Reasons for Steelers Super Bowl drought: Part two

PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 20: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to throw a fourth quarter pass against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 20, 2008 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh won the game 27-10. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 20: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to throw a fourth quarter pass against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 20, 2008 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh won the game 27-10. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH – 2009: Bruce Arians of the Pittsburgh Steelers poses for his 2009 NFL headshot at photo day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by NFL Photos)
PITTSBURGH – 2009: Bruce Arians of the Pittsburgh Steelers poses for his 2009 NFL headshot at photo day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by NFL Photos) /

A vertical passing game and a zone blitz defense; Are the schemes the reason for the Steelers Super Bowl drought?

So I watched some old games on Youtube to reacquaint myself with the offensive and defensive schemes the Steelers ran in 2008; truthfully, I did not have to as I remember those years vividly. In 2008, we employed a vertical offensive scheme and a “zone blitz 3-4” (3 linemen; 4 linebackers) defensive scheme. More specifically, the vertical scheme falls under the “Air Coryell” offensive scheme, according to Pro-Football-Reference. 

What is an “Air Coryell” offensive scheme? If you watched the San Diego Chargers of the late 1970s into the mid-1980s, you probably noticed a lot of motion, Kellen Winslow deployed as a receiver in certain formations and Dan Fouts throwing the ball all over the yard.

The Steelers’ 2008 version of the “Air Coryell” offense featured mostly one running back sets.  What you would typically see was a “12” personnel grouping-one RB and two TEs. We still ran the ball but the passing game accounted for approximately 66% of the total yards gained on offense.  I would categorize this style of offense as a “risk-reward” offense.  The reward is obviously a big play capable offense; the risk is a sack waiting to happen if either no one gets open, an O-lineman gets beaten or the blitz can’t be picked up.

To put this into perspective, during the tenure of Bruce Arians as Offensive Coordinator (2007-2011), Ben was sacked (215) times. That is not a recipe for success if you ask me.  While not all of those sacks could be attributed to poor offensive line play, the bottom line is you have to protect your franchise QB. Honestly, had it not been for Ben’s toughness, he probably would have missed more games because of injury.  I think we, the fans, have taken Ben’s toughness for granted over the years.

Where did the offense rank during the Coach Arian years, you ask?  Well, here are the rankings for Points For (Points Scored): 9th, 20th (Super Bowl XLIII-win), 12th, 12th (Super Bowl XLV-loss) and 21st.  Let’s now take a look at our defensive scheme during the same time period.