With healthy Big Ben leading potent offense, Steelers' Brown won't rule out 2,000-yard season

[stillers4me]

Antonio Brown danced, because Antonio Brown likes to dance, especially after scoring touchdowns.


And he did that a couple of times, including a pair after beating rookie first-rounder Artie Burns — during his first day at Steelers' organized team activities Thursday — hours after finishing his commitment to “Dancing with the Stars.”


It took only two plays for Brown to make it known that the football needs to be, and should be, thrown in his direction. It took only two plays for Brown to make that known again.


To get where Brown wants to be, there are going to have to be a lot of footballs thrown in his direction this season............

Read more @ http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...own-yards-2000

[fansince'76]

He needs to stop talking smack!

[ALLD]

He needs to think about winning a SB and the yards will take care of themselves.

[fansince'76]

He needs to think about winning a SB and the yards will take care of themselves.

Once again, it's the media (as usual) bringing the subject up and AB simply responding to it:

Even though Brown downplayed 2,000 yards as a possibility, it is on his mind. (I guess Kaboly is a mind reader)

“I don't know,” Brown said. “That is a lot of yards. We will see.” (Yep, certainly sounds like stat padding is all AB cares about and the only thing on his mind is a 2K-yard season)

...And getting 2,000 yards? Brown wouldn't expand on the subject any more than he did, but his teammates believe he can.

Just another case of a writer justifying his job at a time when there's absolutely nothing else to write about.

AB wasn't here in 2008 and I'm sure he remembers the sting of falling short in 2010. I don't think there's any need to worry about what his real motivation is.

[polamalubeast]

2000 yards is very likely for Brown if Ben is healthy for the entire season.

[LloydWoodson]

I hope he doesn't get 2000 yards. I hope the Steelers get up by the half and have Bell and Deangelo run out the clock in the 2nd game after game.

I know... Tomlin likes to "keep the pressure on" meaning our blood pressure as the team allows some scrubs to claw back into games after being down.

[polamalubeast]

I hope he doesn't get 2000 yards. I hope the Steelers get up by the half and have Bell and Deangelo run out the clock in the 2nd game after game.

I know... Tomlin likes to "keep the pressure on" meaning our blood pressure as the team allows some scrubs to claw back into games after being down.

The worst thing to do when you have the lead is to be too conservative.Do you remember the game against the Browns in 2014 in week one?

The thing I liked the most of the 2015 season is that Tomlin stopped to give importance to the time of possession, because if you want the offense to play their big potential, the Steelers have to be aggressive.

[Psycho Ward 86]

The worst thing to do when you have the lead is to be too conservative.Do you remember the game against the Browns in 2014 in week one?

The thing I liked the most of the 2015 season is that Tomlin stopped to give importance to the time of possession, because if you want the offense to play their big potential, the Steelers have to be aggressive.

he did this plenty in 2014 as well. it helped us put the colts and ravens (2nd game) away when we went for it on 4th and short instead of opting for a long field goal with Suisham kicking. As i recall, both attempts resulted in TD's on days where Ben threw for 6 TD's apiece

[polamalubeast]

Yes, but in the first 6 games of 2014 the steelers have been too conservative.Same thing for the game against the Jets where Roethlisberger started the game 9/11 for 24 yards!!!!

I mean, the dink and dunk offense is not the strength of Roethlisberger, fortunately I have not seen it in 2015.

[LloydWoodson]

The OL is a helluva lot better now than it was 32 games ago. With Pouncey and DeCastro healthy together running lanes shouldn't be a problem.

Pittsburgh was 13th in passes as a percentage of offensive plays (62%) in 2015. The only playoff team with a higher percentage was NE at #2 with 65%.

Of the 7 teams that ran the most often 6 made the playoffs.

It's ironic to have to explain to Steelers fans that run + defense = championships (unless you are the Pats then Brady + cheating = championships)

I'm not saying run on 1st, 2nd and 3rd punt on 4th but I would like to see a little more smashmouth to close games.

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Calvin Johnson's 2,000 yard season came in a 5-11 or 6-10 year I think where the Lions set the record for most passes in a season. Stafford threw 700+ times!

Just saying I'd rather win games.

[polamalubeast]

The Steelers not have a great defense, so you can not be conservative.

Roethlisberger completed 68% of his passes last year, so pass the ball is not a bad option even when you have the lead.I'm not saying to ignore the run game, but when you have the lead, you can not ignore the passing game.

