Steelers OC Explains The Third-Down Quarterback Sneak

TDJets72027 · Jan 7, 2008

If you're a Steelers fan, there are any number of plays that can be blamed for the loss to the Jaguars on Saturday night: Ben Roethlisberger's three first-half picks, shoddy special teams, defense giving up big plays at the wrong time. But the decision to run a quarterback draw on third-and-six with just over three minutes to go and leading by a point, was probably the worst of the bunch. Even Peter King thinks so.

So what possessed offensive coordinator Bruce Arians to think a six-yard quarterback sneak might work?

"After the first-down call, we were trying to get it into third-and-3 or third-and-4 for that play," Arians said. "We don't get the necessary yardage running straight ahead. We still got the exact coverage we thought we'd get on third-and-3.

"We just come out there and don't make a block. Two great blocks by (tight end) Heath (Miller) and (wide receiver) Hines (Ward) and don't get the blocks on the corner to get the first down."

Head coach Mike Tomlin said the coaches "felt good about the play ... [but] we just didn't execute it."

Fine. I don't accept it, but as Bill Cowher loved to say, it is what it is. Here's my question, though: if you have a Pro Bowl quarterback, Hines Ward, Heath Miller and Santonio Holmes, why run a QB sneak on third-and-six? Would Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Brett Favre ... anybody do that?

The Black and Gold Blog doesn't think that one call was the reason the Steelers lost and provides a handy list of just-as-egregious plays:

* A 96-yard kickoff return by Maurice Jones-Drew following the Steelers opening touchdown drive
* Four turnovers - one of which is run back for a touchdown
* A 40-yard touchdown pass to a running back out of the backfield on third-and-seven
* Allowing the quarterback to run for 40 yards on fourth-and-two with the game on the line
* Any running play the Steelers attempted

All of those things had far more to do with the loss than any one individual play call by Bruce Arians, regardless of how stupid said play call was.

I can't argue with any of that ... but I still would've liked to see the Steelers throw the ball in that situation.
Click to expand...

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008...nator-explains-the-third-down-quarterba/#cont

Log in or Sign up

Steelers OC Explains The Third-Down Quarterback Sneak

TDJets72027 Rex Ryan baby

Log in or Sign up

Steelers OC Explains The Third-Down Quarterback Sneak

TDJets72027 Rex Ryan baby

Useful Searches