Ben staying upright in Haley’s new offense

[Fire Arians]

heath miller is also making a case to be a pro bowler this season. nice to have an OC who knows how to use him

[OX1947]

Best season for Big Ben, and he seems to get better every week. I can not wait when we have some momentum going into the playoffs and Big Ben is on fire. This could be huge.

[btaylor179]

alot of screen passes again.....grrrrrrrr

[tony hipchest]

because of the coaching change, teams cant pin back their ears and tee off on ben any more (or atleast w/o as much success, because they fear getting burnt with a short quick pass.

think of how many times last year when the steelers were approaching the red zone between the 25-35 yard markers already in FG range. i can think of atleast 5 sacks or fumbles that took us out of fg range and we punted as another long drive fizzled. the play calling was the same every time.

1st down- run into a wall
2nd down- pass for 3-5 yd gain or take shot at endzone.
3rd down- 4 second developing play for a shot at endzone= sack fumble.

teams had no problem rushing 5-6 defenders every 2nd and 3rd down in those situations, because all history and scouting showed it was a shot at the endzone that was coming, not a quick pass.

arians HATED calling plays inside the 10 yard line because it shortens the field and limits his pea brain.

while everybody was sleeping, we quietly replaced hines ward with a fullback. our passing game hasnt suffered and it looks like our run game is improving. lo and behold, that fullback caught a TD pass today.

so what are the giants going to focus on this week? our run game with our new found hammer? oh wait, we threw 3 td's to our tight ends and fullbacks.

oh wait... we still have the fastest, most complete wr corp in the game.

defending the steelers has become a tall order. we will see that bear fruit when we start playing our divisional opponents. if they gameplan for arians predictability and ineptitude like they did in the past, they will get burn.

last year the opponents gamplan was simple. cover wallace and tee off on ben. let the chips fall where they may with the other players.

now you have to defend against brown, miller, wallace AND our running game (anyone notice today that for the first time all year the announcers commented on our great RB depth. before the season it was called our greatest weakness and achilles heel.

[PhantomJB93]

Haley has been an even bigger improvement over Arians than I thought he would. There's still the occasional headbanging play-call, but it happens like once a game now instead of once every series. It's funny how the offense and defense have been swapped to me; 2 years ago I had full confidence and faith in the defense to come up with a stop or turnover and force a 3-and out, and no confidence in the offense to move the chains for a first down or score; now it's the complete opposite and I expect nothing less than an offensive touchdown every drive.

[steelfury02]

anyone think Miller is going to have a huge game, or is he going to have to stay in to help protect more in this one?

He could always roll off the block and Ben can check down to him, same with our FB, I thought the Cowboys game plan looked all too much like an Arians' gameplan: I saw a couple of 3rd and 1s, and going for 25-30 yds. Plus it didn't help that Romo decides to heave it into double and triple coverage, in the middle of the field

[Edman]

Defending the Steelers Offense under Bruce Arians.

1st Down: Stack the box. Hey diddle diddle. Mendy up the middle.
2nd Down: 3 Tight Ends. Tackle the quick screen.
3rd Down: Send a heavy blitz/stunt. Forced throw. Sack, Misfire or Interception.

There. Instant 3 and out.

By the way, the Steelers have improved to 11th in yardage, 13th in scoring. The Colts Offense? 9th in Yardage, 24th in Scoring.

Yeah, I think you're seeing the improvement.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by steelfury02

anyone think Miller is going to have a huge game, or is he going to have to stay in to help protect more in this one?

He could always roll off the block and Ben can check down to him, same with our FB, I thought the Cowboys game plan looked all too much like an Arians' gameplan: I saw a couple of 3rd and 1s, and going for 25-30 yds. Plus it didn't help that Romo decides to heave it into double and triple coverage, in the middle of the field

the giants made it a focus to take cowboys jason witten out of yesterdays game. he was high priority as im sure heath miller will be. our receivers and qb are much better than dallas' though.

By the way, the Steelers have improved to 11th in yardage, 13th in scoring. The Colts Offense? 9th in Yardage, 24th in Scoring.

Yeah, I think you're seeing the improvement.

nice stat. last years team woulda given teh redskins the ball back with 3 minutes left and opportunity to score and try an onside kick.

[maddog78]

Originally Posted by Edman

Defending the Steelers Offense under Bruce Arians.

1st Down: Stack the box. Hey diddle diddle. Mendy up the middle.
2nd Down: 3 Tight Ends. Tackle the quick screen.
3rd Down: Send a heavy blitz/stunt. Forced throw. Sack, Misfire or Interception.

There. Instant 3 and out.

By the way, the Steelers have improved to 11th in yardage, 13th in scoring. The Colts Offense? 9th in Yardage, 24th in Scoring.

Yeah, I think you're seeing the improvement.

I'm hoping to see a top ten finish in both points and yards, both of which very possible if the OL stays healthy.