an amazing stat from jax game.

[pourman]

Sure, everyone knows we only ran the ball only 15 times but for as much as people want to believe the Jax DL was stoning our run game.

1 time for a loss (not counting sacks).
3 times for no gain.
1 time between 0 and 3 yard gain.
10 times for 4 yards or more....or 67% of the time.

As long as I've been tracking NFL running plays, I've never seen a number that high. That means GREAT running. If you can get at least a 4 yard gain 67% of the time, why stop? Is someone going to tell me that's bad OL play?

What about the last 3 losses? The numbers look like.....

9 runs for a loss (12%, not counting sacks)
6 runs for no gain. (8%)
20 runs between 0 and 3 yard gains (27%)
39 runs 4 yards or more or 53% of the time for an avg of 9 yards. That also means great running. Is that poor OL play? Half the time we can get 9 yards on the ground, with only a 12% chance of a loss of yards. Think about that.

On the season, we:

39 runs for a loss (10%)
34 runs for no gain (8%)
161 runs between 0 and 3 yards (40%)
170 runs 4 yards or more (42%)

Percent wise that is IDENTICAL to our Superbowl year, except we ran the ball much more in 2005. Was our OL bad in 2005?

In 2004, our numbers looked like:

43 runs for a loss (8%)
41 runs for no gain (8%)
215 runs between 0 and 3 (38%)
266 runs 4 yards or more (47%).

We we had slightly fewer runs for loss and short gains, and a few more longer runs. Most of the latter occurred late in games with a lead. Lots of sacks when we tried to pass too, just like this year.

[Sluzilla]

i think everyone knew we were running well against jax...in fact most were wondering why we didn't continue running since it was successful...

[BillvinCowbert]

Steelers 1st drive
Run (0), Run (0), Pass (Sack)

Steelers 2nd drive
Pass (2), Pass (6), Pass (Big Ben scramble for 4), Run (16), Run (5), Pass (Inc), Pass (Sack)

Steelers 3rd drive
Pass (Inc), Pass (8), Pass (Inc-bad route by Holmes)

Steelers 4th drive
Run (13), Pass (Inc), Pass (Inc), Pass (18-TD)

Steelers 5th drive
Pass (4), Run (8), Run (1), Pass (Sack -6), Run (Draw -4)

Steelers 6th drive
Run (penalty -9), Run (7), Pass (Inc), Pass (Inc-drop by Ward)

Steelers 7th drive (2 minute drill)
Pass (6), Pass (10), Pass (3), Pass (16), HALFTIME


In the first half, there's maybe one drive that REALLY sucked from a "running the ball perspective" and that's the 3rd drive. I guess you could complain about the 4th drive, but that ended in a TD. Of course, the first drive with RRP sucked as well. Otherwise a pretty decent balance of run calls and pass calls. At the half, Jacksonville was up 10-7.

Steelers 8th drive (20 minutes left in the game, down 9 points)
Pass (Sack-9, Marvel was horrid), Run (5), Pass (Inc)

Steelers 9th drive (19 minutes left, down 15 points)
Pass (3), Pass (12), Pass (Inc), Pass (Inc), Pass (Inc)

Steelers 10th drive (14 minutes left)
Run (1), Pass (Inc), Pass (11-TD)

Steelers 11th drive (9 minutes left)
Run (13), Pass (Inc), Pass (BB almost sacked, back pass to Willie-27), Run (0), Pass (Sack -8), Pass (18), Run (4), Pass (30-TD)

Steelers 12th drive (2 minutes left, down 7)
Pass (Inc), Pass (Inc), Pass (BB scramble for 11), Pass (3), Pass (Inc), Pass (Inc), Pass (6)

GAME OVER



I don't understand your relentlessly bitching about "giving up" on the run. There's really nothing to support that. We came out trying to play "Steeler Football" with runs and went 3-and-out. We mixed it up a bit, maybe went pass happy on one series.

