Quote:
Originally Posted by shipitkthx
Will someone please explain to me why everyone is blind to the giant O-line problem in Pittsburgh?? Big Ben was sacked 47 times last year, 2nd in the league next to Kitna. The Steelers did nothing in the offseason to fix this problem. Keep thinking Ben is gonna play well when his ass is in the dirt every sunday. The Browns finally figured out that "No O-line = losing." Apparantly the Steelers didn't learn the same thing. What was left of the Bill Cowher era is gone, Tomlin is an idiot and the effect of his dumb decisions will start to become apparent this season.
Because the Steelers didn't have an o-line problem, that's just what the idiots at ESPN keep saying. If you watch Big Ben play, he tries to make a ton of plays with his feet and scrambles outside the pocket where his line can't help him. He holds onto the ball much longer than any other quarterback in the NFL that I've seen. Now, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing since he makes so many big plays through this strategy, but it does cause him to take many more sacks than he otherwise would.
If you look at the number of pocket sacks Roethlisberger took it really wouldn't be much more than the NFL average I'm guessing. The Steelers added a ton of weapons, which should allow more players to get open faster, which will help Roethlisberger get rid of the ball more quickly.
That being said, the Steelers' defense doesn't look like what it's been in past years, and with the toughest schedule in recent NFL memory, I don't think they'll have an astonishing year. The Browns also have a difficult schedule, but subbing in the Broncos and Bills in place of the Chargers and Patriots give them a real chance to be competitive in the division this year.