Following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ embarrassing home loss to the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, the loudest cry from the fan base called for Todd Haley’s head.
To be fair, the fans did get one thing right about their criticism: the problem is on offense. With the Steelers putting up 12 measly points, two of which were handed to them three seconds into the game on a stupid kneel-down in the end zone for a safety, it isn’t exactly rocket science figuring out the offense struggled.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 191 yards while completing 21-31 attempts, one touchdown and one interception. The offensive line was atrocious, per usual, allowing Ben to get sacked five times while Larod Stephens-Howling led the team with 19 rushing yards!!!
Back to Haley.
His play calling was bad (seriously, a screen pass on 3rd and 11?) but the real issue lies with the players on the field and the the lack of talent, in general. Haley was lauded for his successful offenses in Arizona and Kansas City, but has come under heavy criticism here in Pittsburgh for failing to replicate those results.
Here’s the difference, those other teams had weapons on offense; at least more than one. The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger. Don’t get me wrong, Antonio Brown has a lot of talent, but would you put him on the same level as Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Dwayne Bowe? Since Willie Parker, have the Steelers had anybody close to a running back like Jamaal Charles?
The Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall but let him walk after he acted like a baby for not playing last season. They let Mike Wallace walk because he wanted an astronomical amount of money that the Steelers couldn’t afford to fit under the salary cap. That leaves Ben Roethlisberger with third string-caliber running backs and a slew of 5’11 wide receivers. The big target? Out with a torn ACL.
So, let’s review:
Todd Haley is the offensive coordinator of a team with no running backs, three wide receivers who barely qualify to get on the Thunderbolt at Kennywood, no tight ends, and one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Therefore, from what many have been saying in the wake of this week one loss, Haley should have Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked five times and is on pace to shatter Brett Favre’s all-time record for sacks, throw the ball down the field instead of executing short passes.
Furthermore, it is Todd Haley’s fault that the Steelers, they of zero playmakers outside of their 32 year old quarterback, who has participated in all 16 regular season games only twice in his ten year career, couldn’t put up more than ten points against the Tennessee Titans.
The Steelers could’ve gone in another direction with their draft picks. They could have selected Demeryius Thomas instead of Maurkice Pouncey or maybe traded up to get Hakeem Nicks instead of selecting Ziggy Hood. But the Steelers aren’t built around an explosive offense and the team had bigger holes to fill at the time.
I predicted this team would go 6-10 at the beginning of the season, and the main reason was their lack of talent. Good teams eventually fade after several years of winning and it becomes impossible to replace all the parts that brought a Super Bowl championship. The offense is in big trouble, especially with Pouncey out for the season. At the end of the day, it’s not Todd Haley’s fault this team can’t score. They simply aren’t good enough.
Photo courtesy of Post Gazette
