Bell:
3 rushes for 18 yards
4 rushes for 11 yards
9 rushes for 23 yards
2 rushes for 8 yards
Average: 3.3 YPC
Blount:
3 rushes for 10 yards
3 rushes for 0 yards
7 rushes for 32 yards
3 rushes for 7 yards
Average: 3.0 YPC
Archer:
2 rushes for 8 yards
2 rushes for 1 yard
2 rushes for 9 yards
Average: 3.0 YPC
SteelBack wrote:Like many of you, I was very excited when we hired HOF Mike Munchak and signed BAMF Legarette Blount. I didn't want to run more but run better. And so far this preseason it looks like our hopes for a more effective rushing attack have come true...right?
In 4 preseason games:Bell:
3 rushes for 18 yards
4 rushes for 11 yards
9 rushes for 23 yards
2 rushes for 8 yards
Average: 3.3 YPC
Blount:
3 rushes for 10 yards
3 rushes for 0 yards
7 rushes for 32 yards
3 rushes for 7 yards
Average: 3.0 YPC
Last year a combo of Bell, Dwyer and Felix Jones rushed 341 times for 1241 yards...3.6 YPC.
jebrick wrote:\I did not think they ran that much. how did Bell, Dwyer and Jones do last preseason?
BarryFoster wrote:Relax. We'll flip a switch in week 1. Presto. Instant offense.
All seriousness, I think we can discount the Panthers game since Laundry was heading up the offense. The Eagles game? That was brutal and hopefully not a good measure of what we can expect.
But yes, I fucking hate the insinuations that we were vanilla in the preseason. We are not good enough....
StillerInCT wrote:I hate the vanilla bullshit. It reeks of arrogance to go strictly vanilla in the preseason. So apparently we think in week 1 we can just turn on the real offense and we'll be a juggernaut. It's stupid. You have to show SOMETHING in preseason to get yourself ready. Instead we're going to ease in like we did fucking last year. This team isn't good good enough/experienced enough on offense to not practice the real offense in the preseason. It's this type of shit that leads to the undisciplined/mistake prone play early in the season because they aren't comfortable with or prepared for what they are doing. They won't be ready for week 1.
BarryFoster wrote:I think what people are trying to say is the concept of "we were vanilla", is mainly used to explain away preseason losses, some worse than others.
Like "had we not been vanilla we would have lit them up." Hitler despises going vanilla in preseason.
Iron_City wrote:BarryFoster wrote:I think what people are trying to say is the concept of "we were vanilla", is mainly used to explain away preseason losses, some worse than others.
Like "had we not been vanilla we would have lit them up." Hitler despises going vanilla in preseason.
Who cares about losing games that don't count?
Steeler Jones wrote:StillerInCT wrote:I hate the vanilla bullshit. It reeks of arrogance to go strictly vanilla in the preseason. So apparently we think in week 1 we can just turn on the real offense and we'll be a juggernaut. It's stupid. You have to show SOMETHING in preseason to get yourself ready. Instead we're going to ease in like we did fucking last year. This team isn't good good enough/experienced enough on offense to not practice the real offense in the preseason. It's this type of shit that leads to the undisciplined/mistake prone play early in the season because they aren't comfortable with or prepared for what they are doing. They won't be ready for week 1.
How is it "arrogant" to go strictly vanilla? It's actually courteous to your players and to the opposing coaches, who are trying to fairly evaluate THEIR talent.
I think all this goes away when we stomp Cleveland's guts out in Week 1. Cleveland "showed" some things in preseason- like, they have no QB worth a wet turd. Actually, I take that back, this board makes me think about 2/3 of the people who post here will only bitch, regardless of anything else.
Iron_City wrote:BarryFoster wrote:I think what people are trying to say is the concept of "we were vanilla", is mainly used to explain away preseason losses, some worse than others.
Like "had we not been vanilla we would have lit them up." Hitler despises going vanilla in preseason.
Who cares about losing games that don't count?
StillerInCT wrote:Iron_City wrote:BarryFoster wrote:I think what people are trying to say is the concept of "we were vanilla", is mainly used to explain away preseason losses, some worse than others.
