Arians out in Pittsburgh...

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

According to Ken Laird of ESPN 1250 in Pittsburgh, Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is expected to be fired "in the near future."

 

Arians came under heavy criticism in Pittsburgh for bucking the traditional ground game to go with a pass-heavy offense, often with questionable playcalling. It appears he's being scapegoated for the defense's season-long troubles after he led the offense to one of the most productive seasons in franchise history. His exit will almost certainly lead to fewer pass attempts for Ben Roethlisberger.

 

Mendenhall in 2010

[jgcrawfish 232]

2 years 2 late if ask me. what undid Arians this year was the no-huddle that Ben ran. it was clear that every time Ben was calling the plays, the Steelers were much more effective. Arians offense is and has been WAY too predictable. The defense collapsed but it wasn't the system, it was the players.

[Chargersin08 0]

Mendenhall in 2010

except mendenhall isn't as good as everyone makes him out to be.

[Dan 60]

except mendenhall isn't as good as everyone makes him out to be.

 

How good do they make him out to be?

[Dan 60]

2 years 2 late if ask me. what undid Arians this year was the no-huddle that Ben ran. it was clear that every time Ben was calling the plays, the Steelers were much more effective. Arians offense is and has been WAY too predictable. The defense collapsed but it wasn't the system, it was the players.

 

 

It is not about passing vs. running. I think it would be a mistake to try to become a grind-it-out, 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense again. That would be ignoring some of the best weapons on the team. The problem wasn't the lack of running. It was the lack of balance, lack of development, lack of creativity, formations that became stale, and getting outplanned on a game-in, game-out basis. Watching the TV, I knew whether they were running or passing all too many times, simply because of the formation. Often I could pick where the run or the pass was designed to go. The only times that this was consistently not the case is when, as jg pointed out, Ben was running the No-Huddle.

 

Arians was a joke from the beginning and should never have been given the job in the first place. A complete embarrassment as a coordinator, his "ingenious" plan when he took over was to take the playbook developed by the 3-4 previous coordinators, pare out the stuff that was rarely used or the offense wasn't good at, and call it "addition by subtraction."

 

The offense needs to be mixed up, and they have the talent to do it.

 

I have never been a fan of Arians, but the final straw, in my mind, came while I was watching the first game against Baltimore. There was exactly one really good play call in that game by Arians . . . the bootleg run by Dixon on third down. That had to work, because Arians kept putting the young QB in terribly predictable situations. Run-run-pass was the flavor all game long, theoretically to "protect" Dixon, but in actuality allowing an aggressive Ravens defense to attack on obvious passing downs. No first-down passing, no draws, no screens, and little play-action. I was completely unsurprised at the OT interception, taking place on 3rd and fairly long, with a swarm of defenders moving all over the place to confuse Dixon on an obvious passing play. Total arrogance, and complete lack of game maneuvering.

 

I'll finish my diatribe by pointing out that before he came to Pittsburgh as their WR coach (perhaps the only position he has ever been suited for), he came from a morabund Cleveland franchise that ranked 31st in total offense. Who can blame Tomlin for wanting that directing the offense in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are an example that the players players can perform despite the coaching.

 

Good riddance.

[Dan 60]

Mendenhall in 2010

 

The author of this article is mistaken. Arians is not being scapegoated for the defensive issues. There are plenty of those that can be addressed. But ###### LeBeau has proven that he has the mettle, skill, creativity and demeanor, not to mention the respect of the players, to correct a lot of those issues. Arians was horrific, though, and deserves to be gone.

[Borat33 17]

YAY!! Now get Legashevsky (sp) the special teams coach out of here and things will already be looking up for 2010!

[jgcrawfish 232]

 

It is not about passing vs. running. I think it would be a mistake to try to become a grind-it-out, 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense again. That would be ignoring some of the best weapons on the team. The problem wasn't the lack of running. It was the lack of balance, lack of development, lack of creativity, formations that became stale, and getting outplanned on a game-in, game-out basis. Watching the TV, I knew whether they were running or passing all too many times, simply because of the formation. Often I could pick where the run or the pass was designed to go. The only times that this was consistently not the case is when, as jg pointed out, Ben was running the No-Huddle.

 

Arians was a joke from the beginning and should never have been given the job in the first place. A complete embarrassment as a coordinator, his "ingenious" plan when he took over was to take the playbook developed by the 3-4 previous coordinators, pare out the stuff that was rarely used or the offense wasn't good at, and call it "addition by subtraction."

 

The offense needs to be mixed up, and they have the talent to do it.

 

I have never been a fan of Arians, but the final straw, in my mind, came while I was watching the first game against Baltimore. There was exactly one really good play call in that game by Arians . . . the bootleg run by Dixon on third down. That had to work, because Arians kept putting the young QB in terribly predictable situations. Run-run-pass was the flavor all game long, theoretically to "protect" Dixon, but in actuality allowing an aggressive Ravens defense to attack on obvious passing downs. No first-down passing, no draws, no screens, and little play-action. I was completely unsurprised at the OT interception, taking place on 3rd and fairly long, with a swarm of defenders moving all over the place to confuse Dixon on an obvious passing play. Total arrogance, and complete lack of game maneuvering.

 

I'll finish my diatribe by pointing out that before he came to Pittsburgh as their WR coach (perhaps the only position he has ever been suited for), he came from a morabund Cleveland franchise that ranked 31st in total offense. Who can blame Tomlin for wanting that directing the offense in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are an example that the players players can perform despite the coaching.

 

Good riddance.

 

I agree completely with what you said, which you said much more elegantly than I did. I remember watching the same play you're talking about in reference to Dixon vs the Ravens and told my wife when he dropped back "something bad is about happen" and BAM!...Interception. The irony is that Baltimore very subtly shifted from a tradition defense to a zone-blitz package, which Dixon should have been a little more prepared for because he's seen it every day in Pittsburgh. When the defensive packages starting getting more complicated I told my wife they need to stop letting Dixon throw anything except screen and swing passes. In fact, I said they should do only these things: 1. Handoff to RB. 2. Swing pass to RB 3. Screen pass to RB. 4. QB draw/run and explained what each one was to her. I'm by no means an OC, but I saw the danger that Arians was playing with. The defense was freakin ON that day and it would have been more beneficial to get into a punting war than let Dixon air it out at after Baltimore got more aggressive in the 2nd half with their defensive calls. But everything about Arians offense was predictable, which is why Ben calling the plays so effectively hurt Arians in the long run. It was clear that Ben had a much better feel for the game than Arians did, and could vary it up a lot more.

 

I'm with you, good riddance!

[jgcrawfish 232]

PPG is reporting that Ken Anderson, Steelers QB coach, has retired:

 

Steelers quarterbacks coach retires Tuesday, January 05, 2010 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Ken Anderson, the Steelers quarterbacks coach the past three seasons, has retired, coach Mike Tomlin said today.

 

It is the first assistant coach that Tomlin has lost in his three seasons as Steelers coach. Anderson, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, is one of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010.

 

OC reported as out, QB coach reportedly retiring...beginning of a major shakeup in the Burgh?

[9-Route 0]

dan, what's the story on the steelers defensive outlook for 2010. another buddy of mine and steelers expert like you has his brow raised at the d-line, specifically at the age and now multiplying wear and tear. aaron smith, kirshke[sp?], eason, keisel [sp?], and hampton are all over 30yrs old; hampton in particular and stemming from our previous discussions is the major cog and rare 3-4 nose in their unit. we've seen the differences in rush defense and overall defense when this unit does not have its key cogs [ie polamalu] and other units missing their main cogs [ie diego without jamal williams, new york without jenkins]. seems like hood is the only young guy they have along the line.

 

what are their plans on that front? if not refueled and addressed, could this become a problem and lower their capability/performance?

 

[specifically hampton---is he getting an extension or moving on??]

[jgcrawfish 232]

dan, what's the story on the steelers defensive outlook for 2010. another buddy of mine and steelers expert like you has his brow raised at the d-line, specifically at the age and now multiplying wear and tear. aaron smith, kirshke[sp?], eason, keisel [sp?], and hampton are all over 30yrs old; hampton in particular and stemming from our previous discussions is the major cog and rare 3-4 nose in their unit. we've seen the differences in rush defense and overall defense when this unit does not have its key cogs [ie polmalu] and other units missing their main cogs [ie diego without jamal williams, new york without jenkins]. seems like hood is the only young guy they have along the line.

 

what are their plans on that front? if not refueled and addressed, could this become a problem and lower their capability/performance?

 

[specifically hampton---is he getting an extension or moving on??]

