This is just a quick entry dealing with the various things I feel need to be addressed with the Steelers.
1. Ben Roethlisberger should not be your team's starting quarterback: Let's face it people, it is not 2005 any more. The offensive line does not give Ben the protection he needs. Ben is a deliberate decision maker, meaning it takes him close to forever to make a decision. Ben has taken way too many hits, and is constantly on the injury list. Every time he gets sacked, it takes what seems like an eternity for him to get up. If you saw what happened to Carson Palmer because of the little protection he received (he didn't play in Week 4), then you have to fear that Roethlisberger will be lost for an extended period of time.
2. Byron Leftwich should be the team's starting quarterback: If you have learned anything from watching Leftwich, you have learned that Leftwich is a warrior. While he is one of the least mobile quarterbacks in the NFL, Leftwich will quickly get up from any play. The offense seems to respond more to him than Roethlisberger, and offers him more protection. Leftwich makes quicker decisions and releases the football accordingly. He is much better in terms of using a hurry up offense and is a huge upgrade over Charlie Batch.
3. These recent injuries will have a huge effect on the team: With Rashard Mendenhall and Kendall Simmons now gone for the season, the Steelers have to be searching for answers. At the end of last night's game, only one running back, Mewelde Moore was healthy (Willie Parker was out for the whole game, Carey Davis was injured as was Mendenhall) and that is worrisome.
Fans do not know the status of Willie Parker for Sunday night against the Jaguars, and the likely signing of Najah Davenport doesn't help either. Davenport for whatever reason was released before Training Camp truly begun and signing him now shows a true sign of desperation.
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2 months ago
Good article, and an interesting theory about Leftwich; he was an excellent pickup this season, and yes it does seem like the offense has more energy when he's taking snaps. However, Ben has shown in the past, particularly during times when the O-line isn't on the ground, that he can run a good hurry up offense, and of course we know he can make plays scrambling around if he at least has time to think after getting the ball. Leftwich is an excellent backup to have, but if the Rooneys want to energize the team beyond the idea of replacing players, how about better offensive line coaching? They need a new spirit behind the face, with the philosophy that the defensive line should be attacked not just defended against. Any ideas for potential free agent coaches?
thanks for your time,
Clark
2 months ago
Clark, as mentioned before, we are dealing with the 2008 Ben, a Ben that does not seem very capable of running a normal offense this season. For whatever reason, Ben is taking way too long to make decisions. If you saw the Monday Night game against the Ravens, you saw that only when the team was in hurry up offense, the team succeeded. If this continues to happen, the team will be one-dimensional, which is a cause for concern, especially when a defensive minded team such is Jacksonville is your opponent.
Ben is questionable on the injury report this week and if he struggles, Tomlin has said that he won't hesitate to put Leftwich in (has to be an emotional game for him considering what happened between him and Jack Del Rio). As for offensive coaches, I have no idea, but anyone other than Brian Billick seems to be an upgrade. I would even consider getting rid of Bruce Arians the offensive coordinator. Because of these recent injuries I can't see anything better than an 8-8 season. Thanks for reading!
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