Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
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By Alan Robinson
Published: Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, 10:27 p.m.
The offseason officially arrived only hours before, yet Ben Roethlisberger already was eager to talk about the 2014 season with offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
The topic: the no-huddle offense.
The idea: to begin next season with the no-huddle as the Steelers' base offense.
“We got to the point (of the season) where it was like, ‘OK, this is where we're at our best,' ” Roethlisberger said.
Looking at the numbers, he's right.
The Steelers began using the no-huddle far more frequently beginning with the Bills' game Nov. 10, which coincidentally began the second half of the season. The idea was to take elite pass rusher Mario Williams out of the game, and it worked; he didn't have a sack or even get close to Roethlisberger.
It probably worked even better than Roethlisberger, Haley and quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner figured it would.
“We've been tweaking things, changing things, adding things and taking things out,” Roethlisberger said. “I think it's come a long way. I think it's evolved for the better.”
Not only did the Steelers go 6-2 in the second half after starting 0-4 and 2-6, they scored 67 more points in the second half than they did in the first half (223-156).
Those 223 points were sixth in the NFL.
Roethlisberger didn't throw for as many yards in the second half (1,872) as he did in the first (2,145), but that's a byproduct of having the lead more often and not needing to throw as much, plus an upgraded running game.
The biggest statistical turnaround: Roethlisberger was sacked only 11 times after the no-huddle became the offense of choice, compared to a whopping 32 times in the first half. He also threw only five interceptions in the second half of the season, compared to nine in Games 1-8.
“(The) production has gone up, and I think that the mistakes have really come down,” said Roethlisberger, who calls the plays in the no-huddle. “I think the guys really enjoy (running the no-huddle). I'm sure if you ask the receivers, they like it. Le'Veon (Bell) likes it, mixing in the run and the pass so it's not so pass-heavy.”
All this with an offensive line that was changing personnel almost weekly because of injuries, including those to centers Maurkice Pouncey and Fernando Velasco. One major upgrade was Kelvin Beachum, a guard-sized lineman settling in and stabilizing the line at left tackle.
All but 26 of Roethlisberger's passing attempts out of the no-huddle came during the final nine games. Overall, he was 102 of 163 for 1,221 yards and 10 touchdowns in the no-huddle.
It also helped when Bell became comfortable with the pace and speed of the NFL and the necessity of making cuts and reads much faster than in college football.
With Bell finishing strong (214 yards in his final two games) the Steelers ran for 205 more yards in the second half of the season than they did in the first half.
The only time in the past 23 years the running game has picked up at such a pace during the second half was 2006, when the Steelers ran for 254 yards more in the second half of the season than they did in the first.
“We started off slow (on offense), but we continued to get better and better as the season went on,” Bell said. “If we'd gotten a chance next week, we were going to try to get better for next week.”
They won't have that chance, but they will have 2014. And it's why Roethlisberger already is eager for it to arrive.
Alan Robinson is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at arobinson@tribweb.com or via Twitter @arobinson_Trib.
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Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
Quote:
They won't have that chance, but they will have 2014. And it's why Roethlisberger already is eager for it to arrive.
So am I, Ben.
Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
this might be the first time in decades that the offense finally carries this team. If, they finally play to their potential
Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
Especially if the trend continues
Quote:
Not only did the Steelers go 6-2 in the second half after starting 0-4 and 2-6, they scored 67 more points in the second half than they did in the first half (223-156).
Those 223 points were sixth in the NFL.
Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
They could of saved time coming to this revelation if they had read this forum for the last 2 years.
Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
Quote:
Originally Posted by
steeldawg
They could of saved time coming to this revelation if they had read this forum for the last 2 years.
Absolutely.
I think sometimes coaches are too caught up in the minutiae and can't see the forest for the trees.
Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GBMelBlount
Absolutely.
I think sometimes coaches are too caught up in the minutiae and can't see the forest for the trees.
I think what it really comes down to is the time of possession theory, the idea that if we can be long and methodical on offense while scoring we will limit the opportunities and field position of the opponent. Now there is merit to that theory but it does require near perfection from your offense.
Re: Strong finish has Roethlisberger enthused about no-huddle offense
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GBMelBlount
Absolutely.
I think sometimes coaches are too caught up in the minutiae and can't see the forest for the trees.
Arians and Haley had different reasons for not using the no-huddle as often. Arians had all the trust in the world in Ben, but he didn't trust the young WRs and the ever-changing o-line to run it as often as he should have. With Haley, it was all about "reigning Ben in," and going no-huddle would've gone against that (we all know how that turned out :chuckle:).
Quote:
I think what it really comes down to is the time of possession theory, the idea that if we can be long and methodical on offense while scoring we will limit the opportunities and field position of the opponent. Now there is merit to that theory but it does require near perfection from your offense.
The problem with the Steelers is that at times they looked like they were too enamored with time of possession. Remember the 2012 opener in Denver? The Steelers kept trying to grind out long drives and really took away their own scoring opportunities whereas the Broncos went up-tempo and tried to score points.
And you talk about near perfection from the offense.... you also need near perfection from the defense too. If you're offense holds the ball for a very long time and you're defense gives up a score in two minutes, then really that time of possession advantage is working against you. Sure there are times in a game you need to manage the clock (I think that escapes Tomlin at times), but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to win the time of possession battle for the game.
As the Steelers won't have a dominant defense next year, they'll need some points on offense. Trying to turn every single offensive possession into a long, 10 minute drive will only work against them.
