Thanks To A Porous Defense and Poor Coaching, Big Ben Can’t Have An Off Day

After the Steelers embarrassing loss on Sunday to the hated Baltimore Ravens, they find themselves on the brink of missing the playoffs. This defeat is especially harmful as all the team had to do was win out against a poor Ravens team and the lowly Cleveland Browns and they’d be in the playoffs. They failed to do so and now must beat the Browns and pray that the Buffalo Bills can upset the New York Jets in order to slip into the tournament.  The odds are certainly against that.

It’s infuriating to see this team fall short, specifically because the Ravens were starting their 4^th quarterback of the season and are quite simply not a very good football team this year.  The Ravens stepped up and swept the Steelers in a very down year for them. The two wins this year makes it 4 out of the last 5 and 8 out of the last 11 times these teams have faced off that the Ravens have come out victorious.

Quite frankly the main reason for this is Mike Tomlin has and always will be outcoached by John Harbaugh. Harbaugh is a far better game planner, game manager and motivator. Period.  Do you think Tomlin had his guys ready to play this past week?  They looked as though they felt like they already won the game and had nothing to lose.  On the other side, a Ravens team who truly had nothing to lose and playing with 17 guys not on the week 4 roster (the first time these teams met this season) came out and put it to the Steelers.

Mike Tomlin once again had a factor in the outcome as he foolishly elected to go for a 4^th and 1 on the opening drive, well into Raven territory, rather than kick the field goal to go up 3-0.  The team didn’t convert and the Ravens took advantage of it and never looked back. It’s is quite the obvious that you never, EVER, give an inferior team hope, it will bite you every time and that’s what happed here.  Had the team put points up to lead 3-0, the whole game could have gone differently. Never mind the fact that the team lost by 3 at the end of the game.  Tomlins arrogance and lack of recognition of game situations is nothing short of mind boggling and disappointing.

Many will point to Big Ben as a culprit in the defeat and there is no doubt he had a big hand in the outcome as well as he was off target and threw two interceptions and a 3^rd one returned for a touchdown that was fortunately called back due to penalty.  Ben has to play better but more glaring is the fact that he is unable to have an off day, as I’ve pointed out all season long, thanks to the defense.  If this offense doesn’t go over 30 points, typically, they won’t win. In this case, they needed at least 21, the defense couldn’t hold Ryan Mallet down, allowing him 274 yards in the air, a career best.  It’s shameful to see a once proud defense gashed like this by bottom rung quarterbacks. 

For the season the defense has allowed the following via the air attack: Tom Brady 288 Yards, 4TD’s (ok it’ s Brady, hard not to accept this one), Colin Kaepernick 335 yards, 2TD’s (Kaepernick was benched this year because he’s horrible), Nick Foles 197 yards, no TD’s (good performance here),  Joe Flacco 189 Yards, 1TD (choked down the stretch in this one), Philip Rivers 365 Yards, 2 TD’s (Rivers is good but this is a lot of yards), Carson Palmer 421 yards, 1 TD (421 yards!! Enough said.), Alex Smith 251 Yards, 1 TD (Smith barely ever cracks 200 yards), Andy Dalton 221 yards, 1 TD (pretty good numbers here), Derek Carr 301 yards, 4 TD’s (that’s a lot of TD’s for Derek Carr), Johnny Manziel 372 yards, 1 TD (career high for a pedestrian Manziel), Russell Wilson 345 yards, 5 TD’s (these numbers are insanely gaudy, especially for Russell Wilson who isn’t a premiere passer), Matt Hasselbeck 165 yards, 1 TD (Hasselbeck is 40 years old), AJ McCarron 280 yards, 2 TD’s (McCarron had never played significant downs before this game and came in part way through the first quarter), Brock Osweiler 296 yards, 3 TD’s (second string Brock Osweiler), Ryan Mallet 274 yards, 1 TD (career high for Mallet, Ravens 4^th starter on the year). 

Those numbers are atrocious and unacceptable and further prove that this team has major deficiencies. So, I could say if the Steelers made the playoffs they wouldn’t want to face Tom Brady, but honestly, does it really matter? Other AFC teams in the post season have McCarron, Osweiler and Smith leading the way and we see what they did. And should they face Brandon Weeden, he’d do it too.

So while the Steeler are mathematically alive and could slip in, it may be a tough task for them to advance in the post season any way. Should the Steelers fail to make the playoffs or make it and lose in the first game, it will be the 5^th consecutive season they’ve gone without a playoff win, something they haven’t accomplished since 1962. So while there are many Tomlin lovers out there who think he’s a top of the line coach, ask yourself, what has he done after he lost Bill Cowhers players and what will he do once Big Ben is finally done? We saw what this team did when Ben had an off day, wait til he’s no longer suited up, Tomlin will be truly exposed for what he is…or isn’t.

It May Be A Fun Ride Afterall

After Sunday’s great come from behind victory against a very good Denver Broncos team, the black and gold find themselves sitting in the 6^th and final playoff spot.  Now they must win the remaining two games against two bad teams, yet teams who are bitter rivals just aching to ruin the Steelers season.

There is no telling how far this potent offense behind Big Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown can take this team. This is no doubt a Super Bowl caliber offense. They have been scoring points in droves and it’s hard to imagine that won’t continue over the next few weeks. Having the best wide receiver in the game, the best quarterback in the game, in my opinion, and weapons all around, this team can certainly score with anyone.

