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View Full Version : Bench Mendenhall now!



zulater
09-25-2011, 08:53 PM
The reason we're given this game away is because of Bruce Arians's insistence to force feed Rashard Mendenhall the ball! I know the blocking isn't good, but Mendenall isn't helping it any either. Anyway unless we can mount some form of running game we're dead in the water not only tonight, but for the season as a whole. Redman gets more yards after contact and is seeing the holes better,get him in the game and use his ass, before it's too damn late Bruce!

steelerdude15
09-25-2011, 08:54 PM
Lets not go after players with a pitchfork yet.

zulater
09-25-2011, 08:55 PM
Lets not go after players with a pitchfork yet.

3 games in and Mendenhall has about 6 good carries, in how many attempts?

GBMelBlount
09-25-2011, 08:56 PM
It all starts with the O line....

SteelerFanInStl
09-25-2011, 08:58 PM
It all starts with the O line....

Exactly. The run blocking sucks. The backs are getting hit at the line or in the backfield.

steelerdude15
09-25-2011, 08:59 PM
Your right, he hasn't done much, but you can't go after him like that. What are you going to do if he runs for over one hundred yards in the second half, what are you going to say then?

zulater
09-25-2011, 08:59 PM
Mendy has 40 carries for 120 yards, and 1 td for the season now. 3 yards a carry.

Redman 13 carries 61 yards, 1 td, 4.7 yard per carry.

Tell me how can giving Ike a chance hurt any thing at this point?

Nadroj 20
09-25-2011, 08:59 PM
While I'm not ready to bench him I definitley see your point zu. He is tip toeing WAY to much. The line isn't helping matters either so that is why I'm not ready to write Mendy off right now. But he certainly seems timid and needs to run downhill more then he has been so far.

I do like the idea of handing it to Redman more too. At least more then ZERO!

zulater
09-25-2011, 09:00 PM
Your right, he hasn't done much, but you can't go after him like that. What are you going to do if he runs for over one hundred yards in the second half, what are you going to say then?


Thanks for doing your job. Finally!

7willBheaven
09-25-2011, 09:01 PM
La de da....

tube517
09-25-2011, 09:01 PM
Eh, this OL is weak. Kemo has been nagged by injury. Legursky is a backup. Gilbert is a rookie, Pouncey is the only real OL out there.

Oh, Jonathan Scott sucks donkey balls.


But, Redman should be brought in once in a while.

steelerdude15
09-25-2011, 09:02 PM
Thanks for doing your job. Finally!

:chuckle: That's actually a good one. We just need to be more patient.

zulater
09-25-2011, 09:04 PM
Eh, this OL is weak. Kemo has been nagged by injury. Legursky is a backup. Gilbert is a rookie, Pouncey is the only real OL out there.

Oh, Jonathan Scott sucks donkey balls.


But, Redman should be brought in once in a while.

Bench Kemo too, we were better last week with foster there.

Nadroj 20
09-25-2011, 09:15 PM
Finally got a hole and actually EXPLODED threw it, almost lost it though. But anyway much better for both line and mendy there

BlastFurnace
09-25-2011, 09:20 PM
It's not Mendenhall's fault. The offensive line sucks. Period.

Nadroj 20
09-25-2011, 09:23 PM
So nobody else thinks he dances around a bit too much instead of putting his nose down and moving north and south? That would at least get us something positive...

fansince'76
09-25-2011, 09:24 PM
It's not Mendenhall's fault. The offensive line sucks. Period.

This. The only back who could maybe do anything behind this mess is Barry Sanders circa 1993.

zulater
09-25-2011, 09:25 PM
1st and 10, Colts 24, Mendenhall should have taken the ball to the hole where a lone safety waited, instead he spins out and loses a yard. Instead of 2nd and 7 or 8, 2nd and 11. He stinks, one run doesn't change 3 games of worthlessness.

Craic
09-25-2011, 09:28 PM
This. The only back who could maybe do anything behind this mess is Barry Sanders circa 1993.

I don't know FS, if you take away Sanders's long rungs. . . .

tube517
09-25-2011, 09:29 PM
I"ll agree he dances too much. He needs to learn to run without (over) thinking.


Jonathan Scott still sucks.

BlastFurnace
09-25-2011, 09:30 PM
1st and 10, Colts 24, Mendenhall should have taken the ball to the hole where a lone safety waited, instead he spins out and loses a yard. Instead of 2nd and 7 or 8, 2nd and 11. He stinks, one run doesn't change 3 games of worthlessness.

Please tell me one o'lineman on this team, other than Pouncey, that could start for any other team in the league.

