Somewhere in the middle of their lackluster performance in a Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers unlocked the key to their season.
The Steelers unveilved their no-huddle offense in a desperate attempt to jumpstart their plodding offense against the big, bad Ravens defense. It not only gave the Steelers some life against Baltimore but it probably saved their season. Coach Mike Tomlin and his staff implemented the no-huddle approach early against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday night and the result was a 400-yard output and a 26-21 victory for the Steelers.
The no-huddle offense allows quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to call his own plays at the line of scrimmage and have the offense dictate the matchups by keeping the same defense on the field. This is what Roethlisberger did at Miami of Ohio and this is what he did in the playoff run in 2005. It also keeps embattled Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians from calling all the plays. We've seen him call plays and you don't want Arians calling 100 percent of the plays.
Over the years, the Steelers have been branded as a "smash mouth" football team. A team that runs and runs to win ballgames. That may have been the case during the Jerome Bettis years but this version of the Steelers do not possess a back who can punish a defense like The Bus. Willie Parker and his backups prefer running on the edges. It doesn't mean that this running approach is less effective. It's just a different way of thinking and game planning.
In the up-tempo offense, Roethlisberger can get into a rhythm and keep his receivers involved. One thing about NFL receivers, when they are heavily involved in the offense they all tend to play faster and block better. Another thing the Steelers have added to their arsenal is the dump-offs to the running backs. Pittsburgh has an ideal safety valve in third-down back Mewelde Moore and he can win most one-on-one matchups against linebackers.
And can someone please tell Arians and Roethlisberger to get Heath Miller the ball. Miller is a big target and has yet to drop a significant pass in his career. If Miller had the chances afforded to guys like Antonio Gates and Jason Witten, you would be in the Pro Bowl. Miller is that good.
Thanks to the no-huddle and a dynamite defense led by beastly linebackers James Harrison and Lamar Woodley, who should both make the Pro Bowl, the Steelers are 4-1 heading into their bye week.
Keywords: Ben Roethlisberger, no huddle, Steelers