In the 2nd half, we were down two scores by the time we first got the ball. We got sacked on first down killing the drive (kind of like the holding penalty on a first down run that killed an earlier drive). Then we got it back a minute later down 15. From there, we're trying to catch up, we end up scoring two TDs to tie it, our defense collapses, and we're in the 2-minute drill.

Where EXACTLY did they go wrong? Where did they miss key opportunities to run the ball?

Edited to add: By the way, of those 10 plays (the 67% of 4+), three were called passing plays - two Ben scrambles and the play where he threw back to Willie.

[pourman]

My relentless attack on Arians is because the guy is a total moron. It's not JUST the numbers, it's the sequences of play calling that don't make sense. Go scroll through the play by play of a 2004 game or 2005 game, and then scroll through the Jax or NE games. Pitiful. Under Cowher, you could feel the momentum building during the game. Under Arians, you can see it starting and then he screws it up.

But to point out the obvious: Half 1: 20 passes, 10 runs. That is not a balanced attack. He abandoned it because of a couple of early run problems, and it became secondary, even though it is the strength of our OL. In 2005, those numbers were flipped...for a reason.

Why? Because then we'd come out in the second half and run down their throats even if we were behind. Instead, what did we do? We came out passing, got a sack because our OL/offense never gets momentum, and got behind further. THAT was the mistake. You should play to your strength to get momentum and establish some offensive flow. Arians does not understand that at all.

The other reason I keep pointing it out is because so many people are throwing the OL under the bus. Those run stats prove we can run and run well against TOP DL. Had we stuck to the run, our OL would have gradually controlled the LOS and kept our defense off the field.

[SteelrzGirl]

It does often make me wonder how people like Arians have jobs. Im being serious, not facetious.

[Sluzilla]

The other reason I keep pointing it out is because so many people are throwing the OL under the bus. Those run stats prove we can run and run well against TOP DL. Had we stuck to the run, our OL would have gradually controlled the LOS and kept our defense off the field.


if you think our OL has been good this year in the run...you haven't watch the steelers play this year...willie has done well DESPITE our OL...willie has done well DESPITE getting hit every other run in the backfield...

[Guttpuppy]

LOL, facetious... let''s move on!

[tooz]

I think the offseason will show how good a coach Tomlin is and how much power he has. I think he tried to do the right thing and retain alot of the existing staff. But, changes need to be made and OC is the first. Arians must go or we will see both Ben's and Willie's careers shortened. Willie's been misused all season and Arians' passing schemes take way too much time to develop. The OL is suspect, but Ben needs way too much time for routes to develop. When teams stack the box, running off tackle with FWP or attempting a slow developing pass play is suicide. Tomlin will have to can Arians.

[Steelerman]

224.

This is the stat that will bother me for a long time. Long time.

[pourman]

if you think our OL has been good this year in the run...you haven't watch the steelers play this year...willie has done well DESPITE our OL...willie has done well DESPITE getting hit every other run in the backfield... I've been watching the same games and I don't think that's true at all. When they get into the game a little, they perform great. Look at the NE game. In Q2 we ran 4 straight times, going on 4th down. You could feel the momentum build. Then we went 5 wide and threw the rest of that drive. Poof...gone.

Arians never gets them into an offensive flow. We toggle between trying to run, and some fancy passing game. There does not seem to be a connection between the two styles...and therefore our OL never gets into the game. That's the problem. It's like watching a team run a wishbone 1/3 the time and the run and shoot the rest of the time.

Do we have problems on the OL? Sure, but when you look at old games, our OL suck at the beginning of games too. There were lots of games where opposing DLs were in our backfield and Bettis gained yards despite that pressure. People said Bettis had to get warmed up....but the OL was not creating holes.

And our OL got better as the game progressed..and as the season progressed....the more we ran too. We're not letting a run game develop like in the past but everyone is expecting them to execute on a dime. That's not the way it works.

And now instead of just utilizing them better, we're going to revamp an entire team. That's the sad thing.

