Bradshaw: Roethlisberger gives team hope

[vader29]

PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger appears to be getting further and further away from his goal of winning five Super Bowls. But the quarterback he is chasing in Pittsburgh Steelers lore said Roethlisberger is the biggest reason why the team will not necessarily be down for long despite losing 11 of its last 15 games dating back to last season.

Bradshaw is among those who believe if you have a quarterback, you have a chance in the NFL.

"Absolutely," said Bradshaw, who led the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s and is now an NFL studio analyst for FOX Sports, "and [the Steelers] have the quarterback so you're good. Everybody wants to have Roethlisberger, [Tom] Brady, [Peyton] Manning, [Drew] Brees."

Read more: http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/pos...ives-team-hope

[NJarhead]

He's not saying anything "I" don't already know. And he'll probably will be dismissed by those who are convinced otherwise.

[steeldawg]

I agree 100% with Bradshaw, you don't throw away a franchise qb.

[Shoes]

And the head coach shouldn't let him be pounded with 2 minutes left in a game you can't win.

[steel striker]

I have always thought with Ben we atleast have a chance to win.

[Edman]

He is merely mediocre when the team around him is bad.

It's not like you can replace him either. Like him or not, he's the best the Steelers have right now, even if it isn't all that good.

[NJarhead]

He is merely mediocre when the team around him is bad.
It's not like you can replace him either. Like him or not, he's the best the Steelers have right now, even if it isn't all that good.

RAPTURE!

[steeldawg]

He is merely mediocre when the team around him is bad.

It's not like you can replace him either. Like him or not, he's the best the Steelers have right now, even if it isn't all that good.

Except he has been better than mediocre, Most Qb categories he is ranking in the top 10. The only categories he has been bad in is turnovers but when your o-line cant stop a pass rush and receivers have trouble getting open that's understandable. That type of standard for a qb is crazy, basically what your saying is if you cant make us win despite the team we put around you then you are the problem.

[zulater]

He is merely mediocre when the team around him is bad.

It's not like you can replace him either. Like him or not, he's the best the Steelers have right now, even if it isn't all that good.

He actually played exceptional well in 3 out of the last 4 games.

- - - Updated - - -

And the head coach shouldn't let him be pounded with 2 minutes left in a game you can't win.

True dat!

[bayz101]

Except he has been better than mediocre, Most Qb categories he is ranking in the top 10. The only categories he has been bad in is turnovers but when your o-line cant stop a pass rush and receivers have trouble getting open that's understandable. That type of standard for a qb is crazy, basically what your saying is if you cant make us win despite the team we put around you then you are the problem.

No point in arguing with him. He hates Ben with a passion and has trolled the subject for a long, long time.

[Count Steeler]

Perhaps the biggest issue in front of this team is the cap issue. If the cap doesn't get raised by a significant amount, the Steelers will have some tough choices to make. I am a proponent of clearing ourselves of the dead money and starting fresh. I don't think that fits with Ben and his time line left with the team. So, for the good of Ben and the good of the Steelers, a trade for draft picks would be the best route for the Steelers.

We stink this year, and next year is going to get even worse, cap wise, and we are going to have to bite the bullet. There is just too much dead money on our payroll.

[steeldawg]

Perhaps the biggest issue in front of this team is the cap issue. If the cap doesn't get raised by a significant amount, the Steelers will have some tough choices to make. I am a proponent of clearing ourselves of the dead money and starting fresh. I don't think that fits with Ben and his time line left with the team. So, for the good of Ben and the good of the Steelers, a trade for draft picks would be the best route for the Steelers.

We stink this year, and next year is going to get even worse, cap wise, and we are going to have to bite the bullet. There is just too much dead money on our payroll.

This is the problem, you would need a high first round pick for ben, so you would need to convince a team to give up a pick they where going to use on drafting a young cheap franchise qb, to take our older very expensive franchise qb. If teams are not drafting a qb early in the draft chances are they wont be in the running for a ben trade.

[Count Steeler]

This is the problem, you would need a high first round pick for ben, so you would need to convince a team to give up a pick they where going to use on drafting a young cheap franchise qb, to take our older very expensive franchise qb. If teams are not drafting a qb early in the draft chances are they wont be in the running for a ben trade.

All you have to do is ask. You never know what other teams would consider. But if you don't ask, it will never happen.

