2020 Season......

[BUS36]

After going 11-0, the Steelers have dropped 2 in a row. They now are the #2 seed...1 game ahead of the Browns( Browns v Raven on Monday Night 11/14). The Offense is becoming too predictable, the OL is so worried about protecting Ben they forgot how to run the ball. Drives are not being sustained to keep the defense fresh. Defensively they are getting tired toward the end of the game. Get out of the 4 or 5 WR sets ans go 21 or 12 0r even 13 personnel .

[Rixster67r]

Just a reminder..... The Pittsburgh Steelers have won 6 Superbowls the most of any NFL franchise.... indeed your coach won a superbowl in 2008... meanwhile my city and teams have yet to even appear in one....

[BUS36]

My feeling is that even though the Steelers won 11 in a row, these last 4 games have shown that we give up on the run too fast. Jerome Bettis has recently said that you have to be committed to running the ball. Right now they are not...

[RevanFan]

My feeling is that even though the Steelers won 11 in a row, these last 4 games have shown that we give up on the run too fast. Jerome Bettis has recently said that you have to be committed to running the ball. Right now they are not...

Honestly... I think that kind of mentality is outdated. You need to run, sure, but you don't need to do it heavily. Some of the best teams in the NFL, like the Chiefs, pass far more than they run on average. All you need is the right staff for that approach. If your QB and receivers are much better options than your runners, you pass. If your runners are better... you still pass, but maybe run a bit more often.

I will give you, I don't truly know what the Steelers' issue lately is. All I'm saying is I think Bettis may be a bit biased, with him being a running back and all.

[MikeWest502]

My feeling is that even though the Steelers won 11 in a row, these last 4 games have shown that we give up on the run too fast. Jerome Bettis has recently said that you have to be committed to running the ball. Right now they are not...

Honestly... I think that kind of mentality is outdated. You need to run, sure, but you don't need to do it heavily. Some of the best teams in the NFL, like the Chiefs, pass far more than they run on average. All you need is the right staff for that approach. If your QB and receivers are much better options than your runners, you pass. If your runners are better... you still pass, but maybe run a bit more often.

I will give you, I don't truly know what the Steelers' issue lately is. All I'm saying is I think Bettis may be a bit biased, with him being a running back and all.

Nah, Bettis is right, The truth is today's teams play more to media/fan expectations.
Today fans don't truly respect the true essence of a balanced football team. Fans want big plays every down. They want teams to score a million points per game. And team defenses mostly have a bend don't break mentality and give up too many big plays with that attitude. And that allows even the weakest QB's to look half way serviceable. The Chiefs are a prime example of the bend/break mentality. The defense is very talented, but only does just enough to manage.

For 3 weeks straight I've watched them squander 3 score leads in the 4th qtr's almost costing them the victory. They had the Raiders in hand but the defense took the entire second half off for tea and the Raiders stormed back to win! The Rams defense is totally opposite and a no-nonsense defense and looks to shut teams down every play. They don't go with that bend/break attitude. Teams that don't have a decent offensive balance struggle. Being one dimensional is a recipe for a loosing team!

I do admit all teams throw too much, relying on QB's to do what the RB's are needed for. Which is to sustain the offense and move the chains. But fan's don't want that, and are bored with real football. They prefer that the NFL play like NCAA where teams can put up 50 points weekly.

Derrick Henry is truly under appreciated and Pat Mahomes is OVER glorified. Don't get me wrong Mahomes is the best QB in the league. But Derrick Henry, NOT Aaron Donald is the most dominant player in the league. And because Henry doesn't play QB throwing for 5 million yards a game, the league has devalued his position. Solid RB's are a must have for all teams to be successful and are not a dime a dozen commodity.

Last season the Steelers went 8-8 without Ben. They played to the strength of their team. They did not line up 5 wr every down, but used 2 and 3 TE sets and ran the ball with Conner which setup playaction to move the sticks. That kept their defense fresh and opposing defenses some what off balance. Now they have lost 3 studs on defense and the replacements have not performed up to par. I stated earlier their DB's are their weak link and would get exposed eventually. Without Hayden, Fitzpatrick can't make the plays and the current CB's are plain garbage! Diggs feasted on them to prove my point!

Next up for them are the Bungels. Hopefully they get back on track after that! Cleveland won't be as easy the second time around. So they better be ready for a real dog fight or the North division title won't be theirs!

I hear too many commentator blame WR's instead of faulting the QB for a poorly thrown pass. Then most fans bite right in and agree claiming WR's run bad routes or need to jump 10 feet to grab the high off target passes! It's a joke! Today's QB's get too much credit for simply being mediocre! And are grossly over-paid and over hyped.