[BillvinCowbert]

My relentless attack on Arians is because the guy is a total moron. It's not JUST the numbers, it's the sequences of play calling that don't make sense. Go scroll through the play by play of a 2004 game or 2005 game, and then scroll through the Jax or NE games. Pitiful. Under Cowher, you could feel the momentum building during the game. Under Arians, you can see it starting and then he screws it up.
You really want me to go through a 2004 PxP? Against the Pats in the AFCC, we ran the ball on 13 of the first 15 first and second down plays, dug a hole, and couldn't climb back out. It was among the worst game plans in the history of Steeler Football.

Here's one for you:

Pass (Inc), Pass (36), Run (2), Pass (18), Run (-1), Pass (5), Pass (11), Pass (0), Run (7), Pass (6-TD)

That's not enough Steeler Football for you, though, is it?

But to point out the obvious: Half 1: 20 passes, 10 runs. That is not a balanced attack. He abandoned it because of a couple of early run problems, and it became secondary, even though it is the strength of our OL. In 2005, those numbers were flipped...for a reason.
It was 10/16 before the 2-minute drill. If you actually look at the PxP, the flow of the game, he didn't ever abandon it. I'm sure your favorite series was the Run, Run, Pass, Punt, because that's truly Steeler Football. In 2005, when the Steelers were at their best, they passed early and ran late. The first half numbers were never "flipped" as you claim.

Why? Because then we'd come out in the second half and run down their throats even if we were behind.
Can you cite a few examples, because, frankly, I think you're making up a nice little strawman here.

Instead, what did we do? We came out passing, got a sack because our OL/offense never gets momentum, and got behind further. THAT was the mistake. You should play to your strength to get momentum and establish some offensive flow. Arians does not understand that at all.
Right, we should have done what we did on the first drive of the game, or the sixth drive of the game, because those prove beyond a reasonable doubt that only good things can happen when you run on first down. Well played, focus in on ONE play. That play was no worse than the first play of the 6th drive as far as killing momentum.

The other reason I keep pointing it out is because so many people are throwing the OL under the bus. Those run stats prove we can run and run well against TOP DL. Had we stuck to the run, our OL would have gradually controlled the LOS and kept our defense off the field.
You're selective statistics are funny. OK, let's play it the other way - our run stats against Baltimore prove that we CAN'T run against top DL. Willie busted of a few nice plays - the spin move on the outside was great, the broken play/near sack was another great play by Ben/Willie, but these, in no way whatsoever, prove that we can dominate the LOS against a "great" line that is missing their best DL (and LB).

Our defense had the entire half to rest, came out and gave up a TWENTY PLAY, TEN MINUTE drive. Maybe we can focus on the defense GETTING OFF of the field, rather than having our offense keep them off.

[Turbo Pig]

I just don't understand how Arians can't develop a quick pass game plan to soften up the box, then ride Willie in the 2nd and 3rd quarters... We like the long developing pass plays and then seem to run in run only situations where the defense stacks the box... Add to that little to no half time adjustments and I am concerned...

[Cap'n A]

Add to that little to no half time adjustments and I am concerned...

Yeah, I thought we gave that up after our "reconnaissance" game against the Cheatriots. We managed to hang with them the first half, second half comes along, they make adjustments, we don't, we get our asses handed to us.

As far as Arians, I hope he felt awful after he ran that dumbass sweep on a third down semi-deep in our own territory. Why should he have felt bad? Because Davenport was hearing the reaction from the crowd on the GUTLESS SCHOTTENHEIMER-ESQUE playcall and looking around like "why you booing me, I did the best I could".

PS- hi guys, missed you all!

[scstillerfan]

I don't have a problem mixing run and pass, regardless of what is working. It's the playcalling that sucks. For example, we run on 1st, get 5 yards. Twice against Jax and several times against *, they go to a 5 wide empty backfield. WTF? Put a RB in the backfield to at least make them THINK about the run. Almost every time we do this, Ben gets sacked and it kills drives.

