Big Ben is secretly a major reason the Patriots own the Steelers

Going back to the 2o04 AFCCG with Brady, here are the leads we have had before softening the defense. He can't keep the offense on the field...the guy is NOT an elite WB. Belichick dominated him more than any quarterback in football who is considered above average.

Roethlisberger scored 23 points by the 4th quarter in the Steelers only win, at Heinz in 2013, and that's the one of the few times he has moved the ball consistently. Here are the other games.

PATRIOTS PEAK LEADS IN WINS
2004: Patriots 38-17 (12:37, 4th quarter), 21 point lead
2005: Patriots 20-13 (4th quarter), 7 point lead
2007: Patriots 34-13 (fourth quarterl), 21 point lead
2010: Patriots 30-11 (10:13, 4th quarter), 19 point lead
2013: Patriots 41-24 (4th quarter), 17 point lead
2015: Patriots 28-14, (4th quarter), 14 point lead
2016: Patriots 36-9 (4th quarter), 27 point lead
In other words, the Patriots are averaging a peak lead of 18 points before garbage time.

A lot of times the scores are closer than they appear because of the garbage points that Ben racks up. That tends to pad his stats and get him off the hook, but make no mistake: the Steelers offense is to blame as much as the defense. In summation:

In the Steelers 7 losses (against just one win), here are the points scored totals they've had at their peak fourth quarter defecits:

STEELERS FOURTH QUARTER POINTS BEFORE GARBAGE TIME
2004: 10 (subtracting pick 6)
2005: 13
2007: 13
2010: 11
2013: 24
2015: 14
2016: 9
AVERAGE: 13.4
In other words, the offense averages about 13 points in the 4th quarter peak deficit before garbage time padding.

All in all, the Patriots are averaging a peak fourth quarter lead of 31-13 before garbage time.

These are not two elite QBs. One is the GOAT. The other is Belichick's b1tch.

I'd say it's more about how their team is built and their playcalling. I mean there is only so much you can do as a QB.

luuked said:

I'd say it's more about how their team is built and their playcalling. I mean there is only so much you can do as a QB.

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...there is only so much you can do when your limitations can be exploited to such a degree by Belichick. Take Brees, Rodgers, and other true elite QBs and have Belichick play them 7 times. Won't see that type of dominance. Just saying, Big Ben is not an elite QB, not even close.

"Let the homey Brady get his 5th."

It's by and large the zone defense they insist on playing over and over again, despite the fact that Brady continually carves it up. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time.

If I were the Steelers, I'd realize that the way to the SB is through Foxboro, and that the only way to really stop them is to stop playing that zone defense crap. First step of order would be to fire my DC and clean house defensively and go with a completely different philosophy.

Ben is a great QB but the Pats handle him well. They force him to throw underneath and take away those explosive plays. He lacks the patience to march the team down the field.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

...there is only so much you can do when your limitations can be exploited to such a degree by Belichick. Take Brees, Rodgers, and other true elite QBs and have Belichick play them 7 times. Won't see that type of dominance. Just saying, Big Ben is not an elite QB, not even close.

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Yes of course, but ultimately he is at the mercy of how his team is build and what playcalls are send to his helmet.

I'd say Brady's stats against a defense under Tomlin as HC say a lot about the flawed roster building in Pittsburgh. In the postgame interview Tomlin lamented that the game developed in a way that wasn't favorable to them. This tells you all you need to know about Tomlin as a HC and his failure to ever adjust against us.

Like I said I think this game revealed more about the limitations of their roster and coaching staff than anything else. Of course Ben's erratic play this year didn't help as well.

PP2 said:

It's by and large the zone defense they insist on playing over and over again, despite the fact that Brady continually carves it up. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time.

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I swear to god I think someone told Tomlin that "we just need to get more speed on the LB level" and we will be fine against the Pats. Game over, insert new coin.

That being said, this entire game just validates BB's approach even further where we are a ****ing chameleon every week on offense and defense with only a few recurring things the opponents can key on.

PP2 said:

It's by and large the zone defense they insist on playing over and over again, despite the fact that Brady continually carves it up. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time.

If I were the Steelers, I'd realize that the way to the SB is through Foxboro, and that the only way to really stop them is to stop playing that zone defense crap. First step of order would be to fire my DC and clean house defensively and go with a completely different philosophy.

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The last win Ben has in 2011 came because they scrapped the zone for the most part and played press man. It caught Brady off guard and, by the time he figured it out, it was already too late.

KontradictioN said:

The last win Ben has in 2011 came because they scrapped the zone for the most part and played press man. It caught Brady off guard and, by the time he figured it out, it was already too late.

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Exactly.

I thought he played pretty well yesterday. If those young receivers catch the ball, the game isn't a route. He took what the Pats gave him.

On the defensive side, they did solve the Pats running game, so give them credit for that. They just must have no confidence in their DB's ability to play man coverage, 5 on 5.

He played pretty well in the stats. I think the defense had a lot to do with it and ofcourse that awful zone they continue to play.

Also the Patriots offense with sustained drives kept him off the field with less scoring opportunities.

He is a really good qb, especially when his running game is going. The Pats just happen to be elite at stopping the run though.

mosi said:

Ben is a great QB but the Pats handle him well. They force him to throw underneath and take away those explosive plays. He lacks the patience to march the team down the field.

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This may be one of the last times the Steelers have a good shot at a SB. Big Ben probably does not have many more years left to get this far. When he goes, Steelers might be more like 1933-1969.

Pitts failures stem from their antiquated defensive approach....zone + little substitution. Brady carves them up and the Pitt offense must abandon their effective balanced attack.
Another issue is Pitts top heavy star driven offense. While Pitt relies on two elite playmakers every week, NE utilizes their entire fleet while searching out the one defensive matchup to exploit. Hogan this week. Lewis last week. Blount other weeks..etc etc.
In other words...Pitt, like many NFL teams, still play a 20th century brand football. Brady and BB own these teams.

luuked said:

Yes of course, but ultimately he is at the mercy of how his team is build and what playcalls are send to his helmet.

I'd say Brady's stats against a defense under Tomlin as HC say a lot about the flawed roster building in Pittsburgh. In the postgame interview Tomlin lamented that the game developed in a way that wasn't favorable to them. This tells you all you need to know about Tomlin as a HC and his failure to ever adjust against us.

Like I said I think this game revealed more about the limitations of their roster and coaching staff than anything else. Of course Ben's erratic play this year didn't help as well.

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Former Pittsburgh speaking here --- Let's pretend that the Patriots either don't exist or are not a massive outlier for success. In that universe, 2 rings in three appearances in ten years with the philosophy that "We do what we do and try and stop us" is damn impressive. The Steeler system works well enough often enough except in comparison to New England.

We're spoiled as we are seeing a massive outlier in our favor. Let's enjoy that while recognizing that there is only one Hoodie and we have him

Oh man, it looks like the Pats STILL haven't beaten a good QB this season.

Just Kidding.......yes he's a good QB but we have his number

id say the biggest reason we win is because for some reason they leave people wide open all over the field.

Pitts defense was a hot mess last year. It took a few steps forward this year but is still a WIP. They are a few players away from really being back to competing with us for the AFC Championship. Even my Steelers friends say this. THey need way more depth at CB and some fresh legs to pressure the QB.

The Patriots are in Big Bens head and he knows he can't beat them.