Oh, sorry LOL Yes, that line did play well. Welcome back, Max!! I was counting how much time both Ben and Hasselbeck were getting in the pocket, and the Steelers really upped their game from last week. But when Scott came in for Gilbert we took a step back. Started losing more than a full second. We still need more depth on the line. Scott just doesn’t have what it takes at this point.

Yes, Ben does hold the ball too long sometimes, but most of the people who post that are just parroting something they’ve heard and throwing it out to slam Roethlisberger. They have no idea what they’re talking about, and it gets old hearing it. Ben does many things to irritate me, but that pocket was collapsing in less than 2 seconds last week–so his holding the ball wasn’t the chief problem. This week, they consistently gave him 3, 4, 5 seconds. That makes a huge difference in his ability to make the read and throw. Having Max–an effective, experienced pro Ben trusts–protecting his blind side has made a tremendous difference.

Deb says:Oct 9, 2011 2:53 PM

@miketomlinssteelers10 …

I don’t get into the blog nonsense of true or false fans. I’ve loved the team with all my heart for 34 years. I spend the same amount of money on merchandise in good years and bad, proudly proclaim my loyalty in good years and bad, offer the same honest critiques of the team in good years and bad. They’re family to me. If my family does something stupid, I’ll tell them just like I’d expect them to tell me. But I’ll love them anyway and never waver in my loyalty. To me, it goes without saying that you cheer and support your team even in a loss. That doesn’t mean you can’t comment on where they need to improve or tell them they’d be better off making adjustments (like getting rid of former offensive-line coach Zierlein).

@Deb, sorry that comment wasn’t meant for you . I don’t question your love of the Steelers. I’m tired of comments saying what to say and not to say when I speak of the team. I made a comment about Ben being a problem w/ the o-line and all of sudden I don’t know blocking. I played high school as well as college football and I know a thing or two about blocking or qbs holding ball too long and not taking short passes. Today there running and winning w/ that suspect line. Imagine that.

I don’t get into the blog nonsense of true or false fans. I’ve loved the team with all my heart for 34 years. I spend the same amount of money on merchandise in good years and bad, proudly proclaim my loyalty in good years and bad, offer the same honest critiques of the team in good years and bad. They’re family to me. If my family does something stupid, I’ll tell them just like I’d expect them to tell me. But I’ll love them anyway and never waver in my loyalty. To me, it goes without saying that you cheer and support your team even in a loss. That doesn’t mean you can’t comment on where they need to improve or tell them they’d be better off making adjustments (like getting rid of former offensive-line coach Zierlein).

“When my sports teams are bad or their players aren’t behaving properly, I call them on it. I don’t make excuses for them or ignore the problems. Only blind homers do that. True fans don’t.”

- so you’re an admitted fair weather fan. cant respect that, but at least you’re honest. FYI, true fans dont automatically call for the heads of the players they root for week in and week out simply because they are “misbehaving” as you call it. They’re adults who are free to make whatever decisions they choose. speaking of 10 or 12 year olds, arent you a little old to be looking at these guys as your role models? i chose the steelers because they’re the team in the city i was born and raised in, not because of their humanitarian efforts. i have continued to support them because i like the way they PLAY FOOTBALL. when they “misbehave” i leave it to the law and their employer to discipline them, not my moral compass. neither of us is in a position to dictate to other grown men how to live their lives. if you dont like who they put on the field, by all means, find another wagon to jump on.
- where are all these “blind homers” who are making excuses for the team? please dont reference 7thlombardi……, he’s an agitator, not a representative. i dont think that anyone disputes that our O-line leaves a lot to be desired when they’re healthy, and are downright pitiful when they’re injured and rotating starters every 10 plays due to injury. I dont know of anyone who disputes that our run D has to improve, we arent getting pressure on the qb, and that we still have issues in our defensive secondary.

“And I sure as hell don’t post lame, homerific statements like “GO STEELERS” in every post. Stuff like that is fine if you happen to be like 10 or 12 years old but come on, these guys here that are doing this are lots older than that.”

- shame that such an simple statement bothers you so much, seems a little trivial to get so worked up over, but i guess that’s just you reflecting your maturity.

“The Steelers look to be in big trouble. Their future for this year & the next couple looks to be bleak. They are old at several key positions and they are also just plain terrible at several other key positions. Their salary cap doesn’t look too good so fixing thing via free agency seems unlikely. That leaves the draft, which will probably take 2 or 3 years and a lot of wise selections to fix.”