 

rumor is that they will franchise hampton to see if they can get one more year out him, then try for a replacement next year. For all the hype that the Polamalu injury and absences brings, Smith was the greater loss. He is the heart and soul of the Steelers run defense, just as much as Polamalu is that for the passing defense. Ziggy Hood was a good pick and started to show some of his skill in limited action, but the defense is flat old. Farrior showed problems in coverage and became a bit of liability in passing situations, particularly without Troy behind him. Gay got beat badly a lot at one CB and Townsend looked bad replacing him. Ike Taylor had the same kind of mental lapses that got him benched 2 or 3 years ago. DE, MLB and CB are the chief concerns in the draft, but may all have to take a backset to getting some offensive line help.

[Dan 60]

I would argue that the most significant along the front of that line is Aaron Smith. Both years in which the defense has crumbled, Smith has missed the majority of the year. Can Hood replace him? Not yet. In time, I think he has the right attitude, motor and skills. But they need more youth along the front of that line.

I'm not sure what the status of Hampton will be to this point. But I don't think that he's the most critical part, as he used to be. When he has missed time, Hoke has stepped in adequately. Though admittedly not as good as Hampton, the defense adjusted around him.

 

This draft has to produce a defensive lineman, preferably an early round guy, and it would really be beautiful if he was a tree trunk that was immovable in the middle.

 

Beyond this, though, they need to start looking to the future at a couple other key positions. Farrior is excellent at calling defenses, and is invaluable to that defense, but he's getting older and someone needs to learn that position. A cornerback would be handy, though Gay may just be in and adjustment year. A backup safety with some speed and intelligence is critical. We don't need another Polamalu to back up Polamalu, but we have to have someone that can learn the defense, take good angles, tackle sharply, and not get fooled regularly. That player may also be on the roster, but is not quite developed enough yet. I'm not as concerned there, but I will feel better without Ty Carter being in a position relied on.

 

So:

1) D-Lineman

2) CB

3) Backup LB (eventual)

4) Backup Safety

[DocNiner 45]

Not a Steelers fan but I do have Big Ben(Dynasty) and Mendenhall(3 keeper league). I think if they can solidify the O-line it'll greatly help their offense next year. With a line that plays the run and pass equally as well the Steelers will be in a better position for the offense to move the chains and score. Don't know what their redzone percentage was as far as scoring TD's or FG's but an improved O-line you gotta think the td ratio in the redzone would improve. Anybody have thoughts or insight as to which way management will go in terms of an Offensive Coordinator and a QB Coach? Which guys would be the right fit with Tomlin. As I said I'm not a Steelers fan but hoping they do really well next year as they have some good offensive weapons and I wouldn't mind having some of these guys on my fantasy teams.

[tenaciousb 0]

Steelers are denying reports of Arians departure calling them 'premature'. Laird is standing by his report but it wouldn't surprise me if Arians was retained as OC. Ben likes him and the overall results in terms of total yardage were good even record setting in 2009.

 

The problems with the Steeler O had more to do with situational failures in the red zone and empty backfield sets on 3rd and 1's.

[9-Route 0]

as far as farrior goes, its a tough call. we've always bantered on the relative balance between skills versus scheme in the overall stat production of those positional players in pittsburgh. regarding sacks, we've seen the gildons, lloyds, porters, bells, harrisons, woodleys, and farriors all rack them up.

 

larry foote is probably 3-4yrs younger than farrior, but he left for detroit and still had arelatively pretty strong season compared to his career avgs. farrior also had a seasons similar to his other ones, but it was more the visual slip in his play as you mentioned [ie the lag on ray rice on that circle route late in the ravens game; the continued weak tackle attempts on josh cribbs runs on that cleveland]. agree his assignment callouts would be missed, but reloading with timmons or fox is certainly acceptable.

 

as far as 3-4 nose tackles, this draft has only the one main gem---terrance cody [from my home alabama]. pending senior bowl and combine evals, at this point he is among the top 6 guys on the overall board simply because of the fact he is the lone bonafide talent at this rare position. it doesn't seem like a steelers type move[?] to jump high in the draft to nab this player.

[Chargersin08 0]

How good do they make him out to be?

As good as they make Felix Jones out to be. Neither of them can touch the rock without an announcer having an orgasm.

[tenaciousb 0]

as far as 3-4 nose tackles, this draft has only the one main gem---terrance cody [from my home alabama]. pending senior bowl and combine evals, at this point he is among the top 6 guys on the overall board simply because of the fact he is the lone bonafide talent at this rare position. it doesn't seem like a steelers type move[?] to jump high in the draft to nab this player.

 

 

Like when they moved up in the first round in 2003 to take Polamalu or 2006 they moved up to take Santonio Holmes? Colbert has shown if he really likes a guy in the first round he'll do what it takes within reason to get him. Granted he hasn't moved up to the top ten to get a guy yet but moving up 10 spots is not out of character.

