I don't know if that was the play called or if MT just decided where the ball was going before the snap, and decided poorly. Either way, Ben would have hit DJ or PF and picked up the 1st down.And that is what we are used to.

That’s what my brain saw as well. I could put a hundred other thoughts out there, but it doesn’t go anywhere.

We, as fans, just have a ceiling on what we can assess and understand because we lack a certain level of access.

I’ll be watching Thursday and hoping for incremental steps forward.

[steelreserve]

What a dumb article. Trubisky fuckin sucks. The fact that someone else also sucks doesn't change that. If sending that bum to the bench is only step 1 toward fixing the whole problem, so be it. You still have to do it.

I don't see anyone saying "You can't replace Canada because that wouldn't fix the problem, you'd still have a bad quarterback." But that's the same idea. A self-defeating circular argument where you're not allowed to make any moves, because what if something else is also the problem. So you're just supposed to sit there and suck, I guess, and stand around with your dick in your hand wondering why you lost 12 games. Poor you, I can't imagine why.

Fuck that shit. They're both the problem. First get rid of one, then get rid of the other. Presto, you solved the problem. This is not rocket science.

[DesertSteel]

We have an OFFENSE problem. It's up to the HC to figure out if it's the OC, the QB, or both -- and take action to fix it. Instead, Tomlin says he'll be patient. He likes the intangibles he sees. Of course, because there's nothing tangible to like!

[DuckHodges]

We don't even know if Canada is entirely terrible. In the last 2 seasons I saw QB's that were unable to execute. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a NFL level QB to connect on 10-20 yard passes with decent accuracy. We didn't have that last year and we definitely don't have it this year. What we DO know is our QB sucks. One thing at a time, replace that. If Canada's offense still can't get it done, maybe then he needs to go.

One thing for sure is you can't coach your way out of shitty players. Give Ken Whisenhunt Mark Sanchez and I bet that offense will still be trash.

[polamalubeast]

QB and OC are a major problem.Both can be true

[EzraTank]

There are videos on YouTube breaking down how MT is either being told, afraid to, or flat out just not seeing guys wide open for huge gains. If Canada is telling him to not throw deep then why even run those routes? If he is afraid of making a mistake or just not seeing the open guys, then I don't want him as my QB.

Sorry we DO have a QB problem and an OL and OC problem as well. Our receivers and backs are too good to be wasted on this pathetic offense.

[polamalubeast]

There are videos on YouTube breaking down how MT is either being told, afraid to, or flat out just not seeing guys wide open for huge gains. If Canada is telling him to not throw deep then why even run those routes? If he is afraid of making a mistake or just not seeing the open guys, then I don't want him as my QB.

Sorry we DO have a QB problem and an OL and OC problem as well. Our receivers and backs are too good to be wasted on this pathetic offense.

The o-line is maybe a problem but I am not sure that this is a major problem right now with how the QB and OC are awful!

[DesertSteel]

Because one thing is true (OC problem) doesn't mean that the other thing (QB problem) isn't true also.

[polamalubeast]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE_3vO5VCpk

[Edman]

By hinging everything in Canada implies that it means Mitch is a pro bowl player doing something right and is just being held back by the offense. But since day one, Trubisky has been outplayed by Pickett and Rudolph in a "competition" that never really was one. Everything has been set up for Trubisky to succeed. Taking reps with the ones, being handed the starting job and even a Captain position. His Offensive Line, while not great, is giving him time (more than enough). He has playmakers. But he's still the same lackluster quarterback he was in Chicago.

We're running out of excuses for the guy. Sooner or later bait needs to be cut and acknowledge that he is just not a good quarterback and end the experiment before the season falls to shit. Thursday will just give us more confirmation.

[DuckHodges]

The only, and I repeat, ONLY reason mitch has the job now is because he was a 2nd overall pick. He got the job based off pedigree not merit

[steelreserve]

We're running out of excuses for the guy. Sooner or later bait needs to be cut and acknowledge that he is just not a good quarterback and end the experiment before the season falls to shit. Thursday will just give us more confirmation.

My gut feeling is that Tomlin will never admit this was a mistake until it's too late. Since Pickett is the R-word, that's a get out of jail free card for questionable decisions. It was an ultra-conservative move to start Trubisky, probably to cover his own ass, but many people will accept the R-word as an excuse. As soon as you put the R-word in the game, you're a half-cocked gambler and open to all criticism.

I think the only way Pickett gets in a game before we're 2-6 is if there's an injury. That's why I'm rooting for progressively larger objects to get stuck in Trubisky's ass so he has to come out of the game. Last week it was the first down marker. This week it's the football. Next week it'll be a helmet. The next week it'll be the first down marker sideways. The next week, the team bus. And so on.

[polamalubeast]

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[DuckHodges]

1572289139109949440

Agree 100%. The coaching staff is treating this dude like he's Ben Roethlisberger or Aaron Rodgers. And although we're 1-1 he had 2 losing efforts as far as I'm concerned, so this isn't "panicking after one game". The Bengals were a long snapper away from coming out with a W. Some people would rather fix a problem BEFORE it results in multiple losses.

[86WARD]

Also, can’t they both be bad? I see little evidence that either one is any good outside of that one year they can point to in college.

They are both bad. It’s been proven many times over a two week period.

[86WARD]

Jesus H Christ, everyone doubling down on MT. Haven’t you seen enough? KP is the future, let’s make him the present. How long do you want to stick with this guy. Ridiculous.

