View topic - Ben vs. Lefty

[BigE Profile]

First of all, I understand why Ben was playing today. You need chemistry and continuity going into the playoffs. I belive Tomlin wanted to pull Ben earlier, but the fact that the shit laden playcalling and shitty offensive execution did not produce a big lead early forced Tomlin to play Ben longer than he wanted to. With that being said, even though Bruce Arians is the worst OC in the leage, the offense seems to run better with Bryon under center. He gets rid of the ball way quicker than Ben does and seems to go through his progessions faster. Example, the interception Ben threw was absolutely pathetic. Heath had gotten seperation from the defender and this was an easy touchdown had Ben delivered the ball on time and not hesitated. But, unable to read defenses very well, he held onto the ball like a dumbass and threw a horrible pass that was picked. I say given the fact that Arians sucks, we have a much better chance to advance in the playoffs with Byron under center than Ben.

[thesteelhammer Profile]

Stats for both QBs for today's game:

Byron Leftwich was 7-of-12 for 80 yards, along with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Ben Roethlisberger was 9-of-14 for 110 yards and an interception.


Ben's completion % = 64
Byron's completion % = 58

Yards per attmpt
Ben = 7.8
Byron = 6.6

Yards per completion
Ben = 12.2
Byron= 11.4

[jstallworth82 Profile]

OK now post the QB ratings and INTs INT per Att and sacks taken

[mikeyg Profile]

flush the stats

Ben stepped backwards this year - PERIOD.

He was hailed as an elite QB last year, and no one mentions him like that this year - a playmaker, and 4th Q guy - sure, but not elite.

He is a stubborn hard head - he needs to learn to LEARN!

The O moves better with Leftwich - flush the statistics.

[Homer J Profile]

There are compelling arguments on both sides of this issue.....

Twice this season, Lefty has replaced Ben, and both times the offense has kicked it up several notches.

That's no guarantee Lefty would be better as a starter. He has different tendencies than Ben, and it could be that he's more effective coming off the bench. The defense has not prepared for Lefty.

Those who say Lefty was awful his last two years in Jax fail to take into account that he was hurt those two seasons. This is the first time in three years he's been healthy. Of course, his windup and release have always been slow, and his passes generally come in two speeds: fast and hyperspace. Contrary to some critics, his touch passes are adequate - not awful.

Forget about comparing the two statistically. If Lefty doesn't have an open receiver, he throws it away. Ben holds on to the ball till he gets his head scrambled. Don't penalize Lefty for having common sense and throwing more incomplete passes.

Ben has been playing hurt...and his accuracy has suffered. Especially on short passes to the right and into the right flat. His touch passes were far, far better as a rookie than they are today. He's either masking part of that shoulder injury -- or he's gotten into some bad habits. And his field recognition and decision making seem to be regressing, rather than improving.

I would certainly keep Lefty in the mix up until game day...and throw in a couple of Dixon packages (wildcat stuff)....and wouldn't think twice about starting Lefty or alternating Lefty and Ben. For my money, a healthy Leftwich is at least the equal of an injured Ben.

[sarka196 Profile]

The only stat that matters is W's. Ben wins easily. Nuf said.

[Leo Profile]

Ben has regressed this season, but I still believe in him. Dude is a winner. I think he will come up big in 2 weeks.

Great to have Lefty as a relief pitcher. But that big ol windup of his could cost him over time....gives DBs an extra second to react.

In any case, am comfortable with whoever is under center. The running game and our dimwitted OC concern me much more.

[Nel Profile]

Ben does not appear to be a cerebral QB, that is, one who studies the game intently and uses his mind to improve his game significantly.

Ben still relies on his tremendous physical gifts to win, and he is at essence a winner.

Yet, with idiotic playcalling, a poor OL, and Ben's lack of study of photo images during game time, he has trouble adjusting to tough opponents.

I stated on this site a couple of years ago that I thought Ben was a bit dim witted. I still believe that and I hope he steps up his mental game in a number of ways.

But Byron is not nearly the player that Ben is; Byron is only fit for occasional winning in spot duty or for losing as a starter in the NFL, IMO.

By the way, I wish you all a happy holidays. I was out of touch for the past two weeks. I bought and moved into a new house and had a little vacation...God bless everyone.

[jstallworth82 Profile]

I think Ben has more potential but he needs to learn the finer points of the position. He needs to learn how to play smart i.e. play with his head not his heart That is one of his biggest problems. It will be a hard adjustment that may ever FULLY happen but he needs to realize that his career will not take much more of this unneccesary punishment.

I think Byron is a good QB and right now it may be because the opponents are not prepared to see him that may be an ace in the hole. If we are struggling and Ben is healthy noone would expect to see him come in and it may be the smart thing to do. If both QBs understand this going into a critical game it may be a good weapon to try.

Either way I believe we are capable of beating anyone as long as our O-Line steps up. That is the real key If O-Line can pick it up even a little we can beat anyone.

[Snockered Pedestrian Profile]

Isn't a QB coach supposed to assist the QBs with not only the physical minutiae of playing the position, but also the mental aspects as well; ie, film study, breakdowns, exposing defensive
tendencies, fostering proper habits, etc? Wasn't Ken Anderson Leftwich's QB coach at JAX?
Another poster opined that Leftwich gets the ball out quicker than BR7 despite the windup; wouldn't one think Anderson would have imparted the same to BenRoeth? It is common knowledge that BR7 is often not the sharpest knife in the drawer and is not always teachable/coachable; Ben also possesses a sizable willful streak. The franchise should make a change at OC in '09; wouldn't it make sense to find a QB coach that can actually help
the $102M QB?

