The media won't ask Tomlin, but they will ask Ben. What was the difference in play calling in the second half. Ben gives the company line. No difference we just executed better. Bottom line, they cannot get off to these starts in the playoffs. I would have to re-watch and I probably will. It seemed like they were doing pretty much what I said a few weeks ago. Forget the run. Spread it out. Hit Conner for some cheap ones. Try to avoid inside the 5. Basically make it into a flag football game. Plus I thought Ben used subtle movement to create more time for zone busting routes. The receivers caught the ball. Indy missed some pick attempts. and their safety out didn't hurt either.
the 4000 lb Elephant in the Room
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Also seemed to number 11 more of a focus too
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But that is the elephant. Because if it is a situation where the OC and assistant OC had a bunch of say in the first half and the second half was Ben, that's a ****** big problem. Because they have started like this in all but a couple games to a lesser extent.
It was obvious. In the first half (other than the first couple of plays of the game), Ben's main reads were within 5 yards of the line. When they started moving the ball in the 2nd half, you could see he was looking downfield (10+ yards downfield and more). It was as obvious as night and day. My guess is it was because of more no-huddle and Ben being able to put in plays he felt would work and not being handcuffed by 1 or 2 short-yardage plays.
14 carries for 20 yards.....
That's the 10000 lb elephant that's going to cost them in the playoffs.
Ben chucking the ball down the field and getting PI calls isn't going to win many playoff games I am afraid.
That's the 10000 lb elephant that's going to cost them in the playoffs.
Ben chucking the ball down the field and getting PI calls isn't going to win many playoff games I am afraid.
Hmmm, Ravens won a Super Bowl doing that very thing.
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Why not it worked for the rats. If you can effectively hit your close,mid range, and deep targets that can be a run substitute. It is no different than a team getting behind in a playoff game and abandoning the run game in route to a passing victory. Conner can be a pass catching option too which complements the passing game.
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Ben said yesterday the no huddle calls came from Fitchner. So, it wasn't "All Ben". Look, I hate Fitchner too. But, if Ben says he was given the no huddle plays by Fitchner, I'd guess we should believe him. Kinda says to me that Fitchner should throw his boring, stale scripted plays out the window and just go no huddle to start the game. Then, after he's loosened both his Offense and the opposing Defense up, maybe he can go back to his stale ****.
This goes back a few seasons, can't remember the exact season, but it was a game at Baltimore, both offense were struggling, then Baltimore got a lead in the 2nd half, and up a couple scores in the 4th, we went no huddle, Ben threw for 200 yards and 2 TD's in the 4th, but it was to late. post game Ben said he would've liked to go no huddle earlier. Tomlin's tuesday presser he said he was comfortable being conservative because their O(baltimores) was struggling too. From that point there was no doubt who dictates the offense, and it's not Ben like everyone thinks.
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They were taking shots down the field in the first half. Ben threw a bad ball for DJ that would have been for 6 had he not threw it out, when DJ went in. There were a couple other bad throws down outside the numbers as well. It looks like Ben just stopped thinking and just started playing, when they went muddle huddle. You could tell he was much looser in the second half. Those throws to JuJu before the end of the second....the light clicked back on, maybe? “Hey I can make these throws”...
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Dionte ran the wrong route on that one, even Romo picked up on that quickly. There's was another play later in the 2nd quarter that I took a ton of **** for in the game thread, but Dionte ran the wrong route again on a 3rd and 12 or something, on the sideline Dionte was pointing to himself saying my bad to Ben.
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Wow...
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">if you want to know why the Steelers offense looked better in the 2nd half, it’s because in the 1st half, pre-snap the Colts were calling out OC Randy Fichtner’s terrible, predictable plays...<br><br>so Ben called his own plays that were not part of Fichtner’s game plan in the 2nd half <a href="https://t.co/QEEwGIC5Bb">pic.twitter.com/QEEwGIC5Bb</a></p>— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1343657475803930625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">if you want to know why the Steelers offense looked better in the 2nd half, it’s because in the 1st half, pre-snap the Colts were calling out OC Randy Fichtner’s terrible, predictable plays...<br><br>so Ben called his own plays that were not part of Fichtner’s game plan in the 2nd half <a href="https://t.co/QEEwGIC5Bb">pic.twitter.com/QEEwGIC5Bb</a></p>— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1343657475803930625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Our dependence on the crossing pattern is killing us..we all know it, our opponents know, the talking heads, everybody but tomlin and and randy fukhead know it. ju ju stated Indy was calling out the plays in first half their linebackers and safeties knew our and we’re sitting on our plays and knew what we were going to throw. Ben reached back in his play list and threw the ball Down field. Going forward, (notice I didn’t say going sideways) they have to get claypool going he’s unstoppable all things considered, we are going to go as far as he can take us mostly cuz the defense has to adjust to him. We have no other player the defense have adjust to. Tear the play book in half get the ball to claypool early make the defense adjust then go to from there to the open players. We can’t go into the playoff with huge playbook of crossing patterns and bubble screens with randy fukhead standing on the side line “look at me I’m a mad genius” calling plays that yield 2 yards. The playoffs will be over faster than the career of a Washington football team’s qb.
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I came to post this. Same **** we heard about the Ravens game where Ben was just telling the WRs what routes to run.
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They had a very dangerous running game with ray "the elevator" rice , we don't
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**** it. Straight finger in the dirt, you go here and I’ll do this. **** our OC.
Time to relieve him of the play calling.
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Sad really.
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If you watch Tomlins presser, (4:30 mark)when asked about big plays second half, he says something like “ it was a critical component to us getting back in the game, you’re not going to get back in the game three yards at a time when you’re down the way we were down”. I am certain a decision was made probably by him to press it down the field. Based on that statement it is clear he was of the opinion to do something more aggressive.
Also, seeing the earlier posts, Fucktner needs to go-let Ben call the plays or at least have veto power on all of them.
Also, seeing the earlier posts, Fucktner needs to go-let Ben call the plays or at least have veto power on all of them.
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They did ask Tomlin that. He said they weren’t doing anything different. They just executed.
It’s not rocket science. They have taken shots over the last several weeks. We just haven’t hit on them. Yesterday, Ben hit a few, which caused the Colts to have to respect the deep ball, and opened up the short stuff.
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Doesn’t Ben have a number of options on each play? No one is intentionally avoiding Claypool. He’s either not getting open (likely) or hasn’t won Ben’s confidence. He hasn’t had the most reliable hands in the last six weeks or so.
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