Play Calling

[Winters in Holland]

My biggest issue with that last series was the run right up the gut on 1st down.

IMO, the Steelers should've gone play action deep to Holmes on the very first play of the series- one shot to single-handedly put the game away.  Holmes had beat his man deep 3 times earlier in that game, and the Browns had enough guys stacked in the box to stop the run that I really doubt if they'd have safety help deep.

I have a real problem with the Steelers trying to run out the clock...

Only up by 3...

And on their own 15-yard line.


I've questioned Arians' playcalling on and off throughout the year, but those three plays in their last series could've easily taken the game to overtime.  They were that bad.


.WiH.

[kluisi61]

correct me if i'm wrong, but didnt the Steelers call a passing play on that third down, and Ben took a sack rather than forcing it in there or having the clock stop with an incomplete pass?

i could have sworn the playcall was Ben in shotgun, he dropped back and then stepped up and was sacked.  it was a "safe" pass play, either it was going to be a quick out, or Ben was going to take the sack, but i do believe a pass play was called.

again, i could be wrong, but thats what i remember.

I thought it was a designed QB draw...and I hated the play. In fact all three plays on that drive almost cost us the game.

[DCSteelers]

I thought the play call was a little wierd at certain times.

As someone pointed out in a post earlier in the year,  BA appears to get a little too cute. For example, the 3rd and 1 reverse.  Why not go with a quick out or slant and get that yard?

I think they should have thrown it on the third at the end of the game... why give Cleveland a chance to win it?

[JackSplat]

I thought the play call was a little wierd at certain times.

As someone pointed out in a post earlier in the year,  BA appears to get a little too cute. For example, the 3rd and 1 reverse.  Why not go with a quick out or slant and get that yard?

I think they should have thrown it on the third at the end of the game... why give Cleveland a chance to win it?

I think they should have had Dookie roll out with an Halfback option pass on third and long.  It worked so effectively with Parker in the RZ, they never would have expected it again when we were backed up.   :rolleyes:

The big fuck up on the last drive was Rossum letting the ball roll 15 more yards by not fielding the punt in the first place more than anything.  Had that special teamer, and i use that term loosly, fair caught the ball at least, we would have seen a little better offensive play calling.  backed up and with only holding a 3 point lead, there was no fucking way BA or Tomlin wanted anything exotic.  safe, safe, safe, punt.

[Hercules50]

The play calls on our last drive were correct. Look at the result -- the only reason the Browns had to try that long-ass field goal was because we took off every second of clock we could.

We wouldn't have done that if we would have risked an incompletion.

Maybe on one of those plays, you call a play-action roll out which is designed for Ben to run it unless there's a guy wide open, but even then....you put the ball in play like that, it bounces off a guy's hands, you've got maybe an interception going the other way.

They made the right calls on that drive.  

[Winters in Holland]

They most certainly did not.

Were it not for a poorly timed holding call on Cleveland's part, the Browns would've gotten the ball past the 50 yard line with a little over one minute to play.

You can't put a team- any team- in that position that late in the game.  You risk either losing the game, or at least going to overtime.

Horrible series of plays.  The Steelers were playing to run out the clock when they should've still been playing to put the game away.


.WiH.

[randylwood]

I agree. On the third down they should have tried a short pass to either Miller or Ward and let them try to get the first. If they do the game is over.

It is a tough decision because if they drop the ball you stop the clock and help the Browns out, but the Steelers were converting 3rd downs all day long.

[LambertsFrontTeeth]

The big fuck up on the last drive was Rossum letting the ball roll 15 more yards by not fielding the punt in the first place more than anything.  Had that special teamer, and i use that term loosly, fair caught the ball at least, we would have seen a little better offensive play calling.  backed up and with only holding a 3 point lead, there was no fucking way BA or Tomlin wanted anything exotic.  safe, safe, safe, punt.

From the PG..

There were other problems as well. The Steelers had only 10 players on the field when the Browns quickly punted late in the fourth quarter, forcing Harrison to run on the field at the last minute. That caused Rossum, who said he was counting players, to refuse a fair catch and let the ball roll to the Steelers' 11.

[mzimmerman81]

I had a big issues with:

Run plays to the left
Having Santonio Holmes attempt to throw a pass on 3rd and 2 on the team's first drive, a drive where Big Ben (you know, the guy who should be throwing the ball) attempted no passes.
Attempting a halfback pass with Willie Parker
The last three plays of the game

[Winters in Holland]

That doesn't make sense.

It'd be one thing if he was planning on returning the ball, and knew that he didn't have enough blockers in front of him...

...but you could be the only player on the field for the return team, and that still wouldn't prevent you from making the fair catch.  And if you bobble it, it doesn't matter if there are 9 guys or 10 guys from your team out there on the field with you- the punting team is probably going to recover.

I think Rossum was just making excuses to try to cover up his own fuckup.


.WiH.