What was once a team known for its dominant defense, able to win 9-6 games and deliver punishing blow after blow is now a team known for the amazing offensive output. They are probably the best offense the black and gold have ever displayed and one of the best in league history. The health of Big Ben Roethlisberger is certainly the key to the offensive output but you cannot discount Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Heath Miller or DeAngelo Williams. All of those guys are contributing to this amazing run of points the team has been scoring.  You have to give credit to Mike Munchaks’ offensive line as well, they are blocking for Ben and helping open up holes for Williams. 

These guys are making us forget all about what it was like to have the best defense in the league. To sport an exciting offense like this is special and unique to this town. Now we need to hope and pray that the defense doesn’t give up too many points before the offense can get going. Unlike yesterday when they gave the Broncos a 17 point lead before clamping down and allowing the offense to climb back in to win the game, the playoffs will be different and will not allow for such holes to be dug.  The defense has certainly gotten better over the last few weeks, delivering stops when needed and now is the time for them to put it altogether and make a run. If this team can drop the points allowed down to the low 20’s, then there’s no saying how far Big Ben can take them.

The next two weeks need to be taken care of before it’s post season time but assuming they get the job done, you might want to get your popcorn ready for the post season Steeler Nation because it could be a fun ride after all.

Get Rid of LeVeon Bell? Are You Crazy?!

After the Steelers improved to 8-5 this past Sunday; I saw a lot of questions being asked on whether or not the Steelers should keep LeVeon Bell after his contract expires at the end of next season.  The notion seems to be that the Steelers offense is flying so high without him that his services aren’t needed at the price he’ll command in free agency. 

I have to laugh at this thought and call it a blatant disregard of common sense.  Bell is one of, if not the premiere running back in this league.  While this offense is scoring points in bunches and DeAngelo Williams has filled in admirably, you don’t just move on from a guy like Bell simply because he’s had a few injuries. Not when he’s a 1,200 yard a year back on the ground and another 800 in the air. He’s too special.

Beyond the fact that he possesses a skill set that is unmatched by any other back in the NFL; he has an amazing work ethic, is a great teammate and is developing into a leader. You don’t let those guys walk away. 

There is no arguing what DeAngelo Williams has done thus far this season and without him, the Steelers wouldn’t be where they are but his contributions further prove that it’s necessary to have two running backs in todays’ NFL and when you have a guy like Bell coupled with a great backup like Williams, you don’t break that up.  Furthermore, Williams is currently 32 years old, he doesn’t have that many years left to be a big time contributor, that’s just how Mother Nature works.  Beyond that fact, you need to find a back to replace Bell and eventually Williams, who would that be?

Following me yet?  The idea itself is ludicrous and unimaginable. If the Steelers are fearful of signing Bell to a long term deal after next season, they can always franchise tag him for a year or two but believe me, Bell is a guy that this team can ill afford to lose.

If you want to talk about a guy the team should consider dropping because he gets hurt often, look at Muarkice Pouncey. He’s certainly an all pro caliber center, when he’s playing, but is he worth 8 million dollars a year at this point? He’s a guy who’s been replaced without the offense missing a beat. Sure, it’d be nice to have him but I consider him more of a luxury at this point than a necessity. 

Beyond Big Ben, there is no other player on this team that is less expandable than LeVeon Bell. For those of you who think otherwise, think again. Bell should and will be here for a very long time and I’ll even go so far as to say that when his career is over, he’ll be noted as the best running back in Pittsburgh Steeler history. Think about that.

Big Ben Is The MVP

After the Steelers dropped 45 points on the Colts this past Sunday night, it became more apparent than ever before that this offense is one of the best in team history and has the potential to score points in bunches against just about anyone.

It was a feeling of great relief to see DeAngelo Williams running the ball as effectively as he did, to sit there and fully realize that while LeVeon Bell is no longer playing this season, he’s been more than adequately replaced but a starting caliber player. Williams may be the first and only player that the Mike Tomlin adage of ‘next man up’ truly fits. See, you can’t say next man up and expect there to be little to no drop off unless you have a guy like Williams who can step in. 

That theory holds true at quarterback. Look what happened when Ben Roethlisberger went down. Mike Vick and Landry Jones filled in and played at the level they were capable of but that level was nothing close to what Big Ben is.  

Ben needs to be considered in the 2015 MVP conversation. Without him, this team would be 3-9 right now. He is a superstar who doesn’t get enough credit. Everyone wants to talk about the amazing trio of wide receivers that the Steelers have in Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and now Markus Wheaton but let me tell you something, while they are all good and very talented, Big Ben makes them great, period.  Without him, you saw what happened. They all need a great QB to get them the ball at the right place, at the right time and only Ben can do that.  If you don’t think Ben makes these guys what they are, why don’t you go ask Mike Wallace what he thinks right about now?  Remember him?  Remember how great he was when Ben was throwing him the ball?  So great that he got 12 million a year to leave and the Steelers said go ahead. They knew it wasn’t him, it was Ben.

So while we look at these receivers playing out of their minds right now and we see the black and gold dropping 45 points a game, make note of who’s running the show, the best quarterback the franchise has ever had and in my opinion the MVP of the league in 2015.