[Turbo Pig]

What about the two first and goal play calls from the 1 yard line against NE... now that ws brilliant

[bigtwnvin]

i think everyone knew we were running well against jax...in fact most were wondering why we didn't continue running since it was successful...
Easy, play calling. Arians is a dick. I thought Ben was more 'in tune" with the offense this year. I'm starting to think he's another dumb jock that can't think on his feet. Sorry but it's starting to get old, the Steelers always had an effective running game even with Bam Morris all smoked up!

[Vader]

Arians should be fired just for getting rid of the 3 step drops and have any play called with an empty backfield. Is there anything more stupid to do with a bad OL than make sure the defense knows we are going to pass? I hate the empty backfield.

[Coryea]

Arians should be fired just for getting rid of the 3 step drops and have any play called with an empty backfield. Is there anything more stupid to do with a bad OL than make sure the defense knows we are going to pass? I hate the empty backfield.

Especially when they take Parker out of the backfield and motion him out wide. Everyone knows we are not going to throw to Parker there, so basically we just run Willie out of the play, give Ben one less target, and take one more blocker away from Ben.

[pourman]

You really want me to go through a 2004 PxP? Against the Pats in the AFCC, we ran the ball on 13 of the first 15 first and second down plays, dug a hole, and couldn't climb back out. It was among the worst game plans in the history of Steeler Football. Well that's not balanced either, so what does that have to do with anything?
It was 10/16 before the 2-minute drill. If you actually look at the PxP, the flow of the game, he didn't ever abandon it. I'm sure your favorite series was the Run, Run, Pass, Punt, because that's truly Steeler Football. In 2005, when the Steelers were at their best, they passed early and ran late. The first half numbers were never "flipped" as you claim. Yea, but in the first half of games it was 50:50 or slightly edging the running game. We then established a run game and ran on them in the second half because we could.

You want examples. I went to 2004. The FIRST game I looked at vs Balt. Down 7-0... D1 pass, run pass. D2. pass, run, run pass. Down 10-0.....D3. run, pass, pass, pass, run, pass, pass. D4..run, run, pass, pass, run. D5. run, run, pass. Down 13-0. Pass, run, end of half.

24 plays. 11 runs, 13 pass. Balanced attack.

Second half, down 13-0...D1...run, run, run, run, pass (drop), pass (sack, fumble).

Vs Dallas.

Balanced attack in the first half. Second half tied at 10-10. D1...run run pass run run run. D2 down 13-10.....pass, run, run, pass. D3 down 20-10....run, run, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, run, run, pass...TD....and still a balanced attack while down. D4 down 20-17...run, run, run, run, pass, pass. D5 still down 20-17...pass, pass, run, run, run...TD.

I've been charting games for years. It took me 5 min to find two examples.
Right, we should have done what we did on the first drive of the game, or the sixth drive of the game, because those prove beyond a reasonable doubt that only good things can happen when you run on first down. Well played, focus in on ONE play. That play was no worse than the first play of the 6th drive as far as killing momentum. Dude, it's just another example of how he does not play to our strength.


You're selective statistics are funny. OK, let's play it the other way - our run stats against Baltimore prove that we CAN'T run against top DL. Willie busted of a few nice plays - the spin move on the outside was great, the broken play/near sack was another great play by Ben/Willie, but these, in no way whatsoever, prove that we can dominate the LOS against a "great" line that is missing their best DL (and LB).

Our defense had the entire half to rest, came out and gave up a TWENTY PLAY, TEN MINUTE drive. Maybe we can focus on the defense GETTING OFF of the field, rather than having our offense keep them off. Selective stats? I've used the same stats for years to rate running games. If you're getting 4 yards more than 50% of the time you have a GREAT running game and it's not "just the RB", it's both the RB and OL.

It means you can run four times and get at least 8 yards towards a first down...then you have two tries to move it another 2.

If we ran more, our defense would have more rest too...that's part of the strategy. When we CAN run well we SHOULD run...end of story. You can be an Arians apologist all you want, but the numbers and circumstances don't back you up.

