mesaSteeler
09-12-2009, 10:26 PM
teelers can't afford to get away from run game
September 12, 10:18 PMPittsburgh Sports Examiner
Matt Pawlikowski
http://www.examiner.com/x-2703-Pittsburgh-Sports-Examiner~y2009m9d12-Steelers-cant-afford-to-get-away-from-run-game
PITTSBURGH- Where have you gone Danny Kreider? Not since the days of old No. 35 when he cleared the run lanes for Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker has the Steelers rush attack been feared like it was for many years.
Case in point - Last year there was a stretch where the team did not rush for over 100 yards in three consecutive games. If that wasn't bad enough, the team averaged just 105.6 yards per game its fourth lowest output since the NFL merger in 1970.
On Thursday they had just 36 yards.
"We are not going to abandon anything we set out to do on any given week," Tomlin said. "I ask our guys to play like that, so I have to coach like that."
Lets hope so for the Steelers sake. Sure they got past the Titans, but a one dimensional offense the next few weeks against Chicago and the Chargers not to mention later in the North Division might not cut it.
While its nice to see big passing days from Ben Roethlisberger and a great output from the wide outs, one need look no further back than the 2003 season to see what a pass happy offense can do.
Tommy Maddox lit up the airways with some impressive numbers. That year they were second to last in the run department. The end result a 6-10 slate.
The run game has been its bread and butter since the days of Chuck Noll. Smash mouth football is what made other teams fear the Black and Gold. The Steelers have amassed 83,907 yards rushing since the NFL merger according to Stats LLC.
So is Thursday's game a sign of things to come?
"For us to go out there and sling it 40 or 50 times, its not going to happen," wide receiver Hines Ward. " I was here when Tommy Maddox did that, and it's not Steelers football. Our identity is never going to change. We just couldn't get things going in the run game so we had to hurry things up and Ben feels comfortable with that.
"But we have two great running backs, its a matter of working at it because when the weather gets bad we are going to depend on those guys."
Last season before his injury, Parker rushed 243 yards. He had just 19 on 13 carries against the Titans.
Part of the blame lies in the game plan, which seems to center around the pass. Part in fact is to Parker missing most of the pre-season, and a big part to the offensive line, who seemed baffled by the 4-3 scheme, and the way the Titans stacked the line of scrimmage.
"Coming into (Thursday's game) we talked about things we needed to do to be successful," coach Mike Tomlin said. "We talked about big men and blades of grass -- winning the trench warfare. We didn't do that."
The good thing is the lineman know they need to do better.
"We had a lot of communication errors out there tonight," tackle Willie Colon said. "We were kind of sloppy in the protection at times, and that's going to happen in the first game."
Last season the Steelers were able to win without the run, but a lot of credit should be given to the defense. With Troy Polamalu out indefinitely, Parker and crew need to step things up.
September 12, 10:18 PMPittsburgh Sports Examiner
Matt Pawlikowski
http://www.examiner.com/x-2703-Pittsburgh-Sports-Examiner~y2009m9d12-Steelers-cant-afford-to-get-away-from-run-game
PITTSBURGH- Where have you gone Danny Kreider? Not since the days of old No. 35 when he cleared the run lanes for Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker has the Steelers rush attack been feared like it was for many years.
Case in point - Last year there was a stretch where the team did not rush for over 100 yards in three consecutive games. If that wasn't bad enough, the team averaged just 105.6 yards per game its fourth lowest output since the NFL merger in 1970.
On Thursday they had just 36 yards.
"We are not going to abandon anything we set out to do on any given week," Tomlin said. "I ask our guys to play like that, so I have to coach like that."
Lets hope so for the Steelers sake. Sure they got past the Titans, but a one dimensional offense the next few weeks against Chicago and the Chargers not to mention later in the North Division might not cut it.
While its nice to see big passing days from Ben Roethlisberger and a great output from the wide outs, one need look no further back than the 2003 season to see what a pass happy offense can do.
Tommy Maddox lit up the airways with some impressive numbers. That year they were second to last in the run department. The end result a 6-10 slate.
The run game has been its bread and butter since the days of Chuck Noll. Smash mouth football is what made other teams fear the Black and Gold. The Steelers have amassed 83,907 yards rushing since the NFL merger according to Stats LLC.
So is Thursday's game a sign of things to come?
"For us to go out there and sling it 40 or 50 times, its not going to happen," wide receiver Hines Ward. " I was here when Tommy Maddox did that, and it's not Steelers football. Our identity is never going to change. We just couldn't get things going in the run game so we had to hurry things up and Ben feels comfortable with that.
"But we have two great running backs, its a matter of working at it because when the weather gets bad we are going to depend on those guys."
Last season before his injury, Parker rushed 243 yards. He had just 19 on 13 carries against the Titans.
Part of the blame lies in the game plan, which seems to center around the pass. Part in fact is to Parker missing most of the pre-season, and a big part to the offensive line, who seemed baffled by the 4-3 scheme, and the way the Titans stacked the line of scrimmage.
"Coming into (Thursday's game) we talked about things we needed to do to be successful," coach Mike Tomlin said. "We talked about big men and blades of grass -- winning the trench warfare. We didn't do that."
The good thing is the lineman know they need to do better.
"We had a lot of communication errors out there tonight," tackle Willie Colon said. "We were kind of sloppy in the protection at times, and that's going to happen in the first game."
Last season the Steelers were able to win without the run, but a lot of credit should be given to the defense. With Troy Polamalu out indefinitely, Parker and crew need to step things up.