The era of REAL balanced attack football is gone forever! Run the DAM ball!

[MikeWest502]

Another example I use are the current Jacksonville Jaguars. They have one of the WEAKEST/WORST/HORRIBLE QB's in the league. One of if not the worst WR corps in the league and yet they pass 65.7 percent each game. On the flop side, they use an undrafted RB who already has over 1000 yards rushing and is a gem/stud that is underwhelmingly utilized!

That example clearly shows the direction the NFL is headed in and totally geared for fan appeal and NOT real football common sense!

On the opposite side, the Ravens pass 48 percent and play to the strength of their team.They also have one of the weakest WR corps in the league. Their TE is their best most reliable downfield threat. They play smart football! And their defense is well rested and play solidly every game win or lose!

The Titans run/pass ratio is 50/50 as they don't want teams stacking the box. And has one of the best play-action QB's running the offence very effectively! They too play to the strengths of their team. The offense is on the field more to cover their weak link defense who has the worst 3rd down % of all teams in the league. Again smart football, not focused on fan appeal!

[BUS36]

What has become the normal in the NFL is pass pass pass pass.. as a coach if I am playing a team that wants to pass the ball every down ..I bring the heat. You blitz to make hurried throws, force mistakes and false reads. The loss of Dupree hurts more than what "next man up" can fix. His speed and play making ability is not replaceable. Teams will now protect heavy vs Heyward and Watt.

As for what Bettis said..when you play Madden how much do you run the ball?..If I don't run at least 30-35 times I take time off the clock, force the other team to try to pass more and I keep the defense fresh. That was the same with those Steelers teams under Cowher and Noll. If an Offensive line can not sustain drives, the defense is on the field too much. During the 11-0 run the Steelers were in the top 5 in Time of Possession. I will always make this statement..the most important part of a football team is the Offensive Line.

The NFL now is a pass happy league..they hate to see games like 14-7 or 10-3, because people think its boring. Last night game is a prime example.. Ravens 45- Browns 42. What happened to the great Ravens D and what happened to the Browns D???? They did not even show up, I look at a football game as a chess match ..your best offense is a great defense and your best defense is a great offense. So if someone doesn't get that ..here you go... If your offense can control the clock with long drives and score points and the defense can limit drives and no points...you will win games

It will always come down to who finds the cracks first in the others defense...

[MikeWest502]

What has become the normal in the NFL is pass pass pass pass.. as a coach if I am playing a team that wants to pass the ball every down ..I bring the heat. You blitz to make hurried throws, force mistakes and false reads. The loss of Dupree hurts more than what "next man up" can fix. His speed and play making ability is not replaceable. Teams will now protect heavy vs Heyward and Watt.

As for what Bettis said..when you play Madden how much do you run the ball?..If I don't run at least 30-35 times I take time off the clock, force the other team to try to pass more and I keep the defense fresh. That was the same with those Steelers teams under Cowher and Noll. If an Offensive line can not sustain drives, the defense is on the field too much. During the 11-0 run the Steelers were in the top 5 in Time of Possession. I will always make this statement..the most important part of a football team is the Offensive Line.

The NFL now is a pass happy league..they hate to see games like 14-7 or 10-3, because people think its boring. Last night game is a prime example.. Ravens 45- Browns 42. What happened to the great Ravens D and what happened to the Browns D???? They did not even show up, I look at a football game as a chess match ..your best offense is a great defense and your best defense is a great offense. So if someone doesn't get that ..here you go... If your offense can control the clock with long drives and score points and the defense can limit drives and no points...you will win games

It will always come down to who finds the cracks first in the others defense...

So true. It's actually worse off because teams pass so much. They don't control the clock and game management is way off. Defenses are super tired because many teams offenses have more 3-N-Out possessions this season than ever in NFL history due to the high volume of passes. NFL football is a punishing physical sport. Every position has to go through the punishment, except the QB position. The girly rules implemented now protect them from taking normal punishment. Like if a DL is rushing at the QB and OL blocks him, knocking him off balance. The guy stumbles into the QB's legs and gets hit with a personal foul penalty is horrible! Or if the DL pass rushing has his hands up trying to deflect a pass and in the process of bringing his hands down while shedding a block hits the baby girl QB's helmet, he gets flagged. It's pathetic.

