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Steelers notebook: Less is more for Haley, offense
By Alan Robinson
Published: Sunday, November 11, 2012, 6:58 p.m.
Updated: Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Steelers' offense started picking up after coordinator Todd Haley put everyone on a diet. And it wasn't just those big linemen — the running backs, the wide receivers and the quarterback were included, too. The Steelers were next-to-last in rushing a month and a half into the season, so Haley decided to slim down the game plans. The result? Fewer running and passing plays to practice and more time to work on what the offense was doing well. “We did get to a point this year where we felt like we were getting a little bit out of control with not being simplified, with whatever we thought our best personnel packages were,” Ben Roethlisberger said. “We've got to the point where we know what our best personnel group is, and we just design plays out of those groups.” The game plan was especially slimmed down for the 24-20 win at the Giants. Isaac Redman ran for 147 yards out of six basic run plays. “And we didn't run many more passes,” Haley said. “I'm a big believer in less is more and you get good at what you do.”
• The Steelers have allowed only 15 points in the second half during their three-game winning streak. They gave up 68 in the first five games. “I think guys opened their eyes and realized teams aren't beating us, we're beating ourselves,” left guard Willie Colon said. “The offense, you get four minutes into the fourth quarter, you've got to close. We're more than capable of doing that, but we weren't. Guys kind of woke up and dug down harder, and we've just got to keep it up.”
— Alan Robinson
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If you ever had a chance to glance at a play book you would understand that there is such a thing as over planning.
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