[jstallworth82 Profile]

Isn't a QB coach supposed to assist the QBs with not only the physical minutiae of playing the position, but also the mental aspects as well; ie, film study, breakdowns, exposing defensive
tendencies, fostering proper habits, etc? Wasn't Ken Anderson Leftwich's QB coach at JAX?
Another poster opined that Leftwich gets the ball out quicker than BR7 despite the windup; wouldn't one think Anderson would have imparted the same to BenRoeth? It is common knowledge that BR7 is often not the sharpest knife in the drawer and is not always teachable/coachable; Ben also possesses a sizable willful streak. The franchise should make a change at OC in '09; wouldn't it make sense to find a QB coach that can actually help
the $102M QB?

I believe it is more that BR7 thinks he knows it all than Ken not trying to get through to him, or that BR7 has cried to MT or his boy Bruce that Ken wanted him to do more than sit on his buttocks. Ken is a very good teacher and has been for years It seems that BR7 is not able or willing to listen

[woody2008 Profile]

say what you will about BEN, our schedule has not been cupcake central, even the teams who fell of like the Jags and Bolts still have great tallent on defense, look at the D's he's played this year, its like a who's who of the top 10-15 defenses, so in my eyes his numbers and the NUMBER OF WINS AND COME FROM BEHIND WINS tell me everything i need to know about this guy, trust me no team wants ben with the ball in his hands with 2 min left and the steelers being down less then a touch, steelers fans are so fucking critical, this is the best steelers QB since Bradshaw, fucking lighten up guys, its always going to be a double edge sword with this guy, he holds the ball, takes sacks, but that also helps him make the big plays we have grown accustomed to buying time, HE IS A WINNER PERIOD, i could give a shit about his numbers as long as the black n gold get Ws then who gives a shit, I mean hell what the fuck has Byron ever accomplished in the league compared to Ben, honestly, although i do love him at backup


remember the brutal schedule and the talent on the field facing ben week after week (aside from the browns and bungels) this year before your so critical of a 12-4 qb's numbers!

[jstallworth82 Profile]

say what you will about BEN, our schedule has not been cupcake central, even the teams who fell of like the Jags and Bolts still have great tallent on defense, look at the D's he's played this year, its like a who's who of the top 10-15 defenses, so in my eyes his numbers and the NUMBER OF WINS AND COME FROM BEHIND WINS tell me everything i need to know about this guy, trust me no team wants ben with the ball in his hands with 2 min left and the steelers being down less then a touch, steelers fans are so fucking critical, this is the best steelers QB since Bradshaw, fucking lighten up guys, its always going to be a double edge sword with this guy, he holds the ball, takes sacks, but that also helps him make the big plays we have grown accustomed to buying time, HE IS A WINNER PERIOD, i could give a shit about his numbers as long as the black n gold get Ws then who gives a shit, I mean hell what the fuck has Byron ever accomplished in the league compared to Ben, honestly, although i do love him at backup


remember the brutal schedule and the talent on the field facing ben week after week (aside from the browns and bungels) this year before your so critical of a 12-4 qb's numbers!

We had a brutal Schedule and 12 - 4 is not bad but Byron won the Washingtong game and Ben alone did not win the other 11. Hell I'd say we won 5 of them despite Ben. We very well could have been undefeated if he played consistant. I am not bashing him but if I were paying someone over 100 million I would expect more than what Ben is giving at this time. And remember the NFL has a short memory. If you took this year and asked 32 NFL owners if they would be willing to pay this guy that amount based solely on what he did this year I guarantee you you would get more NO votes than YES votes.

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

And remember the NFL has a short memory. If you took this year and asked 32 NFL owners if they would be willing to pay this guy that amount based solely on what he did this year I guarantee you you would get more NO votes than YES votes.

You are absolutely right about that.

[rick723 Profile]

Where do you guys get Ben regressed this year? Last year was a great year. This year wasn't as great. What were the records for each year?
10-6 last year..... 12-4 this year? I'll take it. If we are 14-2 next year and ben only throws 20 TD's, that a bad year too?

[StillQ Profile]

There is is too much talent on this offense (not including OL or OC) that they should not have to win every game 2000 ratbird style. Really, I expected so much more from this offense going into the season. When you look at the weapons at WR, RB, TE, and QB, I thought it was going to be a fun offense to watch. Instead - it's been utterly painful for the majority of the season. It all comes down to execution and with the Steelers offense this year, execution has been spotty to say the least. Also, for what it's worth, there definitely seems to be more offensive energy in the game when Lefty's in there. The Steelers need to do what it takes to win - regardless of who's feelings it hurts.

I say start Ben in the divisional game but if he's sucking and the collective offense is sucking, don't leave him in there the whole game with the defense saving our asses and hoping for a 4th quarter miracle.

Ben regressed this season, thankfully the defense progressed.

[No l Gravity l Profile]

At least we don't have this Ben back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSu7KF4230Y

[ILLSTILL Profile]

Really? Last time I talked about anything like this i was fucking ridiculed.