Nadroj 20
09-25-2011, 09:31 PM
I"ll agree he dances too much. He needs to learn to run without (over) thinking.


Jonathan Scott still sucks.

Thats basically all I'm saying. no doubt this line needs work BIG TIME...but I do think a small amount can be put on mendy...very small but it exists

zulater
09-25-2011, 10:41 PM
Anyone else notice how much better we looked with Mendy on the bench that last series? I know it's a different situation, but if you couldn't see Moore ran with better vision and determination on his few carries than 34 did at any point this game than you're just not paying attention.

steelerdiva
09-25-2011, 10:46 PM
So nobody else thinks he dances around a bit too much instead of putting his nose down and moving north and south? That would at least get us something positive...

Yes, I agree with you that Mendy does dance around too much. If the O-line does manage to open up a hole for him, he should hit it and go.

And since our O-line does not seem able to open up any holes at the moment, I think it's time Arians uses Redman more. At least he is a bruiser who is not afraid to create a hole if there isn't one.

JayC
09-25-2011, 11:02 PM
gotta put most of the blame on the line. but i wish we used our 1st round pick on a lineman or something that year we toook mendy. you can find good backs without using 1st round picks. look at fred jackson, issac redman, willie parker, any many others not even drafted at all. i just hope we don't take a RB in the 1st round ever again unless hes the next walter payton

Godfather
09-25-2011, 11:03 PM
Anyone else notice how much better we looked with Mendy on the bench that last series? I know it's a different situation, but if you couldn't see Moore ran with better vision and determination on his few carries than 34 did at any point this game than you're just not paying attention.

Yep. MeMo had to play a much worse hand. With Gilbert playing injured, he was basically running behind a four-man line. And the Colts knew exactly what was coming because of the field position and the clock...and he still did better than Mendy.

But I can't be too critical of Mendy. We only know one side of the story.

O'Malley
09-25-2011, 11:07 PM
So nobody else thinks he dances around a bit too much instead of putting his nose down and moving north and south? That would at least get us something positive...
^this^ plus there were holes to run through all game long. He did not hit the hole, he did his best dancing with the stars impression the whole game. If you look at the tape the cut back was there all day.

shutdown
09-25-2011, 11:08 PM
The running game was doomed the second Bruce Airhead defended Legursky. Though I love T-Rex's effort and all, just like I like Hokie, he is no starter and he is no run blocker. The running game was doomed the second he got the nod yet again.

Arrogance will always be the Achilles heel of Bruce Airhead.

steel9guy
09-25-2011, 11:09 PM
Not Mendenhall's fault. Oline injuries are just killing us worse than ever in everything.

shutdown
09-25-2011, 11:13 PM
Scotts injury is a blessing. Believe that.

pepsyman1
09-25-2011, 11:13 PM
So nobody else thinks he dances around a bit too much instead of putting his nose down and moving north and south? That would at least get us something positive...

I agree with you. I thought he looked better in the preseason because he seemed to being doing the same thing a lot last year. He seems to be looking for hole to accelerate toward instead of just going and reacting. I think that's why we all like Redman so much. When he gets the ball he just puts the peddle down and says try to stop me. Mendi is rarely getting up to speed.

BigNastyDefense
09-25-2011, 11:25 PM
A big problem is the fact that the offensive line cannot block their way out of a wet paper bag.

Steeldude
09-25-2011, 11:31 PM
while the O-line is mostly to blame you can't say mendenhall is without it. he pussy foots around too much.

zulater
09-26-2011, 04:34 AM
The running game continued to sputter, only this time it happened in the first half when Rashard Mendenhall had almost as many runs for zero or minus yards (4) as he did positive yards (5). He had only 11 yards on nine carries in the first half and finished with 37 yards on 18 carries, horrible totals against one of the worst rush defenses in the league. Thank goodness for Mewelde Moore on the final drive.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11269/1177716-66.stm#ixzz1Z389UYrN

Austin87
09-26-2011, 05:23 AM
I think Redman deserves more carries, but I don't think Mendy should be benched. The O-line isn't doing Mendy any favours out there.

BTW Zulater, its Isaac Redman not Ike Redman.

Burghfan58
09-26-2011, 06:47 AM
I know the O-line blows but Tomlin saw the same thing we saw because Moore and Redman finished the game. Spindenhall deserved the benching last night. Maybe the benching will help him figure out that the dancing and spinning isn't getting it done.