PUT A FORK IN THEM...THEY"RE DONE...if this continues.

[Stainless]

We averaged close to 6 ypc against New England, but I honestly don't recall a single game this year when I sat back and thought, "Damn. We're blowing them off the ball". The defense always seems to be playing on our side of the ball. I'm actually surprised we've been able to run as well as we have because I think our line is mediocre at best. Maybe I'm just hyper critical. Regardless of how well we might be able to run, Arians obviously doesn't care to find out.

[Spike]

Here's another stat they mentioned during the game.

The Steelers defense is dead last in the league in INT's.


http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&statisticCategory=INTERCEPTIONS&conference=ALL&role=OPP&season=&seasonType=REG

[Ghost of Frenchy Fuqua]

...Arians never gets them into an offensive flow. We toggle between trying to run, and some fancy passing game. There does not seem to be a connection between the two styles...

I don't think I've seen the "issues" with Coach A as succinctly and accurately stated..

Leaving aside the defense for a second (we know they have their own set of issues), watching the team on offense has become a grueling experience.

If Tomlin can't see that, and doesn't pink-slip Arians after the season, that's two strikes against him (Tomlin) in my book...

[BLEEDS]

39 runs for a loss (10%)
34 runs for no gain (8%)
161 runs between 0 and 3 yards (40%)
170 runs 4 yards or more (42%)

Percent wise that is IDENTICAL to our Superbowl year, except we ran the ball much more in 2005.

Wasn't 2005 our SuperBowl year?

Those numbers are definitely skewed since we spent A LOT of time in the 2nd half of games running about 72% of the time. (I pulled that stat out of my ass, but I'm guessing it's pretty close).

I think Arians was TRYING to emulate our 2006 (2005 season) playoff success - PASSING for the lead, and then running late - and adding a focus on the TE, 2 TE sets, more spread offense, etc.

I think what we've learned is that that works - against Cleveland, Buffalo, Cincy, Baltimore - but not against GOOD TEAMS who can actually grind it out against us and make it a close game. I don't think he can gameplan against a team we can dominate and get a led on. We don't run the No-Huddle when it's close, only when we're behind, or ahead. Basically, he turns into CowherMarty-Turtle offense.

PEACE

-BLEEDS

[pourman]

Wasn't 2005 our SuperBowl year?

Those numbers are definitely skewed since we spent A LOT of time in the 2nd half of games running about 72% of the time. (I pulled that stat out of my ass, but I'm guessing it's pretty close). Those numbers don't get skewed by the number of runs, it's just a percentage of runs and how well we execute each category. We ran a balanced attack in most games in the first half in 2005.

[bearcatsno69]

I'm not sold on Arians either. I think we have the tools to be dynamic. He needs to use them better. Get Willie the ball on passes more. He's not Bettis, so let him get out in space more, instead of bouncing out on runs. Also, I think we need to move Ben out of the pocket more. He is great at getting the big play when he is on the move. It also gives the o-line better angles.

[JEFFRO]

Our O-line has been horrendous the second half of the season, run or pass.

I don't know what the problem is but it starts with Mahan. He is not a starting center.
Faneca, God knows I love him, but I have seen him miss, whiff and flat out lose blocking assignments more than ever.
Kendall Simmons has not been the same since his diabetes began.
Marvel Smith, damn, if he had a sore back, why the heck start him. He was getting beat worse than a red headed step child. (Sorry Alan).

Why we did not address the line on day 1 of the draft I have no clue.

We haven't had a stellar win top to bottom since the Seahawks game!

[pourman]

Our O-line has been horrendous the second half of the season, run or pass. The numbers show our OL has gotten better running the ball, not worse, and has performed well vs good Ds.

I'll put this another way.

Our OL is getting overpowered in the passing game, especially in the second half of games. We are passing 67% of the time, so we are watching our OL get dominated 67% of the time. Right? So it looks like our OL really sucks.

