In my opinion, the Steelers had no business starting Ben last night. I'm not knocking Ben in any way, I am knocking Cowher and Whisenhunt. The play calling last night was awful, completely awful!! The Steelers came out throwing the ball....good idea..but they wouldn't stick with it. The Jaguars didn't really stop the pass at all, the Steelers stopped themselves. For nearly the entire game, they would run..run..then throw on third and long. When they threw on 1st and 2nd down, they had some open guys. The Jags did a good job with pressure in some places, but the receivers were open and Ben was accurate when he had time. I definitely think that Ben's condition was a factor in the play calling, they didn't want to expose him so they were conservative with the play calling. If your QB's condition is going to affect your gameplan then maybe it's time to consider starting someone that can take a few shots without everyone on the sidleine (and Ben) whincing in pain. They started the game out as if they were going to throw when they expected run, then they went into shut down mode as if to say we exposed Ben enough, lets see if we can run the ball now. By the time they realized they needed to throw on first down again, it was too late. I'm sure alot of people will be down on Ben, but I think alot of the blame needs to go to Cowher and Whisenhunt. Batch should have started if they were going to call the game scared with Ben in there.
Do you honestly think the outcome would have been that much different? Can't you just give the Jags credit & move on? You said yourself that Ben would be ready like you had some inside knowledge. The Steelers could have chosen to go with Batch at any point in the game, but the defending SB champs felt their best chance to win was with Big Ben. Now you're questioning the decision making of the longest current tenured HC of the NFL?
The Jags played incredible defense last night. I won't speak for MOS, even though I do agree with some of his points. The play calling was bad. Jacksonville was the better team last night. Do I think they'll be the better team come week 17....? No. But that defense is tenacious.... You have to respect Del Rio. He's a helluva coach.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (manofsteel)</div><div class='quotemain'>In my opinion, the Steelers had no business starting Ben last night. I'm not knocking Ben in any way, I am knocking Cowher and Whisenhunt. The play calling last night was awful, completely awful!! The Steelers came out throwing the ball....good idea..but they wouldn't stick with it. The Jaguars didn't really stop the pass at all, the Steelers stopped themselves. For nearly the entire game, they would run..run..then throw on third and long. When they threw on 1st and 2nd down, they had some open guys. The Jags did a good job with pressure in some places, but the receivers were open and Ben was accurate when he had time. I definitely think that Ben's condition was a factor in the play calling, they didn't want to expose him so they were conservative with the play calling. If your QB's condition is going to affect your gameplan then maybe it's time to consider starting someone that can take a few shots without everyone on the sidleine (and Ben) whincing in pain. They started the game out as if they were going to throw when they expected run, then they went into shut down mode as if to say we exposed Ben enough, lets see if we can run the ball now. By the time they realized they needed to throw on first down again, it was too late. I'm sure alot of people will be down on Ben, but I think alot of the blame needs to go to Cowher and Whisenhunt. Batch should have started if they were going to call the game scared with Ben in there.</div> He's got a point. The Steelers did only run the ball 14 times in a game that was very close up until about 4 minutes was left and then they needed two scores. You would figure Cowher would try to run more given Ben's health status. But give the Jags some credit. It is hard to stay with the run when you're averaging 1.9 yards a carry. I don't blame the Steelers for losing this game though. The Jags defense really stepped up their game. They held a very good offense to 153 yards.
"Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is recovered from his appendectomy of 15 days ago, but Michelle Tafoya of ESPN reports that Roethlisberger now has a fever (she actually said he has a "temperature" -- but we all do, honey). Roethlisberger's temperature was as high as 104 earlier this afternoon. He's expected to start on Monday night against the Jaguars, but the team continues to be coy about his availability. If he can't go, backup Charlie Batch (or, as Michael Irvin inadvertently called him during Monday's Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Charlie Bitch) will try to build on his 1-0 record." from.... www.profootballtalk.com I didn't know that he was that sick. Cowher really blew it. Batch should have been the starter.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cubuffsman78)</div><div class='quotemain'>He's got a point. The Steelers did only run the ball 14 times in a game that was very close up until about 4 minutes was left and then they needed two scores. You would figure Cowher would try to run more given Ben's health status. But give the Jags some credit. It is hard to stay with the run when you're averaging 1.9 yards a carry. I don't blame the Steelers for losing this game though. The Jags defense really stepped up their game. They held a very good offense to 153 yards.</div> If you run the ball 14 times against a team like the Jaguars, you are going to average 1.9 yards a carry. The Jaguars defense never got tired because the run was never established. If Pittsburgh had stuck with the run, I guarantee that their average would have been up. That's not a knock on Jacksonville - they are a very good team. But teams wear down when they get pounded by the running game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Steelerfan_2005)</div><div class='quotemain'>I didn't know that he was that sick. Cowher really blew it. Batch should have been the starter.</div> I didn't know that either - that was a big mistake by Cowher. Even beyond that, you don't want him to aggravate the injury with a hard hit to the side. I think everyone would have given the Steelers a pass if they had started Batch and lost the game, but now people (including Steeler's players) have a reason to doubt themselves. That being said, there is no reason for panic. Pittsburgh also showed quite a bit of strength against a very good team. They are going to be a good team this year and only stand to get better as Roth. returns to full health.
Shoot, Polamalu wasn't 100% either. I don't know if anyone noticed him missing tackles and favoring that sore shoulder. Cowher should have benched both of those players and let the backups do their thing. Me. <--- still not worried. :stupid:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Steelerfan_2005)</div><div class='quotemain'>Shoot, Polamalu wasn't 100% either. I don't know if anyone noticed him missing tackles and favoring that sore shoulder. Cowher should have benched both of those players and let the backups do their thing. Me. <--- still not worried. :stupid:</div> Players play at less than 100% all the time in the NFL. It's the nature of the game. Enough with the excuses already...the Jags brought it and beat them.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bakes781)</div><div class='quotemain'>Do you honestly think the outcome would have been that much different? Can't you just give the Jags credit & move on? You said yourself that Ben would be ready like you had some inside knowledge. The Steelers could have chosen to go with Batch at any point in the game, but the defending SB champs felt their best chance to win was with Big Ben. Now you're questioning the decision making of the longest current tenured HC of the NFL?</div> Well, like I said earlier today...The Jaguars outplayed the Steelers in every aspect of the game. There is your credit. What I said was Ben would start, he practiced all week and when a player practices all week, chances are he is going to play. Yes I am questioning the decision, I am sure he is also questioning it. I think that Ben's condition affected the play-calling. As I said earlier, the Steelers needed to establish the pass before the run was going to work against the Jags. They were bringing safeties up all night, a good team needs to take advantage of that and if it needed to be Batch in order for Whisenhunt and Cowher to be comfortable with calling more passes then that's what they should have done.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (vikingfan)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cubuffsman78)</div><div class='quotemain'>He's got a point. The Steelers did only run the ball 14 times in a game that was very close up until about 4 minutes was left and then they needed two scores. You would figure Cowher would try to run more given Ben's health status. But give the Jags some credit. It is hard to stay with the run when you're averaging 1.9 yards a carry. I don't blame the Steelers for losing this game though. The Jags defense really stepped up their game. They held a very good offense to 153 yards.</div> If you run the ball 14 times against a team like the Jaguars, you are going to average 1.9 yards a carry. The Jaguars defense never got tired because the run was never established. If Pittsburgh had stuck with the run, I guarantee that their average would have been up. That's not a knock on Jacksonville - they are a very good team. But teams wear down when they get pounded by the running game.</div> Thats not what I was saying at all. They needed to pass more, but in the right spots. Jacksonville did exactly what the Steelers should have done. They actually called a great game in my opinion. They gave up on the run early and threw the ball all over the place. In the second half, you could see that all that passing in the first half opened up the run for Fred Taylor. Alot of people get caught up in the run to set up the pass mindset. Sometimes against good teams, you have to pass to set up the run. That's exactly what the Steelers did in the playoffs last year, that's exactly what Jacksonville did last night and that's exactly what the Steelers should have done last night. I really think they were afraid to expose Ben and tried to protect him a little bit in the playcalling. That's why I think Batch should have started.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bakes781)</div><div class='quotemain'>Do you honestly think the outcome would have been that much different? Can't you just give the Jags credit & move on? You said yourself that Ben would be ready like you had some inside knowledge. The Steelers could have chosen to go with Batch at any point in the game, but the defending SB champs felt their best chance to win was with Big Ben. Now you're questioning the decision making of the longest current tenured HC of the NFL?</div> Its funny how fans blame their team for losing the game instead of the opposing team beating their team when they start winning Super Bowls. Not talking smack, I'm one of them. I'd be willing to bet that good ol' Dale would be the same way if the Dolphins formed a dynasty. No I don't have anything to substantiate that claim either. It is just an opinion.
