tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518999264103251377.post2834206931148255548..comments2023-07-02T04:32:09.689-04:00Comments on Oblong Spheroid: Talking about Steelers - RavensChris Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04996455466572610983noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518999264103251377.post-73370985553180261162010-12-09T14:48:19.740-05:002010-12-09T14:48:19.740-05:00Steelers fans make the exact same complaints about...Steelers fans make the exact same complaints about Bruce Arians. They used to complain about other things -- he runs too much, he throws too much, he runs too much on first and second down, he doesn't run enough in short yardage -- lots of things that could actually be analyzed. All of them turned out to be false when the actual statistics were examined. Of course, the lack of a cohesive plan is impossible to argue. How would we know if there was or wasn't a cohesive plan? The obvious answer is success. If things work, then they had a plan. Chris's examples of teams that demonstrate a cohesive plan shows this: the Patriots, Colts, and Saints just happen to be some of the best offenses in the league. Does a cohesive plan lead to their success, or does success cause the appearance of a cohesive plan? Those teams are also led by the three best QBs in the game. I don't think that is a coincidence. However, I think a really good offensive line may be the key factor. When the offensive line is really good, your plays will all be better. Neither the Steelers nor the Ravens (I'm taking your word for it) have a really good offensive line. The Steelers actually have a terrible offensive line. That makes it nearly impossible to have a consistent offense.<br /><br />As for calling a pass on the strip-sack play -- I thought it was a good call. Getting that first down would have gone a long way to winning the game. I think a run was just as likely to lose yardage as gain yardage. There was a similar play earlier in the game when Polamalu blitzed, and he caught McGahee in the back field for a 4 yard loss. In the post game, the Steelers claimed that they were expecting a run, and the blitz was designed to stop it. Perhaps Cameron decided that running was not affective, so he made a change. As Naj said, making in game adjustments has value.<br /><br />CraigAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518999264103251377.post-77024747072216299312010-12-07T17:35:38.606-05:002010-12-07T17:35:38.606-05:00It's interesting, the comments about Cam [perh...It's interesting, the comments about Cam [perhaps] not having a coherent game plan and not seeing the forest for the trees and making inconsistent end-of-game decisions.<br /><br />Because in Philly we've made the complete opposite complaints about Reid/MM for many years -- they make no halftime adjustments, they continue to pass on obvious running downs, they don't [ever!] milk the clock with the lead, they expose #5/KK/Vick to too many hits by constantly passing, the agreed upon Friday Nite Game Plan simply trumps all that happens on the field, even when players get hurt and *obviously* inferior benchwarmers have to come in like Justice on MNF, famously giving up 6 sacks.<br /><br />I mean, I do think having a plan and sticking to it is preferable than calling a game one-play-at-a-time with no cohesion, but lemme tell you from experience, it also has siginificant downsides when you see it fail in January every year, esp when your team had superior defensive talent virtually all of those years, and the Offense completely falls asleep when the playoff coaches gameplan specifically to take away the PHL deep [previously short] passing game. You're a tenured NFL coach, pls make ONE friggin' adjustment so the Defense isn't pinning their ears back and ignoring the run all day!!<br /><br />anyway. Fans are crazy sometimes, that's all there is to it.<br /><br />NajAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com