You said only the Patriots made the playoffs with more Attempts pass the steelers, but this stats mean nothing.I mean between 2008 to 2011,3 teams have made the Super Bowl by being 32th for the running game!

And Antonio Brown has to be productive if the Steelers want to win.The Steelers were 8-2 last year when he had at least 100 yards.

[hawaiiansteeler]

He needs to stop talking smack!

what AB really said is that he only cares about his own stats and not about the team, next thing you know there will be more new contract demands...

Bill Belicheat would never allow this kind of smack talking

[LloydWoodson]

"The Steelers were 8-2 when AB had 100 yards receiving."

Yeah OK. That means Ben was playing. I get it. Vick broke AB's string of games with 5 catches etc.

Who were the teams that made it to the Super Bowl while being dead last in rushing? The Pats and GB were 2 right? Maybe the Saints?

The Pats are one of the few teams that have a good record when their QB throws 40+ times. Rodgers actually does play similarly to Ben but the other 2 throw a TON of the dink and dunk passes that Ben hates. The short passing game in place of a running game is not Ben's strongest suit.

Whatever. Lots of people keep talking about how great throwing is. Can't argue with the results right?

[polamalubeast]

"The Steelers were 8-2 when AB had 100 yards receiving."

Yeah OK. That means Ben was playing. I get it. Vick broke AB's string of games with 5 catches etc.

Who were the teams that made it to the Super Bowl while being dead last in rushing? The Pats and GB were 2 right? Maybe the Saints?

The Pats are one of the few teams that have a good record when their QB throws 40+ times. Rodgers actually does play similarly to Ben but the other 2 throw a TON of the dink and dunk passes that Ben hates. The short passing game in place of a running game is not Ben's strongest suit.

Whatever. Lots of people keep talking about how great throwing is. Can't argue with the results right?

2008 Cardinals,2009 Colts and the 2011 Giants.

The pass/run ratio for the steelers is just fine....Not too high,not too low.

[tube517]

what AB really said is that he only cares about his own stats and not about the team, next thing you know there will be more new contract demands...

Bill Belicheat would never allow this kind of smack talking

AB is a secret investment banker who believes that Al Capone's vault still had some hidden items that Geraldo hid off camera.

[LloydWoodson]

2008 Cardinals,2009 Colts and the 2011 Giants.

The pass/run ratio for the steelers is just fine....Not too high,not too low.

Well I'm sold. Roethlisberger's record of 12-30 when attempting 40+ throws is a coincidence.

The Steelers would be a top 5 defense if they didn't have to play the 4th quarter. In points allowed per quarter Steelers were 1st in the 3rd, 4th in the 2nd, 10th in the 1st... and 28th in the 4th quarter including allowing 10 ppg in the final 3 games against terrible QBs.

The Steelers gave up 8.8 ppg in the 4th and scored 8.4 ppg. 4th quarters are entirely too exciting in Pittsburgh. It is like Tomlin is trying to put his stamp on the team by winning in a way that was antithetical to Cowher ball. The 4th quarter is the only quarter where the Steelers were outscored by opponents.

[pczach]

It's just as it always has been. If you are able to pass the ball effectively and run the ball effectively, you are able to control the game and the clock.

Balance in an offensive attack accomplishes everything desired. How many times did those great Cowboy teams with Aikman, Smith, and Irvin start pounding the ball late in games to kill clock, then go play action and burn the defense over the top to seal games? When you can do both, that is always better than being one-dimensional. It also gives offenses the ability to win in more than one way.

If you told me right now that Ben will throw for 4400 yards, 38 touchdowns, 10 Interceptions....and the rushing attack was top 5 in the league....I would feel pretty confident that they would be playing for a Lombardi Trophy with just a reasonable, middle of the pack defense that can get to the quarterback and produce turnovers.

[polamalubeast]

Roethlisberger's record of 12-30 when attempting 40+ throws is a coincidence.

This stats mean nothing.When you're behind you are forced to pass the ball every times.

Just looking at the game against the Browns in 2014 at the week 6.I think Roethlisberger had only attempts 5 or 8 pass before the Browns leads 21-3 and Roethlisberger finished the game with 42 pass attempts.

For the points allowed in the 4th quarter, the Lack of depth at the D-line has hurt the Steelers.Just looking at the last drive of our last game in Denver.....

