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Arians Throws out the Playbook

Woohoo!

Bruce Arians, the Steelers' new offensive coordinator, knows how to keep warm in his new office these frigid February days. He has thrown the thick, old, patchwork playbook on the fire.

He promises the new model to be sleek, trimmed down and easy to understand for his players, particularly quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Yet he will add some personal touches, such as playing four receivers on first and second downs without putting the quarterback in a shotgun formation.

There's more at the website, but anything that accomplishes the following is a plus in my book:

  • Less predicable passing. Shotgun passing on 3rd and five got old real fast.
  • More passing opportunities for Ben Roethlisberger.
  • Passing more to Willie Parker.
  • Passing more to Heath Miller.

It may sound like I'm anti-run, but the problem with the Steelers running game in 2006 was the passing game. It was feeble and predictable. When half of your offense is missing before the game even starts, it's incredibly easy to stop the other half.