What Im jealous of, of playoff teams

[JensK]

It is a problem when you stubbornly run up the middle for nothing and refuse to change the play calling. Teams are allowed to pass on first down too.

As for the Vikings and the Texans, what have they won?

first of all, the debate was not about who has won more championships. It was about effectively running the ball, and both of those teams are doing that. And both of those teams made the playoffs, which is more than we can say. Furthermore, Steelers did not have what you would call a great running game during any of our Superbowl appearances the last 10 years.

Sure, you can throw it on first down. And you do have to do other things than running up the middle. Steelers have done both. They have just not been very good at it. Also, it is hardly unpredictable to throw it on first down and run a couple of stretch plays from time to time.

But during the playoffs, the Giants ran the ball like champs.

This is true, however you have to reach the playoff before you can worry about it

[steelcity73]

There is nothing wrong with a predictable run game if you have a good RB. Its a misconception that you have to be creative to run the ball well. That is not at all the case. Look at The Vikings. They are not trying to disguise what they are doing. Sure, they might run a couple of trap plays from time to time, but overall there is nothing fancy about their running game. They just have the line and RB to pull it off. We could potentially have the line if they stay healthy, but we sorely lack a difference maker at RB. If you have one of those, you can be as predictable as you like when running the ball - you'll get good yardage.

Another example is what the Texans do. Nothing fancy about that.

I agree with needing to have a solid RB, but even getting one we still need a healthy OL. Ben is never gonna be a pocket/timing QB, it's just not in his DNA. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the offenses success ultimately start with the OL? Reading some of these posts just frustrates me when everyone is wanting to fire Haley/Tomlin, trade Ben, blame it on the WR's/RB's, but not having a stable OL is the root of this offense being ineffective, IMO. There is nothing wrong with being predictable at times, if you got the playmakers and the right game plan predictability shouldn't be a problem, with some wrinkles just to keep the D off balance. Also having a solid RB will eat up time on the clock, just don't agree with some of these posts saying we need to shift most of the emphasis on the offense, the Steelers will never be a "run and gun" high scoring offense, or lets say an offense that will go toe to toe with someone such as the patriots. I think it's unrealistic to expect this offense to be scoring 30+ a game, and if that's what's required for this new NFL then we as Steelers fans with Big Ben at the helm and no running game are in for a lot of frustrating sundays to come. This is just my opinion

[LarryNJ]

I think it's unrealistic to expect this offense to be scoring 30+ a game, and if that's what's required for this new NFL then we as Steelers fans with Big Ben at the helm and no running game are in for a lot of frustrating sundays to come.

The losing teams this weekend had 28, 28, 31 & 35 points. Looks like they better get to 30+ points a game.

[jdehoff83]

The texans need the run game to work otherwise they are screwed as other teams with more effective passing games can skate by if they have to. The steelers have a qb that is very capable of stepping up his game if the run game isnt there.... i know i know u need a pass and a run to do this and that yea i get it.. if the line is to blame for this season then we did pretty good with one that was crap

[jdehoff83]

The losing teams this weekend had 28, 28, 31 & 35 points. Looks like they better get to 30+ points a game.

Well lets look at some of the poor play that took place ? How many times did a receiver get past a safety in the denver bmore game? And to tie it when the broncos should of shut it down for the w? The scores are high but i think the mistakes some of these players are making in the post season are to blame.. if you have a shut down defense 30 pts allowed should be few and far between

[LarryNJ]

True but the Seahawks, Niners, Broncos & Falcons all had top 5 defenses in points allowed this year. They are about as good as it gets in today's NFL.

[jdehoff83]

True but the Seahawks, Niners, Broncos & Falcons all had top 5 defenses in points allowed this year. They are about as good as it gets in today's NFL.

So is it safe to say that defenses fail against better quality offenses or is it safe to say that a better offense will take advantage of a defenses mistakes??

[BlitzburghRockCity]

2x first round picks
2x second round picks

that is more "talent" than 90% of all NFL teams have on their o-line. We just cannot find a way to keep ours healthy. Ultimately, that falls back on the coaching. in my book.

I give Kugler credit for finding a way to get all of those guys to be so multi dimensional but I'm ready for a fresh start too. I really, really hope the team looks at conditioning during camp, OTA's, preseason, and regular season. I think that's a big part of the issue here with staying healthy. The players themselves need to take it upon themselves to stay in better shape too.

If Dwyer wants to be a starting RB, then he can't pull himself out of the game every few plays. Get your butt in there and run the damn ball.