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dare2be

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I remember the changing of the guard with Bettis, Heath Miller, and yes, even Hines Ward mentoring players like AB, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders to pass on the "Steeler Way", and as we saw, it didn't stick. Ever since, there have been personnel and personality issues concentrated in the WR/RB positions.

I'm with @Cincyfan78 in that lies mostly with the coach and as the veterans from prior to Tomlin's tenure retired, so did the culture.
 

Stakesarehigh

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I remember the changing of the guard with Bettis, Heath Miller, and yes, even Hines Ward mentoring players like AB, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders to pass on the "Steeler Way", and as we saw, it didn't stick. Ever since, there have been personnel and personality issues concentrated in the WR/RB positions.

I'm with @Cincyfan78 in that lies mostly with the coach and as the veterans from prior to Tomlin's tenure retired, so did the culture.

I'd be curious how influential Ben was in that sense. I think he was a bit weird.
 

Cincyfan78

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I'd be curious how influential Ben was in that sense. I think he was a bit weird.
No doubt, but everyone knew he was the guy. Unquestioned leader of that offense, and that team.

Once he retired, you still have some leaders, but no one that really pulls the entire team together. You see it with the greats at QB (usually a QB, doesn't always have to be, though). Brady. Ben. Montana. Elway. In today's game you see it with Burrow and Mahomes and likely Purdy...etc....
 

FaCe-LeE-uS

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I'd be curious how influential Ben was in that sense. I think he was a bit weird.
Ben was a good leader but he only wanted to lead you if you did it his way. If that makes sense. Ben had an ego. And if you weren't on board with that, then you were dismissed & forgotten about. But that isn't to say he gave everyone a shot. People like Mason Rudolph were never given much of a chance with Ben because of Ben's disdain with the FO/staff over drafting a QB that might appear to be his eventual replacement. Mason went on record a few times to say that Ben never took him under his wing, but in the same breath acknowledging that it wasn't Ben's job to do that. Even if it isn't it still makes Ben look like an ass because that was the Steelers culture. All the other HOF caliber players that came through all departed every ounce of knowledge they had onto rookies.
 

Cincyfan78

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Ben was a good leader but he only wanted to lead you if you did it his way. If that makes sense. Ben had an ego. And if you weren't on board with that, then you were dismissed & forgotten about. But that isn't to say he gave everyone a shot. People like Mason Rudolph were never given much of a chance with Ben because of Ben's disdain with the FO/staff over drafting a QB that might appear to be his eventual replacement. Mason went on record a few times to say that Ben never took him under his wing, but in the same breath acknowledging that it wasn't Ben's job to do that. Even if it isn't it still makes Ben look like an ass because that was the Steelers culture. All the other HOF caliber players that came through all departed every ounce of knowledge they had onto rookies.
That is a fair point. Ben had a massive complex. I think it got worse towards the end because he knew he couldn't do what he needed to do but he also knew in helping any other QB it would hasten the organizations ability to cast him off...and he wasn't going to have that.
 

FaCe-LeE-uS

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That is a fair point. Ben had a massive complex. I think it got worse towards the end because he knew he couldn't do what he needed to do but he also knew in helping any other QB it would hasten the organizations ability to cast him off...and he wasn't going to have that.
Ben shouldn't have been worried. I mean they ran Todd Haley out of town because of him, and then promoted his inept QB coach to be his OC... Essentially handing the OC responsibilities to Ben himself. This team did a lot to keep Ben happy. Nowadays Ben likes to finger point the ineptitude of drafting OL in his final years as reason why things didn't work out so well, but in reality it was always Ben pounding the table for more skill talent for which they provided.
 

Cincyfan78

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Ben shouldn't have been worried. I mean they ran Todd Haley out of town because of him, and then promoted his inept QB coach to be his OC... Essentially handing the OC responsibilities to Ben himself. This team did a lot to keep Ben happy. Nowadays Ben likes to finger point the ineptitude of drafting OL in his final years as reason why things didn't work out so well, but in reality it was always Ben pounding the table for more skill talent for which they provided.
Well, and Bens' arm was shot. He no longer could just shrug off tacklers and hang the ball 50-60 yards down field on a consistent basis like he did when he was younger. That was glaringly obvious over the past 2 seasons when he tried to put gas on the ball for the short routes, how many ended up just floating in the air, or were woefully off-target.

The OL did hurt, but losing the running game, and missing on the RB (Harris hasn't been very good, IMO), coupled with the lack of OL play...and then the added issues with Ben...it all kind of came to a head at one time, IMO.
 

thedddd

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I remember the changing of the guard with Bettis, Heath Miller, and yes, even Hines Ward mentoring players like AB, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders to pass on the "Steeler Way", and as we saw, it didn't stick. Ever since, there have been personnel and personality issues concentrated in the WR/RB positions.

I'm with @Cincyfan78 in that lies mostly with the coach and as the veterans from prior to Tomlin's tenure retired, so did the culture.
I agree 100% and we all know Tomlin has no ability to adjust to his surroundings/personal. He just expects any QB to be Ben, any receiver to be Hines and any pass rusher to be TJ Watt.

Side note: to hear retired players say the "culture" is gone, sounds to be like old people yelling at the clouds. :)
 

cincygrad

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Cleveland is working out Joe Flacco. TBH, I sorta wish the Bengals would work him out. I'd like to see a back-up that can throw a nice deep ball. WIth Chase and Higgins, Flacco could just do his thing and hope the penalty flags come flying. Of course, he'd be finished after 3 quarters with our protection, but that's another story.
I'm not saying I saw the whole Joe Flacco thing, but......

Here's the thing about Flacco - The guy isn't scared to throw the ball down the field. This league is littered with quarterbacks that do nothing but check it down or hold the ball too long. It's a chronic problem. Even guys with generational arms like Justin Herbert spend most of their seasons throwing within the "structure" of the offense. It's maddening. Defences don't know what to do with a dude that has an arm and isn't afraid of throwing a few picks a game.
 

cincygrad

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I know I have thrown around the word hate before so this may fall on deaf ears… but I really f*cking hate the Bengals right now for letting tbe Steelers look good

F*ckin assholes
To me, this is the silver lining. Without beating the piss out of the Bengals twice this year, the offensive numbers would look significantly worse. I hope they run it back with these offensive coaches, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett and the rest of the crew. I'll take my chances that the Bengals can solve this juggernaut.
 

Stakesarehigh

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I'm not saying I saw the whole Joe Flacco thing, but......

Here's the thing about Flacco - The guy isn't scared to throw the ball down the field. This league is littered with quarterbacks that do nothing but check it down or hold the ball too long. It's a chronic problem. Even guys with generational arms like Justin Herbert spend most of their seasons throwing within the "structure" of the offense. It's maddening. Defences don't know what to do with a dude that has an arm and isn't afraid of throwing a few picks a game.

Well said.

We have these inflated qb ratings because of it to a degree. I was thinking about this very thing yesterday. That Flacco is going to make some head scratching throws but he will also take the top off a defense because he pushes it down the field.

Mason Rudolph isn't much to talk about but he was willing to do the same Saturday and you saw the results
 
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