Playoffs???

[Born2Steel]

I get it, I do. The offense has not looked very awesome lately and the team is on a 2 game losing streak. HOWEVER, the Steelers have returned to the PLAYOFFS!!!!

Maybe we go one and done. Maybe we win a wildcard game only. Maybe we make the AFCC game and get blown out. Maybe we win the whole damn thing. I don't know how this season ends but I do know we now have all the possibilities ahead of us.

Some of you have cried all season even through the 11 straight wins. For me that has all become white noise at this point. I'm going to celebrate the Steelers' return to the playoffs, where they belong btw. This team is capable of doing great things.

Here We Go!!!!!!!!!

[Shoes]

I hope they can pull it together. I'm wondering if Ben's elbow has been injured again because his throws look very much like the pre-op days and his long balls look like punts. Maybe get Dobbs in the lineup to run some wildcat stuff, I mean he has more speed than Ben, Mason and the running backs combined.

[Born2Steel]

I hope they can pull it together. I'm wondering if Ben's elbow has been injured again because his throws look very much like the pre-op days and his long balls look like punts. Maybe get Dobbs in the lineup to run some wildcat stuff, I mean he has more speed than Ben, Mason and the running backs combined.

Let's just say you're right about the elbow...The OL is also a unit of walking wounded. I don't think making them block for a 'running' QB with below average accuracy in the short to intermediate routes is going to help move the ball. As much smack as I have talked about Rudolph he would be a much better choice, IMO. The OL cannot hold the pass rush long enough to get deep so the dink and dunk is the default plan. Mason can run that.

Ben hits guys in the hands probably 90% of his throws. Granted it's within 10 yards but the plan is and has been to get the ball to playmakers quickly and let them make plays with the ball. The playmakers have been dropping passes in their hands is the problem. Not really a QB issue and not really an OL issue. Drops create down and distance with a need to go deep and passes deep get rushed, thrown from off-balance, or both, so they are going to be inaccurate. Focus is the problem. Mental mistakes are the problem. Rest can help with that.

[Shoes]

Let's just say you're right about the elbow...The OL is also a unit of walking wounded. I don't think making them block for a 'running' QB with below average accuracy in the short to intermediate routes is going to help move the ball. As much smack as I have talked about Rudolph he would be a much better choice, IMO. The OL cannot hold the pass rush long enough to get deep so the dink and dunk is the default plan. Mason can run that.

Ben hits guys in the hands probably 90% of his throws. Granted it's within 10 yards but the plan is and has been to get the ball to playmakers quickly and let them make plays with the ball. The playmakers have been dropping passes in their hands is the problem. Not really a QB issue and not really an OL issue. Drops create down and distance with a need to go deep and passes deep get rushed, thrown from off-balance, or both, so they are going to be inaccurate. Focus is the problem. Mental mistakes are the problem. Rest can help with that.

All Im saying is something needs injected into the O because every NFL D knows what Ben is going to do.

[86WARD]

I hope they can pull it together. I'm wondering if Ben's elbow has been injured again because his throws look very much like the pre-op days and his long balls look like punts. Maybe get Dobbs in the lineup to run some wildcat stuff, I mean he has more speed than Ben, Mason and the running backs combined.

Thought on his arm possibly just being fatigued? He hasn’t had a full season of football in a long time. Didn’t really have a bye week. Maybe it’s a case of “rookie fatigue”?

As for the blocking, I’m not convinced that the pass blocking is good. Are they hood or is Ben throwing the ball at 2.2 seconds making them look good??

[that1guy]

The majority of us are happy to see the Steelers back in the playoffs but the offense doesn't have what it takes to be competitive and that means a painful loss in their first game. The Browns are hot right now and are behind the Steelers only 1 game with a head to head coming up, I see the Browns winning the North and the Steelers losing in the wildcard round

[Born2Steel]

All Im saying is something needs injected into the O because every NFL D knows what Ben is going to do.

Yep. I'm just of the mind that catching the passes would be that injection.

It's not always a 'fix'. Sometimes stellar seasons get derailed by injury. Sometimes that injury creates a superstar player of the backup. It's a crazy freaky game with lots of moving parts. Goal #1 every single season is to make the playoffs. Once in the playoffs anything can happen. I believe this Steelers team is good enough at every position that anything really can happen.

