Pittsburgh Steelers: Welcome Back Ben and Four Other Bye Week Thoughts
After four weeks and a nearly-unprecedented 3-1 start, the Pittsburgh Steelers will rest this week. That doesn't mean there isn't work to do. Mike Tomlin will hold three bye week practices before giving the players a long weekend.
While everyone is certainly focused on the timely return of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, there are other areas of focus and concern as the Steelers take their bye week to rest, heal, and prepare for the remaining twelve games of the season.
Here are five bye week thoughts and observations for the Steelers and their fans to consider.
1. Welcome Back Ben
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3-1. Savor that for a minute.
Nobody, or at least no majority of fans and analysts, thought a winning record was possible without Big Ben calling the shots. There simply seemed to be no way to win three games out of four with three quality opponents on the schedule.
As is usually the case with the Pittsburgh Steelers, adversity and an underdog role brings out the best in them. They stormed out to a 3-0 record using their defense and special teams and almost hung on to reach 4-0 before their approach finally let them down.
Now, Ben Roethlisberger is back to taking snaps with the first team and looks like he's in the best shape of his career. Mentally and physically, he seems to have truly dedicated himself to the game.
Fans, at least those who were not completely and permanently turned away by his actions, will be glad to see Roethlisberger in two weeks. His presence alone will likely be a great boost to an offense that ranks near the bottom of the NFL in major categories.
So welcome back, Ben. Let's make sure this kind of thing never happens again!
2. Offensive Woes
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It's been a painful four weeks for fans of offensive football.
During the first two weeks, the Steelers did everything they could to make sure Dennis Dixon could not lose a game by himself. In doing that, they nearly lost both games. With a less than stellar defense, they would have likely come away with defeats.
In the third game and with the steady veteran Charlie Batch under center, the Steelers opened things up and balanced their offense. The result was a blowout victory over previously unbeaten Tampa Bay. At that point, it looked like the Steelers might do the impossible and reach 4-0.
Then, against the Ravens, the Steelers went back to the ultra-conservative, play-not-to-lose game plan. The result? They couldn't move most of the day. In fact, outside of an unlikely 93-yard scoring drive, they rarely moved the ball far at all.
Now that Ben Roethlisberger is back, those scoring woes should become a thing of the past.
Roethlisberger has one tool at his disposal that none of the other quarterbacks have had. He is allowed to change the play calls made by offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. That, along with the ability to use the entire playbook, will allow him to keep the offense both balanced and unpredictable.
The key, it seems, is to throw on first down and use play action after successful running plays. Both have been inconsistently incorporated thus far, and usually find some success. Teams don't expect the Steelers to throw until third down, so throwing early usually catches them off guard.
Throwing more on early downs will also likely decrease the defenders loaded into the box to stop running back Rashard Mendenhall, who has performed admirable miracles against eight- to ten-man fronts.
If the Steelers open things up, Mendenhall has a chance for a career year and the Steelers have a chance to surpass everyone's expectations. If they don't, well, it could end up becoming a very long season.
3. Defensive Lapses
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It's hard to say anything bad about the defense after they practically won two games for this team.
But there is one trend that worries me as the Steelers rest up during their bye week.
The disturbing trend is that, in the fourth quarter, the defense appears to be wearing down. During Tampa Bay, they held the Buccaneers at bay all day after a couple of early field goals only to surrender a late touchdown. Granted it did nothing to hurt the result of the game, but it also happened against the Titans and Ravens.
Against the Titans, the defense actually was more rested than usual thanks to victories in time of possession. That didn't change the fact that a late score was added by the opponent.
This same trend cost the Steelers the game against Baltimore. After a heroic goal line stand, the offense couldn't move enough to run out the clock. Called upon again with forty yards between Baltimore and victory, the Steelers fell apart.
This would be far less disturbing had it not been the Steelers' story from five one-score losses last season.
Fix that issue, and the Steelers' defense will take it's arguably rightful place atop the league. With an offense hopefully returning to form, good efforts from this defense will win the team most games.
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4. Trap Game Coming Up
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Say what you will about the Cleveland Browns, they are having a season very similar in some ways to last year's for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They've consistently come one score short of winning the game.
They've played four close, tough contests and lost three. In many ways, that's simply the breaks. Don't get me wrong, they have a poorly coached offense and a defense that is banged up and also hasn't learned how to finish a game yet.
What I see is a trap game waiting to happen.
Most Steelers fans are looking at the 1-3 record and considering Cleveland an easy game.
It almost never is anymore. Cleveland is too competitive.
To win, the Steelers cannot overlook the mobility of Seneca Wallace or the sudden emergence of running back Peyton Hillis. Both can hurt a defense. My guess would be that Hillis will have a much harder time gaining yards against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. Wallace doesn't have the receivers to be a one-dimensional threat, so if the Steelers can silence the running game, Cleveland won't have many scoring chances.
On offense, the Steelers have to be balanced. I'm not saying to steer away from leaning on Rashard Mendenhall, but I am saying to pass more often before third and long. The most effective drives the Steelers have had with Charlie Batch, including that 93-yard drive Sunday, were orchestrated by throwing early and then setting up play action to keep everyone honest.
Do all of that, and Cleveland doesn't stand a chance.
5. Where Have You Gone, Jeff?
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For years, one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, and by far the best ever at kicking in the swirling winds of Heinz Field, has been Jeff Reed.
All of a sudden, in a contract year and coming off an ugly offseason dispute over the state of his contract extension, Reed has fallen apart.
He missed four field goals all of last year. This year, he's missed four in four games.
Worse yet, except for a field goal attempt well beyond 50 yards, he's missed from well inside his range.
All four misses are at home too, which suggests he's suddenly struggling with his own field.
It seemed that Reed was overcompensating on some of his kicks. I'm also not sure he isn't over-kicking at certain points too. His kickoffs have showed vastly improved strength. I wonder if he's not putting too much on some of his shorter attempts, causing them to skew away from the uprights.
He has two weeks to figure it out. If he does, everything will return to normal in the kicking game. If not, well, you can bet there will some new kickers working out at Heinz Field trying to prove they are just as good as Reed can be.
A Few Words on Expectations...
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Not to put too fine a point on it, but this team should win their division and make the playoffs. Anything less than that would be a major disappointment.
Why?
Because without Ben Roethlisberger and mostly without any semblance of an offense, they found their way to a 3-1 record which included wins against three quality opponents and a loss to a division rival by only three points.
With Roethlisberger back and an expected return to health for everyone during the bye week, there is absolutely no reason that this team should finish worse than 12-4 or 13-3. The schedule is not particularly daunting at any point, so this team should be able to handle its opponents with stifling defense and a balanced offensive attack.
Fans and most analysts did not expect this team to reach a 3-1 record. Now that it has, the expectations will only go higher.
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