Serious questions arise when looking at the current results of the new Steelers' offense, especially when it comes to their issues on third down. The Steelers currently rank 28th in third-down conversion percentage with 30.6 percent, just ahead of the Cardinals, Cowboys, Seahawks and Broncos.
Last year the Steelers had the second highest third-down conversion rate with 44 percent. The obvious question has to be where the weight falls for those failures:
The obvious people bearing that weight are Randy Fichtner and Ben Roethlisberger for not executing the offense in those key moments. Fichtner's first year as coordinator makes him an obvious mark as he's the biggest change in the offense — outside of the absence of Le'Veon Bell.
If you're looking to question Fichtner, it would be in his play designs and whether he's putting players in a position to win. When it comes to Roethlisberger, he's the field commander that not only makes the throw, but the on-field adjustments to the alignment of the defense, and knowing how his teammates will work in certain situations.
Let's look at how these situations have played out, starting with looking at one of the more questionable third-down play calls by Fichtner against the Ravens.
Look at how the Steelers line up in a bunch formation with their receivers away from the line, and how they motion Antonio Brown to the other side of the offense. But also watch how the Ravens react to the motion and where they're moving, as well as where they point. This is the Ravens recognizing the setup for the screen to Ryan Switzer.
Terrell Suggs has killed the Steelers for years with his ability to sniff out and disrupt their wide receiver screens. Look at how he widens his placement on defense and gets into the passing lane, forcing Roethlisberger to throw the ball far behind Switzer, killing the play:
It would be a different story if Fichtner was new to the Steelers' organization and unfamiliar with the dynamics of the Steelers' rivalry with the Ravens, but he's been with the team since 2007, as long as Mike Tomlin, and he's seen how the Ravens have beaten the Steelers in the past.
Wide receiver screens, especially against the Ravens, require less predictability, and the setup on third down was a major tell to Suggs. Roethlisberger did a good job making sure Suggs couldn't get to the ball to force a turnover, but Fichtner's play was too easily diagnosed.
However, let's look at another part of the game where Fichtner's play call was better. The Steelers have done a good job this season getting matchups that favor their playmakers, and here is an example when Brown was in position to rip the Ravens' defense in half.
Brown gets matched up with Marlon Humphrey, a second year cornerback, and runs a crossing pattern against man coverage. Brown's route-running when breaking across the field is unmatched and he gets free to create the perfect window for Roethlisberger to target:
Roethlisberger's miss is not due to pressure, or lack of effort by his receiver; it's just a miss.
And that happens occasionally, but the problem has been that it's happened too often on third downs. Typically when an offensive player is failing repeatedly in certain spots, the coordinator should be the person responsible for finding ways to ease the effort needed in making those plays.
But this isn't asking Roethlisberger to do something he shouldn't be expected to do, most of these misses are a result of just poor execution.
Look back at how Fichtner got Brown matched up against single coverage on a slant over the middle of the field on the Steelers' first third down they faced:
It's a slant that Roethlisberger, again, flat out misses. But this isn't something new, as Roethlisberger had the same issue early last season under Todd Haley. But what might be the biggest difference is that most of Roethlisberger's misses this year are on underneath routes, whereas last year Haley had those passes going deep down the field.
It's not that Roethlisberger just can't hit those throws anymore, because he has in certain situations. Here's a play when he throws a perfect pass to James Washington out of his break in the middle of the field with a defender hanging over his back shoulder. Notice how Roethlisberger's timing with the throw is perfect:
That kind of timing is unusual with young receivers this early in a season. In the past, Roethlisberger has struggled with timing on tightly run routes with new receivers, but that wasn't an issue on this throw to Washington.
Take a look across the field and see how spread out the routes are for Roethlisberger to consider, because those are the moments Fichtner's offense works. The structure of the offense has to be fewer plays like the designed screens that can get sniffed out because of tendencies — and Roethlisberger having only a single read — and more play calls like the pass to Washington where he's given the discretion to find the open man against a defense on its heels.
With these adjustments and improved accuracy and timing from Roethlisberger, the offense will be able to convert more third downs and sustain drives.