But the other 33% of the time our OL is performing pretty well when running. How can that be if we suck so bad? Because our OL was designed around a running game, not a passing game. We have players (at least those chosen before Tomlin) that will play better in the running game than the passing game...BY DESIGN...and that's exactly what we're seeing on the field. The more we pass, the worse they get.

If we ran 67% of the time, we'd be watching our OL perform well 67% of the time, right? Would you say a OL that dominates the line of scrimmage 67% of the time is good? Absolutely Do you think a OL that dominates that much of the time in a game would perform better when passing? Absolutely. Running the ball would build confidence and rhythm.

[dobre shunka]

Good grief. You've gotta unbookmark UranusStatsBureau.com from your list of favorites. The PSO has run the ball 454 times this year (3rd most). Including sacks, total pass plays equal 434 (28th). They're already running the ball more than they're passing.

Nearly half Parkers yards came to two plays where the OL totally shit themselves, but fine. 878 total plays, so 67% earmarked for 'run', and that's 588. That's 134 more attempts than they've had to date, with 2 games to go. Who do you propose should get those carries? Parker? He's overworked as it is. He's already at 320. 30+ more than the #2 guy in attempts, and over 100 more attempts than league average. If you're bitching about an underutilized run game now, wait til next year when Parker is broken down, due your insane load Rx. Yeah, 500 attempts would pretty much ruin Parker for life, but ok. Never mind the record is 416, set last year by the broken down Larry Johnson. Or do you just rather see Davenport getting all those extra carries?

[pourman]

Good grief. You've gotta unbookmark UranusStatsBureau.com from your list of favorites. The PSO has run the ball 454 times this year (3rd most). Including sacks, total pass plays equal 434 (28th). They're already running the ball more than they're passing. Ahh...according to your numbers we've run 51% of the time. That's about equal. We've been able to run that much because against certain teams we've gotten big leads and ran the ball against them in the second half. In previous years under Cowher, when we got big leads, we ran as much as 65% more than we passed. That would be 577 runs and 311 passes for those in Rio Linda.....or 123 runs, 9 more runs per game.

He doesn't STICK to our successful running game when he needs to when the game is on the line...THAT'S the problem. He bails on it..gets cute with the passing game...and then runs reverses as goal line run plays, and is confused why it doesn't work. He simply doesn't understand the traditional "steeler" game of power football, is trying clumsily marry it to the "run and shoot" and it's KILLING us.

And yea, Davenport can get more carries. He's been running pretty well. Put Davis in too. Hell run Hines and Cedric with direct snaps. That would at least compliment the 5 wide crap.

[dobre shunka]

Ahh...according to your numbers we've run 51% of the time. That's about equal. We've been able to run that much because against certain teams we've gotten big leads and ran the ball against them in the second half. In previous years under Cowher, when we got big leads, we ran as much as 65% more than we passed. That would be 577 runs and 311 passes for those in Rio Linda.....or 123 runs, 9 more runs per game.


So you're saying they should get really huge leads, and when they do they should run the shit outta the ball, and then they'd have a greater run: pass ratio, and therefore win more games. Brilliant. Do those huge leads occur on the first play of the game?


He doesn't STICK to our successful running game when he needs to when the game is on the line...THAT'S the problem. He bails on it..gets cute with the passing game...and then runs reverses as goal line run plays, and is confused why it doesn't work. He simply doesn't understand the traditional "steeler" game of power football, is trying clumsily marry it to the "run and shoot" and it's KILLING us.


I'm no more a fan of Arians than you are. I think his play calling is idiotic, doesn't recognize blatant matchups, ignores Miller outside the RZ and the one obligatory Q1 pass, hits the shufflebutton when he's trying to decide which formation to roll out, obsessed with an even more idiotic 3TE set. Doesn't understand strengths and weaknesses on his team or the team they're playing. There are tons and tons of reason to think Arians stinks, but your obsession with run : pass ratios isn't one of them. That is the one thing he has carried over. It's been that way since 05, and it's that way now. Just like everything else, circumstances dictates which side of 50% they drift. And the 'traditional Steeler game of power football' was dead before Arians took over. Has been since 04.