It's so much easier to blame the coach. As if we could do a better job. I prefer to place blame on the players. If Ben wasn't ready than it's his responsibility to let the coaching staff know that. I thought Ben started out well. They were passing the ball well. The Jags D is just too good. They weren't going to allow for any big plays. When things got desperate Ben failed to deliver. Some of the blame falls on his WRs(Holmes), but the QB should know better than to rely on a rookie in crunch time.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bakes781)</div><div class='quotemain'>It's so much easier to blame the coach. As if we could do a better job. I prefer to place blame on the players. If Ben wasn't ready than it's his responsibility to let the coaching staff know that. I thought Ben started out well. They were passing the ball well. The Jags D is just too good. They weren't going to allow for any big plays. When things got desperate Ben failed to deliver. Some of the blame falls on his WRs(Holmes), but the QB should know better than to rely on a rookie in crunch time.</div> I'd say that's a half-assed assesment. There's no real way to know exactly where the problem is. Everyone loses, everyone has off nights. Ben is the winningest QB right now in the NFL. Even during his collapse in the AFC Championship Game vs. the Patriots, he threw multiple TD's to go along with his multiple INT's. The Coaching is as much to blame as the players. The Offense should be shouldering most of the blame given that the defense gave up 9 points. And if you want to go a step further, the offensive line (which is one of the better units in the league) couldn't move a class of 2nd graders out of the way playing like they did on Monday night. Parker was hit in the backfield on almost every play. O-line didn't play well. Coaching didn't adjust properly Ben shoudn't have played. He should have been Batch's backup. Troy Shouldn't have played. He missed tackles protecting his shoulder. Did we lose the game or get beat? We got beat by the better team....... this week.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Steelerfan_2005)</div><div class='quotemain'>Roethlisberger's temperature was as high as 104 earlier this afternoon.</div> To quote Dan Patrick, "Dare I say? En fuego." LOL. I did not watch the game but it sounds to me like B-roth was on fire but ice cold. Irony. You know I love it.
I think they made a good choice.They definately could have sued a victory and their best odds are with Ben Roethlisberger starting.They should be able to bounce back and win their next couple games.Ben looked scared out there.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Steelerfan_2005)</div><div class='quotemain'>Did we lose the game or get beat? We got beat by the better team....... this week.</div> That is the patriots victory in defeat chorus. obviously if you play them in playoffs and lost again, you wouldnt continue to claim you were the better team. You would have to be crazy or blinded by team love to do that.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (manofsteel)</div><div class='quotemain'>In my opinion, the Steelers had no business starting Ben last night. I'm not knocking Ben in any way, I am knocking Cowher and Whisenhunt. The play calling last night was awful, completely awful!! The Steelers came out throwing the ball....good idea..but they wouldn't stick with it. The Jaguars didn't really stop the pass at all, the Steelers stopped themselves. For nearly the entire game, they would run..run..then throw on third and long. When they threw on 1st and 2nd down, they had some open guys. The Jags did a good job with pressure in some places, but the receivers were open and Ben was accurate when he had time. I definitely think that Ben's condition was a factor in the play calling, they didn't want to expose him so they were conservative with the play calling. If your QB's condition is going to affect your gameplan then maybe it's time to consider starting someone that can take a few shots without everyone on the sidleine (and Ben) whincing in pain. They started the game out as if they were going to throw when they expected run, then they went into shut down mode as if to say we exposed Ben enough, lets see if we can run the ball now. By the time they realized they needed to throw on first down again, it was too late. I'm sure alot of people will be down on Ben, but I think alot of the blame needs to go to Cowher and Whisenhunt. Batch should have started if they were going to call the game scared with Ben in there.</div> Well it seemed like it wouldnyt matter if ben started or not like you said in another thread. I told you if Batch started they would win! Ben was looking like he was pretty good on accuracy but he just started too make bad decisions. For the coaches when a QB has a fever its really hard too concentrate and its stupid too leave him in there.