[LloydWoodson]

Exactly. Aikman makes my point for me 100%. Aikman was a game manager and a good one. He averaged 28 pass attempts per game on his career while winning 3 Super Bowls handing off to Emmitt.

Roethlisberger averaged 24 attempts per game in his first 2 seasons going to an AFC Championship and winning a Super Bowl.

In 2015 Roethlisberger as a vastly superior QB to his rookie self averaged 42 attempts per game and squeaked out a miracle Wild Card win over a Bengals team that hasn't won a playoff game in 25 years, was starting a backup QB with very little experience and still would not have won without the Hill fumble with 2 minutes left and bonehead penalties giving up 30 yards.

Still though. Nice to get a playoff win. The last win before that was the AFC Championship in 2011.

Shout out to Fitzpatrick and his 42 passer rating in Week 17 for even allowing the Steelers in the playoffs in the first place. It was like watching the Chiefs lose to the Chargers to determine our fate all over again.

Just squeaking by boys. Got the powerhouse O and a HOF QB and just squeaking in there to steal Wild Card wins.

I'm going to get attacked but facts are facts.

[polamalubeast]

It's just as it always has been. If you are able to pass the ball effectively and run the ball effectively, you are able to control the game and the clock.

Balance in an offensive attack accomplishes everything desired. How many times did those great Cowboy teams with Aikman, Smith, and Irvin start pounding the ball late in games to kill clock, then go play action and burn the defense over the top to seal games? When you can do both, that is always better than being one-dimensional. It also gives offenses the ability to win in more than one way.

If you told me right now that Ben will throw for 4400 yards, 38 touchdowns, 10 Interceptions....and the rushing attack was top 5 in the league....I would feel pretty confident that they would be playing for a Lombardi Trophy with just a reasonable, middle of the pack defense that can get to the quarterback and produce turnovers.

The offense is very balanced for the steelers.

The problem I have with playing the time of possession is that the game remains close for too long especially against bad teams.Just looking at the game against Tampa Bay in 2014.35 minute time of possession for the steelers, but unfortunately the game was close for too long and the steelers lost 27-24.


Last year in Week 2 against the 49ers, every drive TD lasted less than 4 minutes and the steelers have won 43-18.

[polamalubeast]

Exactly. Aikman makes my point for me 100%. Aikman was a game manager and a good one. He averaged 28 pass attempts per game on his career while winning 3 Super Bowls handing off to Emmitt.

Roethlisberger averaged 24 attempts per game in his first 2 seasons going to an AFC Championship and winning a Super Bowl.

In 2015 Roethlisberger as a vastly superior QB to his rookie self averaged 42 attempts per game and squeaked out a miracle Wild Card win over a Bengals team that hasn't won a playoff game in 25 years, was starting a backup QB with very little experience and still would not have won without the Hill fumble with 2 minutes left and bonehead penalties giving up 30 yards.

Still though. Nice to get a playoff win. The last win before that was the AFC Championship in 2011.

Shout out to Fitzpatrick and his 42 passer rating in Week 17 for even allowing the Steelers in the playoffs in the first place. It was like watching the Chiefs lose to the Chargers to determine our fate all over again.

Just squeaking by boys. Got the powerhouse O and a HOF QB and just squeaking in there to steal Wild Card wins.

I'm going to get attacked but facts are facts.

The steelers would won more easily if Ben would not get hurt against the Bengals....You can play for possession of the time when you have a great defense, but sorry but the defense is not the same as in 2004 and 2005.


Last year the Steelers finished at 10-6, even if Bell has missed 10 games,4 games for Ben and all season for Pouncey.And also the Steelers had the toughest schedule in the NFL.

[hawaiiansteeler]

AB is a secret investment banker who believes that Al Capone's vault still had some hidden items that Geraldo hid off camera.

[LloydWoodson]

The Steelers defense being weaker now is true and all the more reason to control the ball and play conservative. The Seahawks look good in part because they were on the field for fewer snaps than any other D.

The Steelers D had 1,055 snaps while the O had 1,011. Now part of that is the poor secondary and high 3rd down conversion rates surrendered. But the fact is that hiding the D's flaws is not a part of the Steelers current philosophy.

The Steelers played conservatively in Ben's absence and were good enough to go 2-2 as well as close out the Rams game. With Ben making the crucial throws in those games in place of Vick the Steelers go 3-1 at least.