And yea, Davenport can get more carries. He's been running pretty well. Put Davis in too. Hell run Hines and Cedric with direct snaps. That would at least compliment the 5 wide crap.

You're right, that'll fix it.

You say you chart games/stats, but I find that really, really hard to believe:

*@Cle 34-7, H1 score 17-0, H1 run: pass = 14:16, H2 = 28:7 (is that > 67%?), Final tally = 42:23

*Buf 26-3, H1 score 12-0, H1 r: p =15:29, H2 r: p = 18:6 (is that >67%?), Fin = 33:34

*SF 37-16, H1 score 14-6, H1 =14:7, H2 = 18:14, F= 33:20

*@Az 14-21, H1 score 7-0, H1 = 12:11, H2 = 14:21, F= 26:32 (Down 14 w/ 4min to play, passed 13 times to 1 run. Stuck w/ run until down 2 scores in spite of Parker having 17 yards on 18 carries thru Q3)

*Sea 21-0, H1 7-0, H1= 12:13, H2 = 29:9 (is that > 67%?), F=41:22

*@Den 28-31, H1 7-21, H1 = 12:21, H2 = 14:14, F=26:35 (trailing by 14 with 2min left, closed out H1 with 7 passes and 1 run. Stuck with the run in H2 til the end.)

*Cin 24-13, H1 21-6, H1 =13:18, H2 =20:8 (is that > 67%?), F= 33:26 (again closed H1 in hurryup, 6 passes and 2 runs for a TD. I guess they coulda instead just ran a couple of draws and took an knee and they woulda had that magical balance.)

*Bal 38-7, H1 35-0, H1= 18:14, H2= 20:2 (guessing that's more than 67%), F=39:16.

*Cle 31-28, H1 9-21, H1 15:18, H2=20:18, F = 35:35.

*@NYJ 16-19, H1 7-13, H1= 11:14, H2= 22:11 (hey, 67%!), F=33:25 (is that bailing on the run? Did I mention they were avg 2.5 per carry in H1?)

*Mia 3-0, H1 0-0, H1 =14:12, H2 = 15:9, F=29:21 (is that bailing on the run?)

*Cin 24-10, H1 17-7, H1 = 13:24 (12 straight passes to close H1 w/ TD, was 13:12 prior), H2 = 22:8 (>67%?), F= 35:32 (that what you mean by flipping it?)

*@NE 13-34, H1 13-17, H1 =16:17, H2 16:15 (is that bailing on the run?)

*Jac 22-29, H1 7-10, H1= 11:15, H2 = 7:17, F=18:32 (closed H1 w/ 4 straight passes, balanced til then. Jags score on opening H2 drive. Steelers go 3 and out. Jags score again.

This is the only game you can point to and make a case. However, they only had 50 offensive plays in the game. Average is 60, that's 10 less plays. Less than that had they stuck to the run. How do you make up a 2 TD deficit in 1 quarter when your D is giving up 10 minute drives? Maybe he shoulda expected an INT, given Garrard had thrown only one all year, and the PSD only had 8 picks going in. I can't fault him for that. And they did go back to the run when they got it within 8.

[pourman]

I don't give a rats ass about the balance of run vs pass over the season or in games in general. That's not my point.

My obsession about running the ball is because our OL needs the confidence....and we are running the ball well when we run the ball. I am concerned about everyone throwing them under the bus because I think if we ran more and used our running game properly instead of Arian's fucked up schizophrenic play calling, you'd see them excel. We ran the ball extremely well the last 3 losses, but they didn't get the chance to use that in any cohesive way in order to dominate the LOS.

If you want our OL to pass protect better, run the ball more. They'll gain confidence and pass protect better.

If you want our defense to play better, run the ball more. That gives us longer drives and keeps them off the field.