Like "had we not been vanilla we would have lit them up." Hitler despises going vanilla in preseason.
Who cares about losing games that don't count?
That's a terrible mentality to have. Winning is an attitude and it snowballs. It builds confidence. It's why it's the hot teams that win championships not necessarily the best teams (2005 anyone?). Losing games in preseason does matter just not for the record books.
Rather than looking good and winning games in the preseason we enter week 1 with absolutely no momentum even if the games don't technically matter.
Iron_City wrote:
Then why don't all 32 teams play starters for 60 minutes?
Because winning is the most important thing?
StillerInCT wrote:Iron_City wrote:
Then why don't all 32 teams play starters for 60 minutes?
Because winning is the most important thing?
Of course you don't play the starters for 60 minutes, but you put in a better effort than what we've done the past 3 seasons. That's such a ridiculously extreme argument to what I'm saying.
You prepare to win the game. This team doesn't look the least bit prepared to win anything.
They played like shit in preseason, how can you expect them to come out and start rolling in week 1?
Iron_City wrote:StillerInCT wrote:Iron_City wrote:
Then why don't all 32 teams play starters for 60 minutes?
Because winning is the most important thing?
Of course you don't play the starters for 60 minutes, but you put in a better effort than what we've done the past 3 seasons. That's such a ridiculously extreme argument to what I'm saying.
You prepare to win the game. This team doesn't look the least bit prepared to win anything.
They played like shit in preseason, how can you expect them to come out and start rolling in week 1?
I look at it as practice, working on your own deficiencies rather than exploiting opponent weakness
Everyone wants to look like world champs in August, but if you don't you still have time to work on it. Hard to field quality depth with $100M QB. Certain guys make things click. Not always going to be same brand of ball when they aren't in game
Iron_City wrote:BarryFoster wrote:I think what people are trying to say is the concept of "we were vanilla", is mainly used to explain away preseason losses, some worse than others.
Like "had we not been vanilla we would have lit them up." Hitler despises going vanilla in preseason.
Who cares about losing games that don't count?
Jeemie wrote:Iron_City wrote:BarryFoster wrote:I think what people are trying to say is the concept of "we were vanilla", is mainly used to explain away preseason losses, some worse than others.
Like "had we not been vanilla we would have lit them up." Hitler despises going vanilla in preseason.
Who cares about losing games that don't count?
Funny how you were on the opposite side of this argument at the end of 2012, when the Cleveland finale meant nothing.
Then your argument was "You set a bad precedent if you don't give your all to win that game".
steelman65 wrote:I am on the side of you don't EVER want to lose a regular season game and you don't give a shit about pre-season.
The 0-16 Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the pre-season.
The Dungy led Colts often lost 3-4 games in pre-season and then won 12.
The 2001 Pats lost 31-0 to the Bills in Week 1. Maybe they should give back that Lombardi.
Please don't start the "cheating" shit. They had a very good team regardless.
Iron_City wrote:I'm convinced you just don't get it
Steeler Jones wrote:You need to win 3 games in the 1st half of the season and 1 of your first 4. I think we get one of those Week 1.
Cleveland has something going on defense maybe, but whatever warts we have I think we are going to take them to the woodshed.
Jeemie wrote:Iron_City wrote:I'm convinced you just don't get it
As usual, you are wrong.
I get it perfectly.
It is you, as usual, that don't get what the poster was saying...which is, it wasn't the preseason record that mattered.
It was how the Steelers looked in preseason, and that he was decrying people who were saying the Steelers looked bad in preseason because they "were being vanilla".
We are "vanilla" EVERY preseason.
We very rarely look as bad in preseason as we have the past several years...and while preseason record and regular season record may not correlate, how the team looks in preseason often does correlate with how they will look when the bullets start flying for real.
And I agree with the poster that this team is a young team and that EVERY win, meaningless or not, gives them the confidence they can do it when the bullets fly for real.
On one hand, you argue that a veteran team dumping a meaningless regular season finale will suffer negative emotional consequences that will last all offseason and into the next one, but on the other hand you deny the importance of building a young team's confidence immediately starting a new season by doing what you can to help them perform well in preseason because "the games don't count".
If you don't see how that's a contradiction, I can't help you.