[Law 220]

except mendenhall isn't as good as everyone makes him out to be.

 

I have yet to see ONE post from Chargersin08 that shows an intellect higher than that of the common 8th grader.

He's, at least, a year behind the times and it shows.....badly.

[cavern 70]

it doesn't seem like a steelers type move[?] to jump high in the draft to nab this player.

 

i'd agree with that. one thing the steelers have built their franchise on is finding comparable talent later on in the draft and not having to break the bank for that player

[9-Route 0]

Like when they moved up in the first round in 2003 to take Polamalu or 2006 they moved up to take Santonio Holmes? Colbert has shown if he really likes a guy in the first round he'll do what it takes within reason to get him. Granted he hasn't moved up to the top ten to get a guy yet but moving up 10 spots is not out of character.

 

yeah, that high jump is what i meant.

 

terrance cody already has a tremendous amount going for him: he plays a coveted and rare position, 3-4 nose tackle; he is the only true stud 2-gap controller in this crop [much like bj raji last year]; the top current nfl players in this mold are 30+yrs of age [hampton, jamal williams, pat williams, jason ferguson]; lots of teams are converting to the 3-4 system, with upward success [ie arizona, green bay].

 

with a devastating performance in the ntnl chmp game equal to his season and sec chmp game, along with a combine and eval process that confirms his strength [no flapping boobs like past teammate andre smith last yr] and weight stability/control, he will def be a top5 pick. i wasn't sure that high of a move up was the steelers MO [i recalled their jump into the teens to get polamalu, but that's easier than top5].

[9-Route 0]

i'd agree with that. one thing the steelers have built their franchise on is finding comparable talent later on in the draft and not having to break the bank for that player

 

unfortunately, that's the key with these 3-4, 2-gap controllers---there usually are not comparable models.

 

[last yr, some thought snagging a terrance taylor type later in the draft was a value over getting bj raji in the top 10. ]

[Chargersin08 0]

I have yet to see ONE post from Chargersin08 that shows an intellect higher than that of the common 8th grader.

He's, at least, a year behind the times and it shows.....badly.

you obviously haven't been looking, because 8th graders are pretty fuckin dumb.

[OakHeadFootball 1]

you obviously haven't been looking, because 8th graders are pretty fuckin dumb.

 

You are making his point.

[Chargersin08 0]

You are making his point.

twas a joke, boy

[Dan 60]

you obviously haven't been looking, because 8th graders are pretty fuckin dumb.

 

On behalf of my 7th grader . . . that's offensive. Just saying. My 9th grader is pretty smart, too.

[Dan 60]

As good as they make Felix Jones out to be. Neither of them can touch the rock without an announcer having an orgasm.

 

I was actually looking for something quantifiable.

[jgcrawfish 232]

I'm gonna throw this out there, knowing it probably be neither correct nor popular. I have a suspicion that Tomlin won't go for anybody in the Hampton mold because he is inherently not a 3-4 kind of coach. I know the living legend Dick Lebeau is a 3-4 zone blitz guy to the core, but i'm just afraid Tomlin is getting to the point where he wants it to be HIS team. With the age of the defensive personnel, I could see them gradually moving to a 4-3 zone coverage scheme that Tomlin grew up in. I think what happens with Hampton, and particularly this draft, will go a long way in showing their hand going forward.

[Dan 60]

I'm gonna throw this out there, knowing it probably be neither correct nor popular. I have a suspicion that Tomlin won't go for anybody in the Hampton mold because he is inherently not a 3-4 kind of coach. I know the living legend Dick Lebeau is a 3-4 zone blitz guy to the core, but i'm just afraid Tomlin is getting to the point where he wants it to be HIS team. With the age of the defensive personnel, I could see them gradually moving to a 4-3 zone coverage scheme that Tomlin grew up in. I think what happens with Hampton, and particularly this draft, will go a long way in showing their hand going forward.

 

I don't disagree with you . . . for the most part. The one problem I have with this logic is the drafting of Ziggy Hood, who is pretty prototypical for a 3-4 DE.

 

Ultimately, I don't have a problem with switching over, so long as there is still a creative D-Coordinator that will attack in the passing game and stop the run. The 3-4 has its advantages in its ability to disguise, manipulate and create. If that is dismissed because Tomlin is more comfortable with it, then shame on him. It certainly doesn't mesh with the Tomlin we have seen in the first 3 seasons of his tenure in Pittsburgh.