86WARD
09-26-2011, 06:51 AM
I'm not the biggest fan of Mendenhall...never have been...but until this team addresses the issues at OLine, there isn't a back in the league with the exception of
Maybe 2 that could be productive here.

stillers4me
09-26-2011, 07:17 AM
I think Redman deserves more carries, but I don't think Mendy should be benched. The O-line isn't doing Mendy any favours out there.

BTW Zulater, its Isaac Redman not Ike Redman.

I do believe he goes by Ike.

HometownGal
09-26-2011, 07:32 AM
It all starts with the O line....

I agree but in watching Mendy over the past few weeks, he seems to stutter step when he gets to the line instead of pushing through like Redman does. Franco Harris did that late in his career with the Steelers and it used to drive me freakin' insane!!

stillers4me
09-26-2011, 07:46 AM
I agree but in watching Mendy over the past few weeks, he seems to stutter step when he gets to the line instead of pushing through like Redman does. Franco Harris did that late in his career with the Steelers and it used to drive me freakin' insane!!

Rashard Spindenhall.

Carolina Steelers
09-26-2011, 08:24 AM
I agree I wish he would hit the hole faster then he does sometimes, but i would not bench him yet like everyone else as also said the o-line needs to be addressed.

GodfatherofSoul
09-26-2011, 09:40 AM
I don't blame Mendy for the lack of production since our line was terrible today, but Mendy almost coughed up another fumble. He's lucky he fell on the ball this time.

stillers4me
09-26-2011, 09:42 AM
Redman and MeMo managed to get some yardage with the same oline.

Just sayin'.

Godfather
09-26-2011, 10:18 AM
Ratard Spinandfall.

FIFY

HometownGal
09-26-2011, 10:38 AM
Redman and MeMo managed to get some yardage with the same oline.

Just sayin'.

I think Mendy may not have complete confidence in his line opening up those holes. Can't say I blame the guy.

SteelerFanInStl
09-26-2011, 10:40 AM
I think Mendy may not have complete confidence in his line opening up those holes. Can't say I blame the guy.

Agree. He seems a bit gun shy. No matter what though, Redman should be getting more carries than he got last night.

Borski
09-26-2011, 11:41 AM
Give Redman a shot at starting. At least he knows how to go north and south and doesnt get scared and start dancing around before first contact. Mendy is pathetic.

shutdown
09-26-2011, 12:17 PM
While I agree Mendy appeared to be dancing around a bit to much, and at one point saw him miss a nice hole to try and bounce it outside. Here are some interesting comments from Dale Lolley who was on the sidelines that game:


I don't blame Scott. He is what he is, an NFL journeyman.

I blame the people who drew up a game plan that included Scott and rookie Marcus Gilbert blocking Freeney and Robert Mathis one-on-one throughout a game in Indianapolis.

Speaking of the game plan, I was told that the Steelers had a completely different run package in place for this game and then, for some reason, changed it at the last minute to include all those stretch plays and such that didn't work Sunday night.

Looking at how the Colts were set up, with Freeney and Mathis split wide outside of the tackles, wouldn't it have made more sense to run straight ahead?

That's what the Steelers did more of in the second half, when they gained 57 yards on 18 attempts. Don't know why they didn't stick with the original game plan.

Devilsdancefloor
09-26-2011, 12:26 PM
Being at the game last night was a eye opening experience to say the least as bad as the oline is mendy had holes to run thru, but decided to hop, dance in the hole he was running high and not putting his shoulder down at all. i was so hoping to see anyone else for a while Redman Memo. like i said in another thread a night BA could have went all pass crazy and we would have been up by a comfy lead he wants to run??

whodat1
09-26-2011, 12:32 PM
I started noticing this last year. 1st down is always a Mendenhall run for 0-2 yards. They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Oh, and Scott pulls vacuum.

O'Malley
09-26-2011, 12:37 PM
Being at the game last night was a eye opening experience to say the least as bad as the oline is mendy had holes to run thru, but decided to hop, dance in the hole he was running high and not putting his shoulder down at all. i was so hoping to see anyone else for a while Redman Memo. like i said in another thread a night BA could have went all pass crazy and we would have been up by a comfy lead he wants to run??

This is what I saw watching the game as well. There were holes to run and Rashard was tap dancing and running in to people the whole game... He is said to have great vision but he never saw the cut back and the push that Pouncey was getting...

steelreserve
09-26-2011, 01:44 PM
This. The only back who could maybe do anything behind this mess is Barry Sanders circa 1993.

Sanders is also the only back who ever got anywhere with all the dancing, so I wish our backs wouldn't do it so much.

