PITTSBURGH — Hi. My name is Joe. I’m a passaholic.
Over the past two months my life unraveled as I became progressively intoxicated by the Steelers’ increasingly excessive passing game. Steeped in denial, I failed to notice it morphing from prolific to pathological. Or maybe passological.
Bob Pompeani tried to warn me. I pushed him away.
Only by hitting bottom, Wednesday afternoon, did I regain a semblance of sanity. John Clayton’s intervention scared me straight (more on that later).
The first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging it. I finally can admit the truth: The Steelers’ throw-it-every-down obsession has become unmanageable and wholly unsustainable.
Yes, it took 53 passes against 14 runs in a game where they did not trail until 2:07 remained, but I finally sobered up.
I’m here today to tell my story — what it was like, what happened and what it’s like now…
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— What it was like
I grew up in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., weaned on the beauty of a good running game (O.J. Simpson-led) but also wary of any offense that could not propel the ball through the air (the Bills, basically, until Jim Kelly came along).
Decades later I immersed myself in the culture of Steelers football. I learned quickly that even when this franchise leans toward the pass, it must retain an element of brute force.
That is missing at the moment, even as this team sits at 11-1. Mike Tomlin mentioned something about “physicality” Tuesday, but his offense is about as physical as filtered water. It had five cracks from the 1 the other night and resorted to throwing a down-and-out to a backup tackle.
I lived through the Tommy Maddox era, which powerfully reinforced the imperative of balance. I warned against even the great Ben Roethlisberger falling too deeply in love with the pass.
Just two years ago, I railed against Roethlisberger attempting a league-high 675 passes (and leading the NFL in interceptions).
Can’t win that way.
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— What happened
The Steelers started winning literally every game that way.
And it was intoxicating.
Roethlisberger went to a spread offense, often with five talented pass catchers, and began carving teams like Christmas hams. Shorter throws, less risk, lots of points.
For the first time in their history, the Steelers kept throwing like crazy even with leads — 40, 45, 50 times.
I couldn’t get enough.
I mocked those who said it could not be sustained.
They improved to 7-0, 8-0, 9-0 and counting. Ben shredded the Titans (first half) and Ravens (second half). He told the world he was making it up on the fly.
Then, subtly, things began to change.
The Jacksonville win wasn’t especially pretty. The Baltimore game was horrifying. The Washington game was rock bottom. Receivers began to drop passes all over the field, almost like a cry for help — “Stop throwing at us so much!”
It reached the point where instead of kicking a 46-yard field goal to take a late lead, the Steelers tried a high-risk sideline pass to their third-string running back — and as of Wednesday morning I was still defending the play. (Before I heard Roethlisberger break it down like a physics equation, anyway.)
After promising to fix their running game, the Steelers now were keeping company with Lions and Texans and Bears (oh my) at the bottom of the league.
This is when John Clayton entered my life.
Clayton, during his 3 p.m. slot on 93.7 The Fan, mentioned a statistic I’d never heard.
He said teams win 80 to 85% of the time when their combined pass completions and rush attempts equal at least 50.
He also thought the Steelers were playing Indianapolis this weekend and admitted he is a partially reformed caffeine addict, but that is beside the point.
This was my moment of clarity.
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— What it’s like now
I attended my first Passaholics Anonymous meeting Wednesday and have come to this realization: It’s OK to throw the ball 40 times as long as you stay somewhat faithful to the run.
It’s smart to keep running, even when it’s not working especially well.
I knew this. I’d just forgotten. I will now try to remind myself, one day at a time.
Clayton’s theory worked out with last year’s Steelers, by the way, at 80% in non-overtime games. Not so much the year before (60%). This year, it’s 75%.
Of course, even having told this long-winded tale, it’s not about me. It’s about the Steelers — and I wonder:
— Do they believe, deep down, that the offensive equilibrium is out of whack?
— Will Ben seek more balance in his run-pass option calls?
— Have the linemen been conditioned to pass block for so long that their run-block skills are gone?
I fear denial might still be at work here. Roethlisberger gave his offense a “B or B-minus” against Washington and seemed to indicate Wednesday that it’s not so much the approach but the execution that is flawed.
Here’s to hoping this group doesn’t need to hit an even lower bottom — in Buffalo, of all places — to finally see the problem.
If I could see it, anyone can.