I just don't see how the Steelers become winners again without making some tough personnel moves. We tried to keep the window open to win another SB, now it is closed. Time to open the window on the next generation and unfortunately, we have a mountain of a cap issue to be dealt with first. I really don't see Ben playing for more than 5 or 6 years. We MAY get back in contention in year 4 or 5. We MAY be at mediocrity and rising in 3 years. If Ben is willing to ride it out, he can stay, but playing on this team for the next 1.5 - 2 years is going to be a hard pill to swallow.

[zulater]

Ben Roethlisberger loves using the no-huddle offense, and that was apparent against the Patriots. The Steelers used the no-huddle almost exclusively over the final nine drives with great success. Roethlisberger, who calls the plays in the no-huddle from about 75 percent of the playbook, led the Steelers to all of their 31 points when he called the plays. Roethlisberger ran 33 plays out of the no-huddle and went 16 of 27 for 217 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Roethlisberger also called four run plays that resulted in 43 yards. The final stat line: 260 yards and two touchdowns on 33 plays when Roethlisberger called the plays; 219 yards and two touchdowns on 40 plays when offensive coordinator Todd Haley called the plays.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#ixzz2jqUSdmnW
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Fire Haley!

[zulater]

You can easily say that Charlie Batch was responsible for the last important Steelers’ victory.

Batch went into Baltimore the first week of December last year and beat the Ravens to push the Steelers record to 7-5. Since then, the Steelers are 3-9 with wins over Cleveland last year when they were already eliminated for the playoffs and back-to-back victories over the Jets and Ravens after a 0-4 start this year.

Batch is out of football now, but is quickly making a name for himself as an up-and-coming NFL analyst and color commentator for high school football on both television and radio.

I caught up with Batch on Monday during my radio show on TribLive (you can listen to the entire show/interview here “The Mark Kaboly Show” and he had plenty to say and especially about Todd Haley and Ben Roethlisberger when it comes to running the no huddle offense.

Part of my film session article in today’s Trib was dedicated to the amount of time and the success Roethlisberger had with the no huddle offense in the 55-31 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

Roethlisberger used the no huddle over the final nine series to great success.

Roethlisberger ran 33 plays out of the no huddle and went 16 of 27 for 217 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. Roethlisberger also called four running plays that resulted in 43 yards. All 31 of the Steelers points were scored during drives that the no huddle was used

So the final stat line was: 260 yards and two touchdowns on 33 plays when Roethlisberger called the plays and 219 yards and two touchdowns on 40 plays when Haley called the plays.

With so much success, it makes you wonder why Roethlisberger doesn’t call the plays more.

Batch had a theory.

“If Ben is calling the plays and the plays are working, what is this position of the offensive coordinator?” Batch said. “He isn’t going to get any credit for it because he didn’t call those plays. There is always going to be a clash at the top of who is going to call the plays and when things are working you would love to be the offensive coordinator saying that I called every single play and we went for over 500 yards so my offense is working. I don’t think the rift between Todd and Ben is totally gone.”

Batch said that the playbook is virtually wide open when Roethlisberger goes to the no huddle.

“He would probably have at least 75 percent of the plays … and you can take the whole package and do what you want to do with it,” Batch said. “Ben is capable of flipping formations so that gives you more plays to call. That is something he is comfortable with and I know for a fact that he is comfortable with it. Todd sometimes holds him back because Todd doesn't necessarily want to change the pace of the game at that point.”

http://blog.triblive.com/steel-mill/...one-thinks-so/

[steeldawg]

All you have to do is ask. You never know what other teams would consider. But if you don't ask, it will never happen.

I just don't see how the Steelers become winners again without making some tough personnel moves. We tried to keep the window open to win another SB, now it is closed. Time to open the window on the next generation and unfortunately, we have a mountain of a cap issue to be dealt with first. I really don't see Ben playing for more than 5 or 6 years. We MAY get back in contention in year 4 or 5. We MAY be at mediocrity and rising in 3 years. If Ben is willing to ride it out, he can stay, but playing on this team for the next 1.5 - 2 years is going to be a hard pill to swallow.

I just don't see why a team would make the trade, when they can just draft a young qb for a fraction of the price. Honestly I think trading away ben would do more harm than good as he is the back bone of this team.

[fansince'76]

I just don't see how the Steelers become winners again without making some tough personnel moves. We tried to keep the window open to win another SB, now it is closed. Time to open the window on the next generation and unfortunately, we have a mountain of a cap issue to be dealt with first.

