Bruce Arians Larry Zierlein Are Not Getting the Job Done in Pittsburgh

A Round Peg in a Square Hole

The Steelers have the tools they have, and nothing more. Arians looks at the players and their abilities but doesn't seem to be using them right all the time, or even half of the time.  

Ben Roethlisberger has a great arm but the passing routes they are sending his receivers on are low percentage. This coupled with the porous line, Ben has little opportunity to get a well articulated throw off before he is chased out of the pocket.

Ben does have great instinct scrambling out of the pocket.  How about a designed roll-out toss to Mewelde Moore or Parker out of the back field, with an option QB keeper.  Open up on first down with a high percentage five or seven-yard quick pass, then follow that with a no huddle end-around run.  The hits Ben might take on these sorts of plays can't be worse than being pounded 20 times a game between sacks and hits after the throw.

Start a couple of series with plays that hurt teams that are blitzing constantly.  Then the deeper routes open up as Ben has time to throw. When the passing game starts clicking, then the running game will see more successes. People talk of Ben's numbers, but he is doing what he is asked to do.  

Take away the Giant's and Colts' games and the number of interceptions thrown drops from 12 to respectable five.  

Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Nate Washington are more than capable, and as a set could be the No. 4 or 5 receiving unit in the league. Ward and Washington are excellent after the catch but too often the are sent on 15-20 yard routes which are just not doable in the three to five seconds Ben has been having before the pressure chases him out of the pocket, effectively cutting of two of the three receiver routes.  

Mewelde Moore has 37 receptions this season for the Steelers, and is a reliable threat out of the backfield. Against the Ravens, he had zero receptions. Moore is an OK running back, but he is better with an even split of run and pass plays.  

Moore just isn't going to churn out large plays unless it is on some sort of play action run or a large hole is opened up for him to get started.

Heath Miller seldom drops a pass. There is no reason he can't be thrown four or five a game.

Willie Parker is not that good coming out of the back field has he has a hard time after the catch. Parker is a fast back, not a power back, so he needs holes opened up or trapping schemes that give him room to run. Moore is the same kind of running back.  

The Steelers just do not have a power back this season, something that needs to be rectified. In seasons past, the Steelers could count on a Faneca to pull inside and provide a second lead block to open up a hole for Bettis or Parker.

It seems those days are gone, or at least those offensive plays.  Whether the O-line is not fast enough to run these sorts of plays effectively is hard to know.

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