Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers - Offense

by Brian (DaBolts) on Jan 8, 2009 8:33 AM PST Comment 9 comments

The Steelers offense has faced some great defenses this year; coupled with a shoulder injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and runningback Rashard Mendenhall (their rookie runningback) getting put on injured reserve and the offense has not performed as well as expected. Roethlisberger threw for 3,300 yards and 17 TDs, but had 15 picks to go along with them. These mistakes have proven costly in some games; in comparison last year Roethlisberger threw 32 TDs with only 11 picks. He is coming off of a concussion, but has had the week off to rest up; it will be interesting to see if he has any cobwebs.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2008 - Ben Roethlisberger	17	80.1	281	469	59.9	3301	194.2	7.0	17	15	34	101	5.9	3.0	2	46	284

The Steelers have two good wide receivers with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. Ward has caught for over 1,000 yards and Holmes finished with over 800 yards on the season. Heath Miller is the prime receiving tight end, he ended the season with over 500 yards and three touch downs. When these teams locked up in week 11 Hines Ward had over 120 yards, Holmes chipped in for 63 and Spaeth (the Steelers other tight end) had over 50. Roethlisberger had a great day with over 300 yards and no interceptions, but also couldn't find the end zone. Rivera seems to really gravitate to the nickel package; if the Charger defensive line can contain the run game I expect to see Cason on the field a lot. The nickel was very effective in the second half against the Colts after Cason got safety help over the top with Gonzalez.

This year the offense has shifted away from the power I running formation; it is not often you will see a fullback on the field. In that absence and the injury to Mendenhall the Steelers rushing attack has faltered pretty badly. They ended up ranked 23rd in the NFL; rushing for just 105 yards per game. Willie Parker is their main back is averaging 3.8 YPC; their other back is Mewelde Moore is at 4.2 YPC; both have 5 TDs on the season. Willie Parker rushed for 115 yards on 25 carries when they last met met.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Willie Parker	11	210	791	71.9	3.8	34	5	3	13	1.2	4.3	5	0

With the possibility of snow and cold weather perhaps dampening the passing attack; it is possible that the team that runs the ball better will carry the day. While the Chargers defense has played much better against the run with Jamal Williams and Stephen Cooper stepping up in the middle; the Steelers run defense allowed only 80 yards per game. It would be an interesting wrinkle if they came out with a lot of the I formation to try and throw the Chargers off balance. There is little doubt that the key to throwing this offense of stride is bringing consistent heat on Roethlisberger.

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Even with the I Formation

They’re going to have a hard time running the ball against us. Their offensive line just hasn’t been very good this year. Not at run-blocking nor at keeping people off of Roethlisberger (with a concussion as proof).

I think their offense depends 100% on how sharp Ben is, both with the concussion and with the weather. With him constantly stepping up in the pocket, I think there’s a real possibility of sacks from Jamal, Castillo and Igor on Sunday. Especially with Castillo looking great during the Colts game.

by John (obviousman) on Jan 8, 2009 9:33 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn’t count out the run game yet. All points about our O-line are true, but we have had success running the football, and we’ve also been awful at it. Typically against good run defenses the push from the O-line is minimal and the results have been as well. I would like to note though that the steelers have played the 3rd twice,4th, 6th, 8th, and 9th best rush defenses in the league and largely did poorly against every one on the ground. How has the chargers running game fared against teams with a top 10 run D? The chargers aren’t rated much below 10th in run D, but neither are the patriots or jaguars, all three teams of which the steelers had success against.

I know the argument will be that the chargers run defense has gotten much better. I’m sure it has, but I’m not convinced it has improved enough to completely stonewall the steelers.

by steelguy99 on Jan 8, 2009 9:48 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Didn't even check that

You’re dead on. The Steelers played a top 10 run defense almost every week.The lone exception where you played a poor run D and didn’t get a bunch of rushing yards was against the Colts.

I’d say with the way we’re playing defense right now, we’re pretty comparable to Dallas when they decided to play good D. Since the Steelers got 70 total yards of rushing that day, I’d predict somewhere between 60-85 total rushing yards on Sunday as well. Certainly not the worst rushing day in history, but any long drives and points are going to come as a result of Ben’s arm.

by John (obviousman) on Jan 8, 2009 10:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Here’s a secret not covered by the obvious stats. Due to turnstile O-line and TEs the average of all of our running backs usually consists of an abnormally large amount of stuffs mixed in with successful running. Our drives often look like: Willie parker for 5 yards, pass for first down. Willie parker for -2 yards. This absolutely kills our drives and is predominately why you are right about the offense being on Ben’s arm. 2nd and 12 will happen, and 3rd and 12 as well. The stuffed run opens up long passing situations that invite pressure, which we suck at stopping.

I think our left side matches up well against the chargers in the run game. Starks (LT) excels at squashing his opposition in the run game and Kemo (LG) can help double williams with Hartwig © away from the RB. Our #1 TE is in this game unlike last time and is better at run blocking than the #2, although he’s still iffy. The best we can ask for is a hole for the RB to meet your LBs in, and I think the RB can burn your LBs in the hole occasionally. Running to the right side is iffy due to stapleton (RG) and colon (RT), though colon did okay last game. Here’s a neat image from last game: http://bit.ly/15F5Q

While the SD defense has been improving down the stretch, one reason I have hope for the run game is we have been switching away from a more zone style of run blocking that we failed at through most of the season. The reason the “I” formation is promising to steelers fans is not because our fullback(s) is any good (they’re not), but because it’s a return to man run blocking which our retarded O-line is much better at. Does that make them good at it? Not really, but they are better at creating a hole and our RBs are better at going to a designed hole – they aren’t good at cutting runs back.

Can’t wait for this game – this season has been bad for every steelers fans blood pressure, and I don’t expect Sunday to be any different.

by steelguy99 on Jan 8, 2009 11:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Love the sound of 2nd and 12, 3rd and 12....

When that happens is when I start looking for picks.

I can’t wait for the game either, although after getting this second life I’m going to be disappointed when the first NFL weekend comes around without a Chargers game.

by John (obviousman) on Jan 8, 2009 11:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs