Why Injuries and an 0-2 Hole Aren’t the Steelers’ Biggest Issue
The Steelers are only two games in, but things already seem to be trending in the wrong direction. While no Ben plus no wins equal panic in Pittsburgh, there is something else holding the Steelers back.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves winless after two contests, and now any effort to get in the win column will come without the help of the team’s Super Bowl champion starting quarterback.
Ben Roethlisberger is out for the season, and second-year man Mason Rudolph will take the reigns for Pittsburgh. This less than ideal situation, however, will not be what ruins the Steelers’ season.
No, it isn’t the fact that the team has to dig itself out of an 0-2 hole either. It is the fact that Randy Fichtner is the man leading the Pittsburgh offense from the sideline.
Fichtner is in his second year as the Steelers’ play-caller, having replaced former offensive coordinator, Todd Haley. Was Haley the man Pittsburgh needed calling plays? No. Was Fichtner the right choice to be his successor? It sure doesn’t seem like it.
While losing Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown since Fichtner took over certainly makes the offense less explosive, it is the simplicity of the offense that makes the Steelers so predictable and unimpressive.
Take the Week One loss in New England, for example, where the Steelers offense mustered up a whopping three points. How many times in that game did Pittsburgh deviate from the run up the middle, pitch outside, screen pass, and occasional long ball that the team loves so much?
In fact, how often in 2018 did we see a variety in offensive plays that stretched much beyond those listed above? It’s one thing to favor the run or the pass, but it is another to favor less than ten plays and expect to make much progress on offense.
Under Fichtner’s guidance as offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh has favored the pass more than almost any other team in the NFL. Roethlisberger has never thrown more passes than he did in 2018, and James Conner, a Pro Bowl running back last season, was only able to help his team rank 31st in rushing.
To make this even more clear, the Steelers passed the ball on 69.37% of plays in 2018, which was the second-highest percentage in the league. So far this year, Fichtner’s offense passes 74.1% of the time, which is fourth.
Mason Rudolph will find success this year, if for no reason other than the fact that the Steelers’ offense is simple enough to be run by a high school team. Yes, Ben makes a big difference, but the biggest concern for the Pittsburgh offense and the team as a whole is the poor, predictable play-calling.
Injuries to Roethlisberger and other players, as well as the team’s troublesome start, are reasons for concern, but the biggest issue is the simplistic offense Fichtner continues to run.
Next. Without Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers Season is on the Brink of Disaster. dark
How do you feel about the Steelers right now? What is the team’s biggest concern? Leave your comments below!