I’ll stick with Trubisky until Canada is gone. Promote Mike Sullivan and promote Pickett. Done.

[polamalubeast]

They are both bad. It’s been proven many times over a two week period.

Yeah,some think we judge Canada or Mitch after only 1 or 2 games,but this is not the case.This is the 5th year as starter for Mitch and he has done nothing for most of the time.Matt Canada had a historic bad offense in 3 quarter of the time last year and this year,this is even worst since the fourth quarter offense is also terrible with Ben gone....

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[pczach]

There are videos on YouTube breaking down how MT is either being told, afraid to, or flat out just not seeing guys wide open for huge gains. If Canada is telling him to not throw deep then why even run those routes? If he is afraid of making a mistake or just not seeing the open guys, then I don't want him as my QB.

Sorry we DO have a QB problem and an OL and OC problem as well. Our receivers and backs are too good to be wasted on this pathetic offense.


The sad part is that when coaches overemphasize not making mistakes, they often create the fear in their quarterbacks. Coaches can ruin the processing a quarterback makes on the field. As a QB, you are trained to learn the offense. You memorize all the formations and route progressions. The progressions are based on the reads of the defense after any adjustments are called at the line. In other words, the security is already built in with all the presnap reads, and you follow the progressions in order based on what you see and who is open.

When a QB is drilled over and over to be careful, or what not to do or where to go with the ball...it's like adding internet security to a computer with a different set of parameters....except the QB's mind is the computer and it gets bogged down and confused. It slows everything down and CREATES doubt. It can be debilitating to a quarterback and is almost always counterproductive.

Obviously, everyone is affected differently, but I believe Trubisky is paralyzed by what they are asking of him, and the parts of the playbook they are taking away from him.

Much of this is still on the QB. A quarterback needs the self confidence to execute what is asked of him, but coaches need to put players in a position to succeed. The should be tailoring the offense to the strengths of the QB that is playing. It appears that they are not.

Either tailor the offense to the starting QB, or put a QB in the game that can perform under the parameters set forth.

[Dwinsgames]

By hinging everything in Canada implies that it means Mitch is a pro bowl player doing something right and is just being held back by the offense. But since day one, Trubisky has been outplayed by Pickett and Rudolph in a "competition" that never really was one. Everything has been set up for Trubisky to succeed. Taking reps with the ones, being handed the starting job and even a Captain position. His Offensive Line, while not great, is giving him time (more than enough). He has playmakers. But he's still the same lackluster quarterback he was in Chicago.

We're running out of excuses for the guy. Sooner or later bait needs to be cut and acknowledge that he is just not a good quarterback and end the experiment before the season falls to shit. Thursday will just give us more confirmation.

the bold is unequivocally wrong ... Pickett was around 50% completion percentage at the beginning of camp and the worst QB in camp early on .... Mason was the best QB in the early going ( and he should have been he was the only one to know the offense ) but that changed once all 3 knew the offense and Mason steadily declined as the others rose ... by all accounts Mitch was the best QB in camp from the midway point on ....

this is the problem people spews stuff that have no idea about and then others read it and think it is so and run with it ....

Alex has every practice charted might I suggest reading it so as to not spew false information like the evening news

[Rotorhead]

We don't even know if Canada is entirely terrible. In the last 2 seasons I saw QB's that were unable to execute. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a NFL level QB to connect on 10-20 yard passes with decent accuracy. We didn't have that last year and we definitely don't have it this year. What we DO know is our QB sucks. One thing at a time, replace that. If Canada's offense still can't get it done, maybe then he needs to go.

One thing for sure is you can't coach your way out of shitty players. Give Ken Whisenhunt Mark Sanchez and I bet that offense will still be trash.

Your kidding, right? Did you watch last season? 3 quarters of this crap, then 1 quarter of moving the ball in the no huddle and scoring 90% of our total points last season. It is pretty clear the Canada is entirely terrible.

[86WARD]

Canada is terrible. There’s no question about it...

If you aren’t sure that Canada is bad, then you can’t be sure Trubisky is bad...lol. The logic works both ways...

[Lloydwoodsonjr]

Getting KP experience to make the most of his rookie contract window is the only thing that ever made sense. Most other teams would have just started the 1st overall QB selection over the journeyman. Pickett gives the Steelers the best chance to win immediately and, much more importantly, in the near future.

[DuckHodges]

Getting KP experience to make the most of his rookie contract window is the only thing that ever made sense. Most other teams would have just started the 1st overall QB selection over the journeyman. Pickett gives the Steelers the best chance to win immediately and, much more importantly, in the near future.

I agree. Make him sit if you have a pro bowl QB or aging HoFer, but Mitch is a 1st round bust journeyman, but for whatever reason the coaching staff is giving him the Roethlisberger treatment

[Lloydwoodsonjr]

Your kidding, right? Did you watch last season? 3 quarters of this crap, then 1 quarter of moving the ball in the no huddle and scoring 90% of our total points last season. It is pretty clear the Canada is entirely terrible.

Yep. Steelers were dead last in 1st quarter scoring last year with Ben but 2nd best in 4th quarter scoring. Hmm...

I am nothing close to a Ben homer and I said last year the main problem was not Ben even though he had declined. Fichtner's offense put up 26 ppg with post-injury Ben the year before he was let go. I'd take that right now.

[hawaiiansteeler]

https://i.redd.it/y99zfefglup91.jpg