Steelers – From Army to Air Force

Remember the days of Franco Harris punishing the Cowboys defensive line for MVP honors and multiple touchdowns?  How about Jerome Bettis, better known as “The Bus,” grabbing 100-yard games on a weekly basis.  Or what about Rocky Bleier, Merril Hoge, or Willie Parker carrying the ball with a purpose.

One thing was all these great Steeler running backs had in common was the offense was designed around them.  First down play selections were primarily a run.  The Steelers would get 4-7 yards, then either run it again to get a first down or selectively put in a pass play.  The gritty Steelers always have established the running game and relied on their backs to eat up the game clock and simply not allow their opponents enough time to execute their offense.

Even last year Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers starting running back, had 324 attempts for 1,273 yards, that’s 20 running plays per game to Mendenhall alone, by design,  So far this season, the Steelers’ running game has not been like the past – by play selection or the ability of the running backs to execute.

It is clear that the Steelers have taken a new direction, Air Attack!  From the traditional “ground troops,” the ARMY, to the new highly aired out AIR FORCE attack.  Let’s take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers Air Force unit – Hines Ward (86), Mike Wallace (17), Antonio Brown (84),  Emmanuel Sanders (88) and not to be forgotten, the big animal at tight end Heath Miller (83).

These five receivers not only can catch the ball, but they all have their incredible attributes.  Let’s take Hines Ward, the man in the middle, on the verge of all kinds of milestones. He hits defensive players harder than most defensive players hit him. This week he was hurt and sidelined but if you watched the game, his leadership was incredible, firing up all the younger receivers.  He knows this offense and this tradition and what they are capable of.  To have someone like this on the field or just the sidelines is crucial.

Last week, the Steelers beat the Patriots in a great battle for the receiving corps, and all four starting receivers had pretty equal numbers, Miller had 7 receptions for 85 yards, Brown had 9 for 67 yards, and Wallace and Sanders each had 70 yards with 5 and 7 completions, respectively.   That’s 28 completions totaling 292 yards spread out among 4 receivers.  The Steelers also threw the ball 55 times compared to 23 running plays.  Basically, Big Ben has 5 choices of who to throw the ball to, why not go to the air with all those weapons.

I don’t have a problem saying  that the Steelers dismantled the Patriots this week, and as a Steelers fan –  man, that feels good to say.  They executed in all phases of the game, and that’s what good teams do.  Come to think of it, the defense is like the Marines – they just attack.  Semper Fi.

I hope this coming Sunday, the Steelers come with all forces, the Army, Air Force, and Marines, to bring the Ravens to their knees.