Also, Bettis is correct in his assessment, not biased in any way. His assessment is from a professional player perspective, not just a running back view. He values the QB play but also understands "what's missing" from today's game! And what's missing is the balance run/pass that most teams have gone away from. Andy Reid and KC pass 61%. If they had Kareem Hunt still in their backfield, that 61% would be be lower. Reid being a smart coach has always played to the strength of his personnel. He's always valued RB's who can catch out of the back field, even when he was in Philly all those season! He never needed to line up 4-5 WR sets. He does more 3WR with the TE and RB split wide! And that's because he's strong group of WR's, the best TE in the game and both his RB's are elusive very good pass catchers! He still utilizes his FB and two TE sets to keep defenses off balance and spreads them thin (splitting Kelce wide) so Mahomes can stretch the field sideline to sideline!

The Browns are another example of a team playing smart football. With Hunt & Chubb beasting defenses and Baker not playing great football every game. The Browns run more and use play action effectively to get the job done. That style limits Bakers chance of making more mistakes that would be too costly! But the the Browns are now a relevant team in the league once more! The defense just had another bad game vs the Ravens who clearly have their number!

[BUS36]

MikeWest502 wrote:
So true. It's actually worse off because teams pass so much. They don't control the clock and game management is way off. Defenses are super tired because many teams offenses have more 3-N-Out possessions this season than ever in NFL history due to the high volume of passes. NFL football is a punishing physical sport. Every position has to go through the punishment, except the QB position. The girly rules implemented now protect them from taking normal punishment. Like if a DL is rushing at the QB and OL blocks him, knocking him off balance. The guy stumbles into the QB's legs and gets hit with a personal foul penalty is horrible! Or if the DL pass rushing has his hands up trying to deflect a pass and in the process of bringing his hands down while shedding a block hits the baby girl QB's helmet, he gets flagged. It's pathetic.

Also, Bettis is correct in his assessment, not biased in any way. His assessment is from a professional player perspective, not just a running back view. He values the QB play but also understands "what's missing" from today's game! And what's missing is the balance run/pass that most teams have gone away from. Andy Reid and KC pass 61%. If they had Kareem Hunt still in their backfield, that 61% would be be lower. Reid being a smart coach has always played to the strength of his personnel. He's always valued RB's who can catch out of the back field, even when he was in Philly all those season! He never needed to line up 4-5 WR sets. He does more 3WR with the TE and RB split wide! And that's because he's strong group of WR's, the best TE in the game and both his RB's are elusive very good pass catchers! He still utilizes his FB and two TE sets to keep defenses off balance and spreads them thin (splitting Kelce wide) so Mahomes can stretch the field sideline to sideline!

The Browns are another example of a team playing smart football. With Hunt & Chubb beasting defenses and Baker not playing great football every game. The Browns run more and use play action effectively to get the job done. That style limits Bakers chance of making more mistakes that would be too costly! But the the Browns are now a relevant team in the league once more! The defense just had another bad game vs the Ravens who clearly have their number!

If you have ever played organized football or coached football, you learn that a balanced offense is the most difficult to defend, If you as a defense can take just one of those parts away run or pass and make a team one dimensional it is easy to play. If the offense has an avg of 4.0 yards per carry and a 6.0 yards per catch that would mean the a possible 75% of the time they pick up first downs every 2 attempts and a higher percentage in 3 tries. If you have a 2nd and 4, 95 % of your playbook is available. If you have a 2rd and 2 or less the entire playbook is available..it will be what the defense is going to show and give you.

Since 1977.. the rules are for opening up the offense. That year they allowed the OL to extend their arms to block. The defense was slapped with the Mel Blount rule ( 5 yard chuck rule ) and they took away the head slap from the D. Now the way tackling techniques have been changed so there is less the chance for concussion, which is good but I have already seen more shoulder injuries on defenders. Now they want you to wrap more around the thigh area and roll the player to the ground. This is what is being taught in youth and high school , I know since the last 4 years I have done youth and High School football.

[RevanFan]

I don't think the rise of passing has much to do with fans. A bit, sure, but really it's down to data and statistics. Analytics. Passing plays have a much higher expected points per play than running plays, which are often actually negative. The more you run, the fewer points you score. It's statistics, and statistics don't lie. You need to run to keep defenses honest, but every time you do, you are actively limiting your potential to score points. And this is coming from a guy who supported giving Zeke an extension. I like running backs, but the data shows that passing is far better in terms of scoring potential.

This is of course all reliant on the team having a good quarterback, of course. Teams with a Patrick Mahomes or a Dak Prescott, for instance, are far more likely to do well when passing than teams with a Gardner Minshew or Sam Darnold. Additionally, you have to factor in offensive line ability as well. A passing game won't do much with the line giving up constant pressure... but the running game won't do well either in that case. Hopefully in the years ahead we'll see more weighted statistics like you see in baseball analytics.

Honestly, the data shows that the best philosophy is "pass to set up the run", not the other way around.