If that's the metric, then Troy needs to go before Ben. If anybody's play has declined to the point of being nowhere near worth what they're getting paid, it's Troy's. Sure, he's still running all over the place, but now he's missing tackles and he's getting burnt badly in pass coverage. A lot of Troy's game has always been predicated on instinct and guesswork, but his instincts are failing him and he's guessing wrong much more often than right anymore. And Woodley's contract is killing us as well - he's another one whose paycheck far exceeds their contribution to the team.

[NJarhead]

I just don't see why a team would make the trade, when they can just draft a young qb for a fraction of the price. Honestly I think trading away ben would do more harm than good as he is the back bone of this team.

I agree.

If that's the metric, then Troy needs to go before Ben. If anybody's play has declined to the point of being nowhere near worth what they're getting paid, it's Troy's. Sure, he's still running all over the place, but now he's missing tackles and he's getting burnt badly in pass coverage. A lot of Troy's game has always been predicated on instinct and guesswork, but his instincts are failing him and he's guessing wrong much more often than right anymore. And Woodley's contract is killing us as well - he's another one whose paycheck far exceeds their contribution to the team.

I kind of agree. I'm not convinced Troy's on the decline (well, not to the point where he can't be an effective starter). I think both he and Clark are trying to do too much. I'd also like to see him play deep in an Ed Reed role more often. Though, he does tend to gamble and lose lately. Call it a more traditional role I guess.

[zulater]

I just don't see why a team would make the trade, when they can just draft a young qb for a fraction of the price. Honestly I think trading away ben would do more harm than good as he is the back bone of this team.

If you're going to trade Ben the place it makes the most sense to do so is Texas. Put him on that team and you can make a legitimate run at the Super bowl. A rookie wont do that for them.

[NJarhead]

If you're going to trade Ben the place it makes the most sense to do so is Texas. Put him on that team and you can make a legitimate run at the Super bowl. A rookie wont do that for them.

Texans, Oakland (I know, I know, but I think they're going to be the next Chiefs-like success story), Bears (Cutler may not return) and Eagles.

[Edman]

He actually played exceptional well in 3 out of the last 4 games.

If the last three weeks is what you call "exceptional". I'd hate to see what "bad" is.

I'm tired of the Ben arguments. It's like talking to a wall.

[zulater]

If the last three weeks is what you call "exceptional". I'd hate to see what "bad" is.

I'm tired of the Ben arguments. It's like talking to a wall.

It's because your mind is walled off to the possibility that Ben isn't the problem.

[NJarhead]

If the last three weeks is what you call "exceptional". I'd hate to see what "bad" is.

I'm tired of the Ben arguments. It's like talking to a wall.

Ya don't say

[fansince'76]

I'd also like to see him play deep in an Ed Reed role more often. Though, he does tend to gamble and lose lately. Call it a more traditional role I guess.

Good point, and I agree. His skills have eroded to the point that I don't think he can do all the freelancing "Superman" stuff we're used to seeing anymore.

[steeldawg]

If you're going to trade Ben the place it makes the most sense to do so is Texas. Put him on that team and you can make a legitimate run at the Super bowl. A rookie wont do that for them.

Texans like Keenum, and I think they are going to be looking to rebuild their receiving corp, I don't see them giving up high draft picks and a ton if money to get Ben.

[zulater]

Texans like Keenum, and I think they are going to be looking to rebuild their receiving corp, I don't see them giving up high draft picks and a ton if money to get Ben.

You're probably right. But if it becomes known that Ben is on the market and they want to actually have a chance to win a Super bowl as opposed to competing for a playoff spot, then they would be wise to try to make the deal.

[steeldawg]

If that's the metric, then Troy needs to go before Ben. If anybody's play has declined to the point of being nowhere near worth what they're getting paid, it's Troy's. Sure, he's still running all over the place, but now he's missing tackles and he's getting burnt badly in pass coverage. A lot of Troy's game has always been predicated on instinct and guesswork, but his instincts are failing him and he's guessing wrong much more often than right anymore. And Woodley's contract is killing us as well - he's another one whose paycheck far exceeds their contribution to the team.

I agree on Troy I said we should of tried to unload him last year, but again teams aren't willing to pay his price because his skills aren't where they used to be, so we are stuck.