- so says you and the rest of the haters. yes, we have some older players, but they’re only 9 months older than they were when they played in the most recent SB. being old doesnt make you play poorly, playing poorly makes you look old, and right now, we are playing poorly. not finishing tackles, not playing gap sound, overpursuing and creating cutback lanes, etc. are all symptoms of our poor play and thus the reason everyone wants to point to age as the reason why. it’s just a silly argument. of all teams, the steelers will cut you loose if they think you’re too old (see declining skills) to get it done.

“Pittsburgh has had a good team for a while but they dropped the ball when it came to key elements of having a team that is continues to stay good: they didn’t maintain a great offensive or defensive line. They have to fix these things and on top of that, they have other problems to fix.”

- i’ll give you that. not as worried about our d-line as i am about our o-line. we have hood and heyward coming along, so i think we’ll be good there. other problems like CB? we can agree on that.

“They have enough decent players to be at least a mediocre team, one that is just good enough to make their homer fans believe the team may do something great. Trouble is, once injuries hit certain guys, this average team will be real bad.”

- same could be said of many teams

“They’ve been too spoiled by success…”
- i can think of worse problems

Will never fault a fan for speaking his mind … but reserve the right to disagree You have me beat by a few years. I’ve been a diehard Steelers fan 34 years. I love Tomlin, too, but as Cowher did, he aggravates me sometimes. And Ben aggravates me a lot. But there were only a couple of times in last week when I think he could have gotten rid of the ball and took an unnecessary sack. In fairness, on those occasions, he was desperately trying to make something happen because he rarely got the opportunity in that game.

I did not care for our previous o-line coach Zierlein, and felt he did a poor job of schooling players on blocking schemes. But I like Sean Kugler. He’s known for his attention to detail. The problem now is lack of talent, which Tomlin and Colbert should have addressed in the off season. They couldn’t have anticipated losing Willie–and I agreed initially with the decision to let Gilbert get his feet wet. But that’s because I assumed they’d drafted a more talented player than they had. And I hoped Jonathan Scott knew what he was doing. He doesn’t.

So in this case, I don’t think Cowher chewing out Kugler would help. He, Colbert, Arians, and Kugler need to be looking around the league and seeing how they can get their hands on some alternative talent. As for Arians’s play-calling, what can I say? He has a lot of positives, but he can’t seem to improvise when things go wrong. We know that, opposing teams know that, and you’d think Tomlin would know that. But there he is, sticking with the program even after it’s been shut down.

miketomlinssteelers10 says:
I can’t believe the o-line is being blamed for all the sacks/hits and int’s…Ben is as much at fault for not hitting the short passes that is there as well as holding the ball too long. … I miss the “Chin”..
———————————————-
Ben deserves criticism for a lot of things, but failing to release the ball fast enough in the last two weeks isn’t one of them. Go back to those games and try timing how long he has from the snap to make a read and get the ball out. Honey, he’s made some wild plays through the years, but he’s no miracle worker. And interesting that you’re named for Tomlin but miss the Chin. Bill couldn’t make a silk purse out of the sows on this offensive line either.

dickroy says:

You can’t believe the o-line is being blamed for all the sacks?
————————————————
I’m getting the impression many of these folks don’t know what an o-line does (or should be doing). However, they do know how to parrot an old criticism even when it’s not applicable

@Deb,I like Mike Tomlin as coach that’s why I used his name,I support the Rooney’s for hiring him. I just wish he would get in the face of his coordinators like B.C. would,remember the spit flying all over?That’s what I mean,not a firing just some motivation and fear to do their job.It seems like they need a fire lit under them. That O-line has NO IDENITY at all(injuries/releases)..That’s why the Ben-Arians show is getting stale..They’ll get some movement with runs and then leave it for 5 wide or Hines bubble screen..Ben does’nt have to be “miracle worker”just manage the game.I’ve watched the 4 games and to avoid a sack because of crappy blocking all he had to do was throw the ball in row 10 or hit the short receiver but he has too much pride and will take a beating..
I’ve been a fan for 41 years and will continue to be one..but I’ll speak my mind just like the rest of the football fans. I call ‘em as I see ‘em.
Just Saying….
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO STEELERS!!!!!!

@quittsburghstoolers :
what?! as a fan of the steelers, who else’s Koolaid should we be drinking? let me guess, we should only support our team when things are going well and/or other teams’ fans think we should. pretty sure there’s a name out there for that kind of fan…..anyone?