Roethlisberger is one of the best big play QBs in the NFL. He doesn't need 40 throws a game to make something happen. Ben is the best when throwing off play action (which rarely ever happens now). Ben now pump fakes and looks off the safeties and the Steelers often run with marginal effectiveness from the shotgun. It is a total change in philosophy and one that Ben likes.

I think it has been Ben vs the coaching staff since 2006. He complains less now because he is more mature but also because he got what he wanted. He is putting us great fantasy stats. I don't expect anything to change philosophically for the Steelers even though it could.

I 100% get abandoning the run when your offensive line is as bad as it was from 2007-2012. Not much point in running for 2-3 ypc when the D knows you are trying to run out the clock. With Munchak and hopefully a healthy Pouncey, Decastro and co. that is very different and running is once again a viable option.

Don't worry. You are right and I am wrong. Ben will continue to throw 40 times per game, it will be a big question mark whether the Steelers make the playoffs, the Steelers may or may not win a Wild Card over an inferior opponent... the standard is the standard and the Steelers coaching staff which knows a helluva lot more about football than I do agrees with pass first.

I admit that I am wrong. I don't have the credentials to be right. It's not a big deal. Also I am probably outnumbered 5:1 against my opinion.

Still... I am surprised that expectations aren't higher for a team with a HOF QB and what has been an elite defense up until recently. The Colts with Manning dominated a much easier division while the Patriots with Brady have dominated a comparatively tough division as have the Packers with Rodgers and the Seahawks with Wilson.

[polamalubeast]

30-35 pass per game is perfect for me.40-50 pass is also correct if the opponent is very strong against the run like the seahawks and the broncos.

During the regular season the Steelers attempted more than 50 pass against the seahawks and the Broncos(both team great against the run) and they scored over 30 points in each of his two games.

You must enjoy the first six weeks of the season in 2014 when the steelers were very conservative on offense.....

[pczach]

The offense is very balanced for the steelers.

The problem I have with playing the time of possession is that the game remains close for too long especially against bad teams.Just looking at the game against Tampa Bay in 2014.35 minute time of possession for the steelers, but unfortunately the game was close for too long and the steelers lost 27-24.


Last year in Week 2 against the 49ers, every drive TD lasted less than 4 minutes and the steelers have won 43-18.

My point is that you don't have to do one or the other.

You can control the clock, and score lots of points....while also keeping your defense fresh. They have been much better at possessing the ball the last few years. If Bell is healthy and his old self for the entire season with a strong dose of DeAngelo Williams, they will be a better offense and team in general. When your quarterback doesn't need to throw the ball 40 times, it means you are controlling the game and makes you a more versatile offensive team.

We know Ben is great. We know AB is great. We know Bell is great when healthy. If the offensive line does its job, and they don't go pass happy too much, they will also help the defense.

Not all this passing has been on Tomlin. Injuries to Bell and offensive lineman that have trouble run blocking have forced his hand a bit. They stayed with what they did best with the people they had. If the injuries stay reasonable this year, they could do what they've probably wanted to do the last couple years....Be very balanced and explosive.

I think it has been the plan all along. Not Ben throwing for 5000 yards and AB catching 2000 yards. If they both happen again, that's fine, but only if the running game is also dominant. That would mean an avalanche of points, time of possession, and wins.

[LloydWoodson]

Umm the Steelers were 3-3 after Week 6 in 2014. Ben attempted 37, 40 and 42 passes in those games. God damn how much more passing do you want?! Haha. In the wins Ben attempted 30, 34 and 36 passes.

Who won the Seahawks game again? I forget. Did the Steelers being down 3 scores in the 1st half affect their play selection vs the Broncos? Not having Bell?

Not to mention the Broncos countered the Steelers with a pass happy offense of their own. Osweiler was garbage in the 2nd half finishing 21/44. So yeah I guess you can beat a team that is executing the same stupid philosophy.

And the Seahawks were a much better team before Wilson got the big money and they felt they had to rationalize that by having him throw 40 times a game as well. 48 passes in the loss to the Panthers.

[LloydWoodson]

My point is that you don't have to do one or the other.

You can control the clock, and score lots of points....while also keeping your defense fresh. They have been much better at possessing the ball the last few years. If Bell is healthy and his old self for the entire season with a strong dose of DeAngelo Williams, they will be a better offense and team in general. When your quarterback doesn't need to throw the ball 40 times, it means you are controlling the game and makes you a more versatile offensive team.