[Chronic Husker 85]

I have yet to see ONE post from Chargersin08 that shows an intellect higher than that of the common 8th grader.

He's, at least, a year behind the times and it shows.....badly.

Mike banned JahRasta once, already. I don't know what he's waiting for this time.

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

Mike banned JahRasta once, already. I don't know what he's waiting for this time.

That's a good call there. Good memory. I knew I'd remembered that name from the past and I believe he was just a loser.

[jgcrawfish 232]

I don't disagree with you . . . for the most part. The one problem I have with this logic is the drafting of Ziggy Hood, who is pretty prototypical for a 3-4 DE.

 

Ultimately, I don't have a problem with switching over, so long as there is still a creative D-Coordinator that will attack in the passing game and stop the run. The 3-4 has its advantages in its ability to disguise, manipulate and create. If that is dismissed because Tomlin is more comfortable with it, then shame on him. It certainly doesn't mesh with the Tomlin we have seen in the first 3 seasons of his tenure in Pittsburgh.

 

I'm not sure he had a choice. He inherited the best defensive unit in the league, no need to mess with what was working. However, despite still being highly ranked, the defense clearly fell off this year. I'm not saying it's going to happen, and i certainly don't want it to. I'm just pointing out the obvious, that Tomlin is a 4-3 guy and the defensive performance this year leaves something to be desired. I could see them turning Hood into an interior lineman on the 4-3, and letting someone like Woodley, who's freaking huge, line up in a DE spot ala Dwight Freeney (fwiw...Woodley is actually bigger and heavier than Freeney ) anyway, was just a thought...

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

Report: Arians leaked word of his coming demise

Posted by Mike Florio on January 6, 2010 12:50 PM ET

On Tuesday, Ken Laird of ESPN Radio reported that the Steelers will be firing offensive coordinator Bruce Arians "in the coming days."

 

But coach Mike Tomlin made no mention of Arians during a season-ending press conference, and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said in a Tuesday online chat that he expects Arians to return.

 

So what gives? Well, Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider.com reports, via Twitter, that Arians leaked word of impending pink slip to Laird, and that the Steelers aren't happy.

 

It's not clear whether Arians was simply being premature, or whether he was spreading untruths about himself in the hopes of making his wish come true.

 

If the latter is the case, why not simply descrate the uniform of the late Terry Bradshaw or tie those six Lombardis to the bumper of his Buick and take a spin around the Heinz Field parking lots?

 

Link with links to other clips: Arians

 

If Arians leaked it himself, he's gone for sure.

[jgcrawfish 232]

Link with links to other clips: Arians

 

If Arians leaked it himself, he's gone for sure.

 

yeah, that's dumber than a pimptaddy alias...

[Dan 60]

Latest word -

 

Zierlein is out, Arians stays.

 

According the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Arians will be kept through the end of his contract anyway . . . blech. I think I will be sick. It's a darn shame that people can get so wrapped up in numbers that they lose sight of effectiveness. I guess I can only hope that he lets Roethlisberger call tons of plays, because I have no hope that Arians is going to suddenly become a creative coordinator, or a good game caller.

[Chargersin08 0]

I was actually looking for something quantifiable.

10

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

Latest word -

 

Zierlein is out, Arians stays.

 

According the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Arians will be kept through the end of his contract anyway . . . blech. I think I will be sick. It's a darn shame that people can get so wrapped up in numbers that they lose sight of effectiveness. I guess I can only hope that he lets Roethlisberger call tons of plays, because I have no hope that Arians is going to suddenly become a creative coordinator, or a good game caller.

Ugh........mendenhall in 2010.....

[Borat33 17]

man wtf Tomlin? Grow a set and dump this a$$hole already!!

[Dan 60]

10

 

You . . . are . . . amazing.

 

Please don't ever let anyone compare you to an 8th grader again . . .

[Chargersin08 0]

You . . . are . . . amazing.

 

Please don't ever let anyone compare you to an 8th grader again . . .

Dude, you asked me to quantify something that's not quantifiable.

[Dan 60]

Dude, you asked me to quantify something that's not quantifiable.

 

Actually . . . I would contend that how good Mendenhall is expected to be is a quantifiable component. In fact, it could be quantified in a couple of different ways. I was actually sincerely curious, initially, as to what you thought his perceived value was. I gathered that you think people think very highly of him. 1500 yards? 1st round pick? These are quantifiable. Where do you think the general perception is putting him.

 

See, that lends to intelligent discussion. I just wonder why you keep avoiding that.