Many share the frustration over an inconsistent Steelers running game this season; Steelers president Art Rooney II has done something about it. He talked to coach Mike Tomlin about changing the Steelers' philosophy about the run, and they agreed it will be a point of emphasis heading into the 2010 season. "I think Mike and I certainly agreed coming off the season that we need to run the ball more consistently to get to where we want to get to," Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "So that's part of the thinking in the offseason: We need to figure out how to get better running the football.We have to get back to being able to run the football when we need to run the football, and being able to run more consistently than we have in the past season." Rooney said his coach has conveyed that to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "Mike has talked to Bruce about that." Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
IMO, the decision to pass more has been all Ben's. HE wants to pass more. Arians gave him the opportunity to pass more. The way I see it..Tomlin came in and didn't want to mess with the offense much...being a defensive-minded coach. He let Arians run the show which essentially let Ben run the show. Ben has stated several times he wants more control of the offense...much like Peyton Manning controls the offense. Granted, Ben has done pretty well but obviously not that well since we didn't make the playoffs. Had the Steelers worked more on running the ball instead of passing it, they wouldn't have given other teams the opportunities in the 4th quarter to come back. They never should've been given another possession! The ability to close a game out by running the ball and maintaining possession has always been the Steelers game. The Rooney's have made their opinions known now let's see if Tomlin can set things in motion. Can he get the job done? He needs to take control of the offense and do what needs to be done. Rein in Ben and Arians. Get the Steelers playing "Steeler football" again!
Arians has always been a pass happy coordinator - he was the same in Cleveland. But I'm sure if you ask Ben, just like any QB, he'd like to pass the ball on every down. Unfortunately, Philadelphia is the only place you can go for that. Regardless of what happens on offense, the defense needs to step up and close those games out as well.