We know Ben is great. We know AB is great. We know Bell is great when healthy. If the offensive line does its job, and they don't go pass happy too much, they will also help the defense.

Not all this passing has been on Tomlin. Injuries to Bell and offensive lineman that have trouble run blocking have forced his hand a bit. They stayed with what they did best with the people they had. If the injuries stay reasonable this year, they could do what they've probably wanted to do the last couple years....Be very balanced and explosive.

I think it has been the plan all along. Not Ben throwing for 5000 yards and AB catching 2000 yards. If they both happen again, that's fine, but only if the running game is also dominant. That would mean an avalanche of points, time of possession, and wins.

I agree with that. It's kind of a "Greatest Show on Turf" deal where as long as Bell is getting touches like Faulk got touches it counts towards a running game. Ben has shown that he can throw 50 times and beat a good team but that doesn't mean he should or that it is the best chance of winning.

Passes to Bell are great but he didn't account for Ben's attempts last year and Deangelo is not the same option.

It's a moot point. Tomlin has the offense he has been pushing for since 2008. He wants to air it out. It shall be done.

"With the 22nd pick of the 2017 NFL Draft the Steelers select..."

[polamalubeast]

Umm the Steelers were 3-3 after Week 6 in 2014. Ben attempted 37, 40 and 42 passes in those games. God damn how much more passing do you want?! Haha. In the wins Ben attempted 30, 34 and 36 passes.

Who won the Seahawks game again? I forget. Did the Steelers being down 3 scores in the 1st half affect their play selection vs the Broncos? Not having Bell?

Not to mention the Broncos countered the Steelers with a pass happy offense of their own. Osweiler was garbage in the 2nd half finishing 21/44. So yeah I guess you can beat a team that is executing the same stupid philosophy.

And the Seahawks were a much better team before Wilson got the big money and they felt they had to rationalize that by having him throw 40 times a game as well. 48 passes in the loss to the Panthers.

It was not the number of passes the problem,it was the dink and dunk the problem.Not to mention the game against the Browns where Ben had only attempted 5-8 pass until the browns had the lead 21-3.

The Steelers have not lost against the seahawks because of their offense...It was because the Steelers were horrible in 3rd down on defense.For the game against the Broncos, the Broncos and their awful offense had scored 4 TD in 4 drives in the first half ....

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I agree with that. It's kind of a "Greatest Show on Turf" deal where as long as Bell is getting touches like Faulk got touches it counts towards a running game. Ben has shown that he can throw 50 times and beat a good team but that doesn't mean he should or that it is the best chance of winning.

Passes to Bell are great but he didn't account for Ben's attempts last year and Deangelo is not the same option.

It's a moot point. Tomlin has the offense he has been pushing for since 2008. He wants to air it out. It shall be done.

"With the 22nd pick of the 2017 NFL Draft the Steelers select..."

I want the Steelers have the same philosophy as the greatest show on turf.Use Bell like Marshall Faulk and be aggressive with the passing game.

[LloydWoodson]

Did the Seahawks scoring 21 points off INTs resulting in 24, 37 and 39 yard TD drives have an effect on the games outcome?

We just see it differently. Like I said you are right.

We agree the secondary is bad so it is a predictable outcome when they have to defend a short field against an elite QB.

[polamalubeast]

Did the Seahawks scoring 21 points off INTs resulting in 24, 37 and 39 yard TD drives have an effect on the games outcome?

We just see it differently. Like I said you are right.

We agree the secondary is bad so it is a predictable outcome when they have to defend a short field against an elite QB.

One of his interceptions were on a fake FG.Wilson finished the game with 21 / 30,349 yards, 5 TD and a QB rating of 149.The seahawks were 7/13 on 3rd down and many were when they were on a 3rd down and long.


But you're right, 30 points and 2 turnovers on the road against the seahawks defense is bad, especially than Wilson had never won a game when his team gave at least 27 points before this game.


Seriously, wake up, the Steelers are an offensive team now and they must try to win with their offense and not with their defense and the time of possession.Fortunately the Steelers have begun to figured this after the defeat against the browns in week 6 when they started the game with 20 run in 25 plays or something like that and the Steelers were in a 21-3 hole because of that.

Since that game, the Steelers are 18-8, before the steelers were 19-19 with the dink and dunk by Todd Haley since 2012.