I'm not sure I can spell it out any clearer than that. If Whiz were the coach, we wouldn't be having this discussion, I can guarantee that.

[BillvinCowbert]

If you want our OL to pass protect better, run the ball more. They'll gain confidence and pass protect better.
This is good stuff. This "confidence" angle is gold. Maybe we can use this approach with Anthony Smith as well. Confidence is sexy.

If you want our defense to play better, run the ball more. That gives us longer drives and keeps them off the field.
How does keeping them off the field make them play better? It would actually just make them play LESS, not play better. They had about a 20-minute rest between Jacksonville's last first half drive and the first drive of the second half, and ended up giving up a 20-play, 10-minute drive.

You just love to make up random things out of thin air that have no basis in reality. Fantasyland must be a great place to live.

I'm not sure I can spell it out any clearer than that. If Whiz were the coach, we wouldn't be having this discussion, I can guarantee that.

Right, we'd already be talking about the draft and Ben would have about 15 TDs and be planning his escape.

[dobre shunka]

My obsession about running the ball is because our OL needs the confidence.


You sound like the kind of guy who can never get enough hugs.


...and we are running the ball well when we run the ball.


Sometimes yes, sometimes no.


I am concerned about everyone throwing them under the bus because I think if we ran more and used our running game properly instead of Arian's fucked up schizophrenic play calling, you'd see them excel. We ran the ball extremely well the last 3 losses, but they didn't get the chance to use that in any cohesive way in order to dominate the LOS.

If you want our OL to pass protect better, run the ball more. They'll gain confidence and pass protect better.


Bullshit. Running the ball more wouldn't magically fix this line, it would only serve to mask what a crappy pass-pro line this is. As it has in the past. See if you notice a trend. Nevermind, I'll highlight it for you:

2005: Runs= 549, Pass= 379, Sacks= 32, R/P%= 57:43, Sack rate= 7.8%

2006: Runs= 469, Pass= 523, Sacks= 49, R/P%= 45:55, Sack rate= 8.6%

2007: Runs= 455, Pass= 390, Sacks= 43, R/P%= 51:49, Sack Rate= 9.9%

For context, league average on run/pass ratios historically is ~45:55. Typically only a handful of teams get above 50% in the run game. And league average for sack rates historically has been 6.5%. This line has been bad for some time in pass pro. They've just managed to mask it with high rush attempts. The halycon days of just lining up and smashing the other team in the mouth and imposing wills are long gone. Faneca has one foot out the door. Smith has a persistent back problem, making him a risk to resign. Dirt and Hastings are gone. The best you can say about Simmons is he has the potential to be average, but rarely lives up to that. Colon and Mahan aren't answer's at their respective positions. Colon has hope at guard, but nothing to bank on. All year long we've heard they just need more time to cohere. Now it's they need to run more to gain confidence? They're already running more than Cowher/Whiz last year. Yet sacks are up.

For more context, since the Rams are on deck, a truly horrific OL:

2007 Run= 365, Pass= 502, Sacks= 44, R/P%= 40:60, Sack rate= 8.0%

Yes that's right. This team who has shuffled turd after turd thru their line, and subsequently has shuffled turd after turd thru the QB position, gives up sacks at a smaller rate than the PS OL.



I'm not sure I can spell it out any clearer than that. If Whiz were the coach, we wouldn't be having this discussion, I can guarantee that.

Reread all the above for good measure. Then read it again. Just to be clear Anthony.

[markymarc]

Our offensive line really frustrates me. They have helped Willie Parker lead the NFL in rushing and run blocking for the most part is winning 1 on 1 battles. Unfortunately it does not appear that our OL can win a lot of 1 on 1 battles when pass blocking. While I have stood by Smith I am beginning to lose faith in his playing ability. Now granted he has a back injury, but maybe it's time to start looking for a replacement. While Simmons is an athletic guard he loses a lot of 1 on 1 battles. Mahan totally sucks and I hope the FO realizes he needs to be replaced in 2008. I still believe in Colon and think he can only get better.