I totally agree that there's not much Mendenhall could do, with the way the blocking was last night. He was not going to have a great game, and neither would Bettis, etc., etc. But I do think that when things are going that way, it's better to just concentrate on falling forward, keeping your legs moving, that kind of thing. That's not going to get you a 125-yard game, but it'll at least get you an extra yard here and there so it's second-and-7 instead of third-and-10 all the time. Not pretty or glamorous, but probably gives you a better chance of keeping the ball moving.

That's what I like about Redman in the limited action he's seen, and that's also why he's a pretty good short-yardage back. He goes straight ahead and takes advantage of the fact that he's a stocky guy who's hard to bring down. Mendenhall has done a pretty good job of that too in the past, except this season he's done it less and danced more. I'm not calling for him to be benched or anything; just wish he would break that bad habit, because I've seen him be a lot better. Also, as pathetic as last night was, I am still thankful that it wasn't Parker - then it would've been 19 yards on 22 carries.

Count Steeler
09-26-2011, 04:18 PM
Play Redman. At one point I figured he was hurt last night, because he was not being utilized. Mendy did not have it last night and he almost coughed up the ball a couple of times. Bench his sorry ass until he understands again. Worked in his second year.

Steeldude
09-26-2011, 05:06 PM
i remember getting bashed more than a few times when i brought up mendenhall's spinning, pussy-footing and shyness from contact. now everyone is noticing...lol. he seems to be spinning less and doesn't avoid contact as much as he once did. the pussy-footing still exists. my point was when we drafted him that he might not be a good fit here since he came out of a spread offense. i am never high on using 1st round picks on RBs unless they are something out of this world like sanders, campbell etc...

perhaps take the money they spend on 1st round RBs and WRs and push it into getting some talent along the O-line or maybe get another CB.

Psycho Ward 86
09-26-2011, 05:16 PM
this performance by the offensive line doesnt merit a benching on Mendenhall's account. they both averaged 2 YPC, Ben got sacked 3 times, and stripped twice, and god knows how many pressures/hurries he faced.

suitanim
09-27-2011, 05:18 AM
Redman wasn't effective either.

The only back that was was Memo, and that was when they were spread out and in obvious passing downs.

zulater
09-27-2011, 06:15 AM
Redman wasn't effective either.

The only back that was was Memo, and that was when they were spread out and in obvious passing downs.

Once the Steelers crossed midfield they went back to their normal offense, the last 3 runs ( 2 by Moore, one by Redman, and all effective) all came in a basic set against a defense that had to be prepared to defend against the possibility of either the run or pass.

Rewatch those 3 runs, in each case the runner didn't go down on first contact, and got more yards after being initially hit.

I understand it's easier to run out of a spread, but it really wasn't the case here.

Also as far as Redman and his overall game contributions. He never got two carries in the same series, so it's hard to quantify what he may or may not have done had he been given a chance to establish some sort of rhythm. One thing, on his 3 carries he at least didn't have any negative plays.

I understand that Mendenhall is our feature back. I'm not asking for him to be traded or released. But sometimes a temporary benching sends a clear message to a player and gets them a little more focused. And with a back, benching isn't tantamount to not playing, it just means you're splitting up the carries a little bit differently for the time being.

What frustrates me most is that the week before against Seattle they made a point to involve Redman in the game plan, and it worked out quite well. so why would you vary off that plan and go exclusively with one back for this game?

GBMelBlount
09-27-2011, 06:45 AM
suitanim

Redman wasn't effective either.

The only back that was was Memo, and that was when they were spread out and in' obvious passing downs.

BINGO. I pointed that out to my wife at LEAST a dozen times in the first two games... ("EMPHATICALLY" :chuckle:)

They have failed to do this in goal line situations too and have been simply embarrassed.

suitanim
09-27-2011, 06:55 AM
Well, to be fair, they DID run a draw in an obvious passing situation, too, which was also fairly obvious. And it didn't work.

My point about Redman was that the holes looked to be about as small for him as they were for Mendy, and both backs usually gained about two yards.

El-Gonzo Jackson
09-27-2011, 07:48 AM
While I agree Mendy appeared to be dancing around a bit to much, and at one point saw him miss a nice hole to try and bounce it outside. Here are some interesting comments from Dale Lolley who was on the sidelines that game:So players were executing a game plan that might have not been the best? Run sideline to sideline on a quick defense instead of right at them with a lead blocker? Revolutionary thinking!

zulater
09-27-2011, 12:34 PM
Regardless of who's to blame if the Steelers can't run better on first and 10 this will be a long season.

Spike
09-27-2011, 01:24 PM
Mendy is not a 'run it up the gut' kind of back so if the steelers keep calling those runs he won't go anywhere- - he gets his yards bouncing everything to the outside