OPINION —
I HAVE some advice ADVICE for the next offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers — make Ben Roethlisberger take shorter drops.
Bruce Arians was too busy being Ben’s buddy and caving in to each and every one of his quarterback’s whims to realize what is best for the offense.
No, I’m not like some of those fanatics who think the fullback will solve all the Black & Gold’s ills. I think the offense can be more effective when the quarterback is taking shorter drops. Not only do shorter drops work in today’s NFL, but it also keeps the defenders away from the team’s most precious commodity — the quarterback.
With Roethlisberger already proving that he’s injury prone, the coaching staff has to find ways to keep their 30-year-old quarterback healthy enough to play more games than he doesn’t each season.
There are two ways to do that: One, the offensive line has to do a better job of pass blocking, and two, the offensive coordinator has to instill an offense that calls for short drops.
The Steelers have already shown they have what it takes to be a potent offense when Ben is taking 3- to 5-step drops. Take the Tennessee game midway through season, for example. With a hobbled Roethlisberger under center, the Steelers transitioned from long drops to shorter ones and the offense flourished — Roethlisberger in particular. Ben passed for 228 yards and 5 scores on 24-of-34 passing that afternoon.
So why not make that a staple? For one, Roethlisberger didn’t like it, so Arians chose to not fight that battle with his quarterback. Personally, that’s a battle I would’ve fought if I was the offensive coordinator.
Another set of play calls I would like to see return to Pittsburgh are screens to a running back — something Arians didn’t believe in. I have no problems with the bubble screens Arians called to get the ball into the hands of Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace or Hines Ward, because they’re good for at least 4 yards. But why not get the ball into the hands of Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman a little more? They’re two of your better weapons and calling screens puts the defense on their heels a little bit.
Everything I am calling for keeps the ball in Roethlisberger’s hands and that’s the way it should be. He’s our best offensive player and the ball needs to be in his hands.
Hopefully, whoever Mike Tomlin selects to be his second offensive coordinator — let’s hope it’s not former Kansas City head coach Todd Haley — is smart enough to see what I’m calling for is the perfect solution to the problems facing the Pittsburgh offense.
ä Speaking of the Pittsburgh offense, it’s nice to see Dermontti Dawson finally get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His induction is w-a-a-a-a-y past due. The man was perhaps the best offensive lineman of his generation, regardless of position and definitely was the game’s best center for most of his career.
It’s just a shame that he isn’t being joined in Canton as inductee by a man he blocked for for a big chunk of his career — Jerome Bettis.
I think JB’s cause was hurt by former Steelers’ cornerback Jack Butler being voted in as a senior committee nominee. The voters have long had a Steelers’ bias and didn’t want to induct 3 former Pittsburgh players in in one year.
For the record, I have no problem with former Patriots and Jets running back Curtis Martin and former Saints and Chiefs offensive lineman Willie Roaf making the cut — I thought both would be inducted last year.
My problem was the snubs of Bettis, Cris Carter, Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and Bill Parcells in favor of Cortez Kennedy and Chris Doleman. I never was overly impressed with either when they played and never got the impression that either was the best at their position at any time during their respective careers.
The same cannot be said about “The Bus” (Bettis), “The Tuna” (Parcells) and “The Buckeye” (Carter). Bettis ranked in the Top-5 in NFL history for career rushing yards, while Carter finished his career in 4th in NFL annals with 1,101 receptions when he retired.
Next year has to be their year. I’m hoping so, because I’ve been waiting for Bettis to be inducted to book a long overdue trip to Canton.
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Corey J. Corbin is an Allied News sports correspondent.
Discussion
STAIRWAY TO SEVEN: Big Ben can do better; Bettis deserved Hall induction
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