Gene Collier: Steelers need Todd Haley to take a hike

Getting a nice jump on ghoul season, the Browns piped in part of the original score from “Halloween” every time the alleged Steelers offense faced a third-down situation Sunday, making No. 7 in white the focal point of a Creepshow no one will soon forget.
But don’t blame Ben Roethlisberger exclusively for this football spectacle from some funhouse mirror, for Ben was merely the werewolf in this epic, and if you thought you saw a werewolf with Todd Haley’s Chinese menu of a playlist in his hand, that’s because it was real.
Ah-ooooooo!

Let’s go first to the direct testimony regarding Browns 31, Steelers 10, then we’ll come back for the closing arguments on why the Steelers won’t make anything that can be described as real progress again in this league until someone else is the offensive coordinator.

“I don’t know,” said Roethlisberger when asked if he thought his team’s offensive strategy is correct. “We can all look at the film. Coaches will look at it. We tried to run it in the red zone and when we got down there we just couldn’t quite get it all the way in. We’ll look at it and figure out what the execution, figure out what it is.”

The Steelers wanted to run Sunday, except on third-and-short, when they wanted to throw deep passes to inexperienced wideouts along the sideline. Also, they considered third-and-10 a good situation to hand the ball to Le’Veon Bell, running wide for a yard, maybe 2..............

Read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/g...s/201410120260

And take Tomlin, Colbert, and Al Davis LeBeau along with him

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Originally Posted by st33lersguy

And take Tomlin, Colbert, and Al Davis LeBeau along with him

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Exactly. We're not in need of small adjustments but a massive overhaul of the coaching staff. The current Steelers are a bad team and an insult to the city of Pittsburgh, to the fans and to the legacy of the franchise. This joke of a team has been going downhill for 3 years now, with no sign of improvement whatsoever. It's time to get rid of these 4 guys, and rebuild.

Haley should be fired today. The Ravens fired their OC in season in 2012 and ended up in the Super Bowl. Not saying our results would approach that, but really how can it get any worse? Haley doesn't know how to set defenses up. Doesn't know how to exploit their weaknesses. He sees everything in the rear-view window, not the windshield. A perfect example, against the Jaguars in the red zone he goes exclusively pass. So you knew, and I knew, and most importantly the Browns knew this week when the Steelers got in the red zone they would go exclusively run. Let's not mix it up, be unpredictable, throw in runs and passes, maybe even set up play action, which by the way accounts for one of their few red zone touchdowns this year, when they hit David Palmer for a one yard score off play action. And oh by the way, didn't you love that wide pitch on third and a short yard on our first series of the game? You know don't take advantage of your strength and run it behind Pouncey and DeCastro. :doh:

Anyway bottom line, the status quo isn't working.While it may not be evident to everyone, I can see some subtle improvements in the defense. But this defense's success is interlocked with the offenses production, or in this case lack thereof. Example, the defense played a brilliant first quarter. But then had the life sucked out of them by a poor special teams play. But even then, after getting scorched in the 2nd quarter, they came back and made stops and even forced a turnover in the 3rd quarter. The game was still within reach. But the offense, the offense that has an supposed elite qb, and without question a top five back, and a top five wr. The offense that has one of the best interior lines and a quality tight end. The offense has to set the tempo for the game. Score points and make the other team reactive and predictable. I truly think the talent is there. But it wont be evident until the idiot calling the plays and making the game plan is removed.

Most of us think Tomlin was forced into hiring Haley. Or at least many of us. If true it's time for Tomlin to be a man and fire Haley's ass, and tell the Rooney's fire me if you don't like it. But this is a change that can't be put off. The possibility still exists that this season can be salvaged. But it wont be if they don't have the guts to fire Haley.