———————————————————

How’s about NOT drinking the Koolaid the rest of the homers are drinking?

When my sports teams are bad or their players aren’t behaving properly, I call them on it. I don’t make excuses for them or ignore the problems. Only blind homers do that. True fans don’t.

And I sure as hell don’t post lame, homerific statements like “GO STEELERS” in every post. Stuff like that is fine if you happen to be like 10 or 12 years old but come on, these guys here that are doing this are lots older than that.

The Steelers look to be in big trouble. Their future for this year & the next couple looks to be bleak. They are old at several key positions and they are also just plain terrible at several other key positions. Their salary cap doesn’t look too good so fixing thing via free agency seems unlikely. That leaves the draft, which will probably take 2 or 3 years and a lot of wise selections to fix.

Pittsburgh has had a good team for a while but they dropped the ball when it came to key elements of having a team that is continues to stay good: they didn’t maintain a great offensive or defensive line. They have to fix these things and on top of that, they have other problems to fix.

They have enough decent players to be at least a mediocre team, one that is just good enough to make their homer fans believe the team may do something great. Trouble is, once injuries hit certain guys, this average team will be real bad.

Bottom line is the team needs a major overhaul in several places. And their fickle fans don’t wanna hear it or believe it. They’ve been too spoiled by success…

“Am I high at the moment or in the Twlight Zone?”

——————————————————-

Neither because you haven’t been drinking the Steeler Koolaid their fans consume by the gallon…

With Big Ben? ….Passing Attack?
Steeler offense having to carry their Defense?

am I High at the moment or in the twlight zone?

dickroy says:

You can’t believe the o-line is being blamed for all the sacks?
————————————————
I’m getting the impression many of these folks don’t know what an o-line does (or should be doing). However, they do know how to parrot an old criticism even when it’s not applicable

Your irony caused me no distress, I just thought it was hilarious that you would question the intelligence of others when you couldn’t even spell the word correctly. But hey spin it in whatever way makes you feel smart.

So you’re saying that the trophies help you this year because of experience? How has that experience paid off so far this season? Oh wait, it wasn’t… the Steelers have played like crap.

As far as football knowledge, you haven’t displayed any as of yet.

But richm2256, with the Pats dropping in the first round of the playoffs every year, I wouldn’t get too excited about that 14-2.

Sorry my spelling error caused you distress, but I do believe the discussion was and still is about football knowledge!
Please see my second posting at 11:26 A.M. I think I know where you fall. YOU WIN!!!! Experience always pays off.

As for the rest of you and the comments downgrading SB trophies I only ask two questions:
1. Why do they play the game?
2. Who has the most of those “meaningless” trophies?

Thanks for playing along!

As for this season I can only say time will tell. Have they looked good? Most of the time no. Can they get better? Certainly. Do they have all the tools to compete? For sure. Will they compete? I don’t know, but if they can get healthy I wouldn’t count them out. As for the Lombardi trophies helping out this year, in the context that you’re saying it, they can’t. But, I’m sure the experience of playing in playoffs and winning SB’s, help any team that participate in them. So in that context knowing how to get there and what it takes, yes those trophies(experiences) will help.

They usually are when the QB takes the snap and has to scramble for his life. There are a few on Ben, but most sacks are on the offensive line.

Just sayin’

Agree with you, especially about Woodley. Don’t understand how he can drop off in production so much. No mention of any injury. He is not getting penetration, and he is missing tackles. With Harrison out, his contributions become even more important.

GO STEELERS!!

Re: Ben, I appreciate your viewpoints and reasons, but would generally disagree with you. While clearly Ben has made mental mistakes, otehr than maybe his early years he basically has not ever had a solid offensive line in front of him. And the past 2-3 years it has gotten worse as far as protection is concerned. Sure, they have had a lot of injuries, but the fact is the protection for whatever reason has gone down. With that, sacks, hits causing fumbles, rushed plays, poor passes and INTs have gone up. The way I look at it, if almost any other QB in the league maybe other than Brady was inserted into the offense the past 4-5 years, I don’t think they would have done as well as Ben has. And quite frankly, I don’t think they would have played as many games because they would have been likely injured more often. I for once would love to see what Ben would do if he had a running game that actually picked up some yardage this year to take the pressure off of having to pass to go anywhere, and for him to be able to stand back there for a few seconds longer to let the play develop. I really would like to see what would happen then.

GO STEELERS!!