[Shoes]

Thought on his arm possibly just being fatigued? He hasn’t had a full season of football in a long time. Didn’t really have a bye week. Maybe it’s a case of “rookie fatigue”?

As for the blocking, I’m not convinced that the pass blocking is good. Are they hood or is Ben throwing the ball at 2.2 seconds making them look good??

I hope it's fatigue because they look like they are playing preseason games in December.

[Born2Steel]

The majority of us are happy to see the Steelers back in the playoffs but the offense doesn't have what it takes to be competitive and that means a painful loss in their first game. The Browns are hot right now and are behind the Steelers only 1 game with a head to head coming up, I see the Browns winning the North and the Steelers losing in the wildcard round

Wah!

[teegre]

Normally, I’d be like... “We’ll go 3-0 and then 4-0!!!”

I do not care about the regular season. Period.

0-3... wild card... I do not care. All that I care about is a) getting healthy for the playoffs, and b) figuring out how to “fix” the offense. Because, in the playoffs, we’ll go 4-0 and win #7.

[Born2Steel]

Normally, I’d be like... “We’ll go 3-0 and then 4-0!!!”

I do not care about the regular season. Period.

0-3... wild card... I do not care. All that I care about is a) getting healthy for the playoffs, and b) figuring out how to “fix” the offense. Because, in the playoffs, we’ll go 4-0 and win #7.

Exactly. This is a very good team.

[Fire Goodell]

Normally, I’d be like... “We’ll go 3-0 and then 4-0!!!”

I do not care about the regular season. Period.

0-3... wild card... I do not care. All that I care about is a) getting healthy for the playoffs, and b) figuring out how to “fix” the offense. Because, in the playoffs, we’ll go 4-0 and win #7.

I’d usually say at least take the division and get a guaranteed home game, but home field advantage isn’t as big of a deal this season

[DesertSteel]

- - - Updated - - -

My regular season goal is that they win the AFCN -- from there, who knows??

[Born2Steel]

That was the inspiration for the thread title, yes. Great presser. I thought about maybe 'Diddly Poo' but went with the playoffs one.

[Steeler-in-west]

Good thread! Get Haden, VW and Spillane back for the playoffs, on offense get the line healthy as can be. I don’t know about Ben, maybe work with Matt Canada on ways to move the ball, better protection is one thing, maybe that will afford Ben to buy more time to pass further downfield. I know Ben can’t move around as well anymore but if he has confidence in the line maybe things will open up. They have the receivers.

I’m a little worried about the team since the two losses and mainly about our QB but if we get healthy and come up with good ideas on offense maybe we finish strong in the regular season and go on a deep run like many here expected when we were still undefeated.

[steel striker]

Look if the Ben & offense don't get things together it will be one and done! Maybe Ben is hurt who knows and, I agree things don't look good right now. There is time to fix this. Let's see what happens.

[Born2Steel]

Good thread! Get Haden, VW and Spillane back for the playoffs, on offense get the line healthy as can be. I don’t know about Ben, maybe work with Matt Canada on ways to move the ball, better protection is one thing, maybe that will afford Ben to buy more time to pass further downfield. I know Ben can’t move around as well anymore but if he has confidence in the line maybe things will open up. They have the receivers.

I’m a little worried about the team since the two losses and mainly about our QB but if we get healthy and come up with good ideas on offense maybe we finish strong in the regular season and go on a deep run like many here expected when we were still undefeated.

That's right. There are more reasons to be optimistic than not.

[dislocatedday]

I'm usually optimistic, but honestly I am feeling very pessimistic about the team right now for many reasons (offensive futility and defensive injuries being paramount concerns).

I'm glad some of you are feeling better than I am. I'll hope for the best.

[86WARD]

Even with the injuries on defense, the defense is playing solid. When the offense is “healthy” or what we are told is healthy, it’s not a guarantee that the offense is good.

Nothing new or innovative has arrived in the playbook since Week One. Imagine if Andy Reid had Johnson, Washington, JuJu and Claypool...along with McFarland and Conner? That group, as a whole, is just as good if not better than any group Reid has had. Reid may have had better individual players (Westbrook, TO, Hill, LJ, etc) but as a whole, this Steelers group is just as good across the board.

