Steelers' offensive line under scrutiny

[Bob Roberts]

Jopa-n wrote:

I'm watching games all week now and wondering one thing in all of them. Where are the comeback routes?
Guys are breaking off the line trying to drive the defenders off them and turning and stopping- waiting for the ball to get to them. Meanwhile, defenders get pushed upfield but have the time to run back and breakup the pass.
Why not move the defender up field about 3 more yards, turn and comeback to the same spot. Now, moving back toward the QB, your keeping the seperation you worked so hard for and catching the ball at the same point. It also helps to shield the defender better and makes it a safer throw. Santonio on a ten yard comeback is almost a lock and a super safe pass if Ben keeps it to the outside. It then sets up Holmes for the stop and go route later on.

ward is the only guy who does that with any authority. he always fights for the ball.

[Jopa-n]

Bob Roberts wrote:

<quoted text>
ward is the only guy who does that with any authority. he always fights for the ball.

Just another asset to his complete absolute all around game. You'll notice with Ward, it's almost instinctive. He feels the defender coming up and fights back for the ball. Do you know how many times rec.s don't make the catch because they freeze when the ball is in the air, while the defenders are barreling in from behind them? When they play a good cover corner, they should expect less seperation, thus needing to run routes that maximize what they can achieve while being safer outside throws from the QB.

[LZ-Steel]

Rex J Steelman wrote:

<quoted text>
Your arguments are good, too. I guess it does come down to what LZ said about the line having SOME kind of identity.

Well, here's exactly what I mean. Philly game, think...Last year, it was a play action pass. Kemo took his guy 3 yards into the opponent backfield, the tackles dropped back to block incoming rushers, Hartwig and the RG (can't remember if it was Stapleton or not) pretty much held their guy at the line. Well, that opened up massive holes. It was one of those plays where there were multiple linebackers and a defense end in the backfriend before Roeth could turn around to pass. It was also a corner blitz, the corner was not even picked up. One of seemingly a hundred sacks he took in that game.

Like I said, no team work...everyone is pretty much doing their own thing. Everyone, me and you all included, lowered my head in shame after that game.

[LZ-Steel]

My memory was pretty vague on that game (I had drank myself pretty stupid that night)...but I remember there were several horrid cracks in that line. And those holes tortured Roeth the entire night. Even the backs were utterly useless. They couldn't block 3 LBs, a DE, and a CB, with only a RB in the backfield.

Davis, Spaeth, Miller...they can't block that kind of onslaught. The Iggles knew exactly what our gameplan would be. They studied us. They knew Arians would be as predictable as always. They knew the line would falter. The only reason we came close is because Arians turned the reigns over to Roeth...who almost won that game.

They attacked every break in the line that we had. They brought corner blitz, after safety blitz, after lb blitz. They had the game plan to beat us.

And you can be sure...this season, they'll throw short to intermediate routes all day long. We have a top 5 easy schedule...that last time we had one of those we missed the playoffs. But Tomlin knows how to motivate, I'll give him that. It doesn't mean that I'm not worried tho. That's what they call us...Worry Nation. I would love to go back to the days when we won the games we should have by running the clock out, instead of going down to the wire against teams we should've beat 20 minutes into the game.

[Jopa-n]

LZ-Steel wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, here's exactly what I mean. Philly game, think...Last year, it was a play action pass. Kemo took his guy 3 yards into the opponent backfield, the tackles dropped back to block incoming rushers, Hartwig and the RG (can't remember if it was Stapleton or not) pretty much held their guy at the line. Well, that opened up massive holes. It was one of those plays where there were multiple linebackers and a defense end in the backfriend before Roeth could turn around to pass. It was also a corner blitz, the corner was not even picked up. One of seemingly a hundred sacks he took in that game.
Like I said, no team work...everyone is pretty much doing their own thing. Everyone, me and you all included, lowered my head in shame after that game.

I watched that game on tape more than any other in my life. Did slow mo's all through the game to see why the disaster(s) happened. I was like puting check marks next to the names- if they got beat at the line or missed an assignment etc. Can't remember all the totals, but everybody had a claim to some, even Miller, who was directly accountable for two sacks. Found out Kemo's ability to pull block needs a lot of work, and the Steeler tackles don't like speed rushers as all. In defense they did get better as the season went on, but nothing to write home about either. I think that was the game when Ben realized he would need to switch his cleats for track shoes, and the rest is history.