In Defense of the Tortoise (Rich)
Fans who have been burned before (and over a course of years, that's fans of pretty much every team in every sport) have a tendency to distrust success. I get that. We here at BAB will inevitably find ourselves complaining after wins this year. If you really want to play amateur psychoanalyst on a group of fans, noting what they complain about in victory might be particularly instructive.
From stillers.com this week comes this article about the Steelers' "Turtle" tendencies when leading games in the second half. In my mind, after AFC title games, Steeler Nation's biggest complaint about the Cowher Administration is its Turtling tendencies--sitting on the football when up big. This past week presented an extreme but not atypical example, as the Steelers threw two passes in the first 3 minutes of the second half, and then none for the rest of the game.
Even "Hesske," the author of the Turtling article, recognizes that the strategy has been effective. Hesske says Cowher is "5,000-1-1 when leading at halftime." I don't know about that stat, but as of the middle of last season Cowher was 70-1-1 in games where the Steelers led by 14 at any point in the game, good for third all-time.
I confess that I find the Turtling strategy maddening and even a bit boring at times. For instance, on three occasions the Steelers ran a third-down shotgun draw handoff against Tennessee, and each time I was kind of bugged, and yet was even more flabbergasted that the Titans didn't seem to know these plays were coming. On the other hand, I know enough about sample size to know that I have absolutely no right to bitch about the Philly and Atlanta games that make up the "-1-1" part of the stat above, without acknowledging that a more wide-open approach may have jeopardized at least some of the "70 [and counting]." That's not to say, either, that a wide-open "boot-to-the-throat" approach can't be effective either--note that the overly-maligned Mike Martz also appears on that top 5 list. Still, 70-1-1 is pretty compelling.
I'll leave with two observations, one in favor of the Turtle and one skeptical of it at least as utilized this week. The argument in favor is that the "Turtle" name unfairly presumes that going to an exclusively or very predominantly ground-based attack equals giving up on scoring. Exhibit A here: the Steelers scored 14 points on offense Sunday after abandoning the pass. That doesn't sound like giving up, unless you're talking about the Titan D-line. The argument against is simple: while Turtling is effective in general, the first game isn't just about winning the first game, it's about setting you up for success for the whole season. The passing game looked just fine, but there are plenty of new receivers and receivers adjusting to new roles, and at least on third and medium to long, it would have made sense to give the passing game some practice.
That said, it's still hard to argue with a 27-point margin of victory, and with 70something-1-1.
--rich erenberg
From stillers.com this week comes this article about the Steelers' "Turtle" tendencies when leading games in the second half. In my mind, after AFC title games, Steeler Nation's biggest complaint about the Cowher Administration is its Turtling tendencies--sitting on the football when up big. This past week presented an extreme but not atypical example, as the Steelers threw two passes in the first 3 minutes of the second half, and then none for the rest of the game.
Even "Hesske," the author of the Turtling article, recognizes that the strategy has been effective. Hesske says Cowher is "5,000-1-1 when leading at halftime." I don't know about that stat, but as of the middle of last season Cowher was 70-1-1 in games where the Steelers led by 14 at any point in the game, good for third all-time.
I confess that I find the Turtling strategy maddening and even a bit boring at times. For instance, on three occasions the Steelers ran a third-down shotgun draw handoff against Tennessee, and each time I was kind of bugged, and yet was even more flabbergasted that the Titans didn't seem to know these plays were coming. On the other hand, I know enough about sample size to know that I have absolutely no right to bitch about the Philly and Atlanta games that make up the "-1-1" part of the stat above, without acknowledging that a more wide-open approach may have jeopardized at least some of the "70 [and counting]." That's not to say, either, that a wide-open "boot-to-the-throat" approach can't be effective either--note that the overly-maligned Mike Martz also appears on that top 5 list. Still, 70-1-1 is pretty compelling.
I'll leave with two observations, one in favor of the Turtle and one skeptical of it at least as utilized this week. The argument in favor is that the "Turtle" name unfairly presumes that going to an exclusively or very predominantly ground-based attack equals giving up on scoring. Exhibit A here: the Steelers scored 14 points on offense Sunday after abandoning the pass. That doesn't sound like giving up, unless you're talking about the Titan D-line. The argument against is simple: while Turtling is effective in general, the first game isn't just about winning the first game, it's about setting you up for success for the whole season. The passing game looked just fine, but there are plenty of new receivers and receivers adjusting to new roles, and at least on third and medium to long, it would have made sense to give the passing game some practice.
That said, it's still hard to argue with a 27-point margin of victory, and with 70something-1-1.
--rich erenberg
posted at 4:38 PM
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