LeVeon Bell is just one new addition for the Steelers’ offense in 2013.
For the first time in the whole game, the Denver Broncos didn’t run the ball on first down. Instead, Tim Tebow faked the ball to Willis McGahee before throwing a dart over the head of Ryan Mundy into the hands of Demaryius Thomas. Thomas sprinted away from Ike Taylor and into the endzone, the lowest point of the Steelers’ 2011 season was also the point at which their season came to a close.
Not only did that play bring down the curtain on the Steelers’ season, but it also would stand in history as the last play of Bruce Arians’ career as the team’s offensive coordinator. Arians, Hines Ward, James Farrior and William Gay would all be elsewhere soon after, but it was Arians’ loss that would cause ripple effects throughout the following season.
As soon as Arians was let go, star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made his displeasure known. Roethlisberger had grown very close to Arians, some might say too close, likely because he had always allowed him to play the game his way and not tried to force him into any particular scheme. In short, Arians let Roethlisberger be Roethlisberger.
For that reason, it was a surprise to many when the Steelers brought in Todd Haley to succeed Arians. Not only was Haley seen as a completely different coach to Arians, but he also brought a very fiery, passionate character to Pittsburgh that would potentially be destructive when juxtaposed next to Roethlisberger’s.
This was something that the national media zoned in on during the quieter parts of the off-season, as the duo not speaking initially was blown completely out of proportion. Even though the idea of a rift between the two before they even spoke was outlandish, a semblance of truth to the rumors appeared to surface during the regular season. Roethlisberger never looked comfortable in Haley’s scheme and his body language was significantly worse than it had been over the previous few seasons. Continue reading
Pre Snap Reads 