It goes back three seasons now that the team is running a high school playbook. Canada showed up and introduced the jet sweep formation (3-4 plays) and everything else is trash.

Here’s the problem as a whole: the draw play. This awful play has been happening with zero to negative results for years and years and years and years and years. So an OC, a HOF QB and a potential HOF HC all know this play exists. What hasn’t one of the three or maybe 10 other players on offense or anyone else on the coaching staff, even an intern maybe suggested that that play be tossed in the trash?

I mean, as a fan, you can see it coming a mile away and MAYBE a handful of time it produced over 4 yards but mostly 2 yards or negative.

There’s an issue there that no one sees that it doesn’t work!

[Mach1]

Not going to win a ton of games when nobody respects your running game.

[dislocatedday]

I am trying to think back to last night's game, is Ben running any plays from under center or are they all literally from shotgun formation? Shotgun is what I recall mostly. If he is strictly in shotgun then I would be good money his knee(s) are an issue right now.

[EzraTank]

Even if they fix the offense to produce like it did earlier in the yaer, the biggest loss is Dupree on defense. With him gone our once dominate pass rush can easily be handled as the Bills proved last night. Double team TJ and Cam and the rest of them are just very average. Highsmith is just not good.

All that said we are not winning anything with our current OC. Nothing. If Ben needs to retire for Fichtner to be gone so be it.

[Mojouw]

Even if they fix the offense to produce like it did earlier in the yaer, the biggest loss is Dupree on defense. With him gone our once dominate pass rush can easily be handled as the Bills proved last night. Double team TJ and Cam and the rest of them are just very average. Highsmith is just not good.

All that said we are not winning anything with our current OC. Nothing. If Ben needs to retire for Fichtner to be gone so be it.

The sad (and scary) thing is that the Bills did not double team or "help" on Watt and he disappeared last night.

As to the OC...he isn't great...but what can he do? The offensive line is, well, offensive and the starting QB is currently incapable of completing passes over 10 yards. Not sure how you "coach" your way out of that box.

[EzraTank]

Not sure what you were watching but NBC showed him being doubled teamed quite a bit. NBC showed them adjusting to Cam as well.

[Mojouw]

Not sure what you were watching but NBC showed him being doubled teamed quite a bit. NBC showed them adjusting to Cam as well.

I rarely saw two guys hitting him. It was mostly the OT holding his own and Allen getting rid of the ball.

"It felt like TJ Watt was pretty quiet Sunday night. Daryl Williams did a nice job on him, allowing the Bills to shift protection towards Cam Heyward. Watt did finish with a pass breakup and two quarterback hits. But he wasn’t his usual dominant self." -- https://steelersdepot.com/2020/12/po...rs-vs-bills-2/

[Born2Steel]

You 2 are making a valid point. We all know how good TJ is at the football. Even he has off nights sometimes. This team has had some off nights recently. But when they put it together nobody is unbeatable.

[DesertSteel]

I appreciate you starting a thread with some positive optimism in mind, B2S.

[Mojouw]

You 2 are making a valid point. We all know how good TJ is at the football. Even he has off nights sometimes. This team has had some off nights recently. But when they put it together nobody is unbeatable.

All too true. The biggest thing, at least to me, is that with the no vertical and no running short passing offense there is no room for error. One missed pass, one drop, one holding penalty, or whatever and the offense has no means to recover and make a "chunk" play to get back on schedule. In order to score points, the offense has to execute 10-15 plays perfectly. Same on the other side of the ball because of injury. Down multiple playmakers that can "erase" mistakes. Now, mistakes are just magnified.

Maybe they get healthy on defense and maybe they figure something (anything) out on offense...then...sure, they can play with anyone. But this beat up and exhausted version? Not so much...

[st33lersguy]

They just aren't playing good football and it's catching up to them. This is a poorly coached team, the QB is well past his prime, the run blocking is terrible, and then while the defense can get sacks to pile up stats to make it look good, you can count on them to give up a long pass play or commit a stupid penalty at a very bad time.

Sooner or later struggling against the likes of Jeff Driscoll, Garrett Gilbert, and the ratbirds practice squad catches up to you

[DesertSteel]

It would be better to be 8-5 and well coached than 11-2 and poorly coached.