Column: Steelers striving to see red Sunday night

[Lady Steel]

A striking December sun splashed across the Steelers’ South Side fields Friday afternoon, and the din, somehow, was almost a mano a mano match for it. The adjacent rail line rattled and rumbled with the passing CSX freight train. The construction workers atop a still-skeletal office complex being built across those tracks hacked and pounded, whirred and clattered. And because all of that apparently wasn’t enough to envision how Heinz Field might erupt Sunday night, the young student the team employs to pump recorded crowd noise into practices was blaring four megaphone-sized speakers at 110 decibels squarely in the direction of the athletes.

“Red zone!”

That was Ramon Foster. Still can’t believe I could hear him from 50 yards away.

“Red zone now! Red! Red! RED!”

The big man’s got quite the big voice, suffice it to say, and it only got bigger as the Steelers’ first-team offense strode closer to the goal line. At this point, the ball had just touched the 20.

“Red zone! Red! Red!” came more calls from around the field, then even more after a Le’Veon Bell sprint up the middle pushed them a few yards closer.

And finally, when Ben Roethlisberger rifled the ball to Antonio Brown on a slick slant pattern, it became a crescendo. Even Mike Tomlin piped up.

Gee, wonder why …



http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2014...trive-see-red/

[86WARD]

Obviously, if these guys want to go deep into the playoffs, they're red zone efficiency needs to greatly improve. They aren't gonna win anything settling for FGs against the Patriots or Broncos or Seahawks for that matter...

[one side only]

Ben's red zone completion percentage ranks 29th at 41%. My recommendation is more run / pass options with Ben rolling out. Also more use of multiple wide receiver formations. Bryant's presence would present a threat that must be respected by the Bengals. Also, 3 and 4 wide sets would reduce the amount of double coverage on AB.

[GBMelBlount]

Ben's red zone completion percentage ranks 29th at 41%.

Ben needs another quality tight end.

Let's try that 6' 9" 330 lb Vanderschnitzel guy.

[polamalubeast]

The red Zone offense still need to improve, but the Steelers has been better in the red zone since Week 7 with the exception of the game against the jets ....

[HollywoodSteel]

Ben needs another quality tight end.

Let's try that 6' 9" 330 lb Vanderschnitzel guy.

But if he only has a 6" vertical leap then all of our receivers can get higher than him.

The problem so far with Bryant is that, while he's been good at outrunning his opponent on the deep route, he hasn't used his height to great advantage yet. That's why he hasn't been the "tall" red-zone target that we need... so far. I'm really hoping he works on that part of his game. I'd love for him to be the kind of guy that is going to go up and get the jump ball every time. That's the point of getting a tall receiver. Otherwise he's just fast.

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The red Zone offense still need to improve, but the Steelers has been better in the red zone since Week 7 with the exception of the game against the jets ....

Last week started off the same way. March down the field just to get field goals. The same thing would have happened our third time in the red zone as well if we hadn't gotten that penalty to give us three more shots at it. And it was a very borderline penalty.

[GBMelBlount]

The problem so far with Bryant is that, while he's been good at outrunning his opponent on the deep route, he hasn't used his height to great advantage yet.

That's why he hasn't been the "tall" red-zone target that we need... so far.

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I think Ben may need more work too.

Has Ben EVER been good in the red zone?

[polamalubeast]

I think Ben may need more work too.

Has Ben EVER been good in the red zone?

Maybe in 2007,when the steelers was 4th in red zone

[GBMelBlount]

Maybe in 2007,when the steelers was 4th in red zone

2007 we had:

Receivers: Ward, Holmes, Washington & Wilson

Backfield: Willie Parker & Dookie

Line: Willie Colon, Trai Essex, Alan Faneca, Chris Kemoeatu, Sean Mahan, Marvel Smith, Max Starks