With Ben Roethlisberger getting rid of the ball more quickly than he has at any time previously in his career, it's helped the Steelers get off to a 6-0 record, their best since 1978.
But it's also led to some unintended consequences.
Roethlisberger is getting more passes tipped at the line of scrimmage, including three in last Sunday's 27-24 win over the Titans in Nashville, Tenn. One of those tipped balls was turned into an interception in Steelers' territory and led to a Tennessee field goal. It was one of three Roethlisberger interceptions in the game.
The Steelers, who travel to Baltimore this Sunday to face the Ravens (5-1) are aware of the issue, but aren't overly concerned about it -- yet.
"It’s funny. I just got out of Coach Randy (Fichtner)’s office. We were talking about some things, and that came up," Roethlisberger said Wednesday morning regarding the tipped balls.
"Obviously, when you do the RPO game, the run-pass option, the ball is going to have to come out quick because it’s a run kind of play. You have to get the ball out quick. Sometimes, the blocking is not there. Sometimes when you’re throwing a lot of the underneath stuff and quick routes, the ball has to come out of your hands quick, and it’s going to, obviously, be a lower pass. Coach (Mike) Tomlin says all the time, 'If you’re not going to get home, get your hands up.' I think that’s what we are seeing a lot from defenders when they think they’re not going to get home or they think the ball is going to come out quick, they’re just getting their hands up. That’s creating some tipped balls, but we’re not too alarmed with it yet."
Roethlisberger had a couple of passes tipped at the line of scrimmage the previous week in a 38-7, but none of those were intercepted. He had thrown just one interception in the Steelers' first five games. But after seeing the Browns and Titans get their hands on the ball at the line of scrimmage, you can bet the Ravens took notice.
And because Roethlisberger is getting rid of the ball in just 2.29 seconds -- the fastest time in the NFL -- defenders realize they just don't have enough time to get to the quarterback. So, they do the next best thing and get their hands in the air.
Even at 6-foot-5, Roethlisberger isn't immune to having his passes tipped because of the speed with which he is getting rid of the football and the depth of those passes, which are often being thrown a few yards past the line of scrimmage.
Heck, he's getting rid of the ball so quickly, a lot of times, he doesn't even have time to get his fingers on the laces of the ball, a far cry different from the player who became famous for his ability to move around in the pocket and keep plays alive.
"I think that I’ve always tried to be good at it. I think having big hands helps because you can’t always grab the laces," Roethlisberger said. "I think one of the most underrated things that people probably won’t talk about is to be good at the quick game, you have to have a good snap. When (center Maurkice) Pouncey snaps a spiral, you can catch it and you don’t need the laces, but you know you are going to catch a good snap. The ball can come out quick. I think that’s very underrated when it comes to the quick game."
Roethlisberger attempted 49 passes in the win over the Titans, a big number considering the Steelers led the entire game, including stretching their advantage to 27-7 early in the third quarter.
But they continued to stick with the short passes throughout the game, with Roethlisberger attempting just eight passes of 10 or more yards downfield.
"We wanted to possess the ball," Tomlin said. "There are many ways you can possess the ball. Short passes, high completion percentages allow you to do that along with running it."
Baltimore leads the NFL in blitz percentage at 46.3 percent -- the Steelers are second at 44.3. And often times, the Ravens will have eight or more players crowded at the line of scrimmage, showing a blitz and then dropping some out into the passing lanes.
Roethlisberger will need to be on top of things mentally to discern which players are blitzing and which ones are dropping into coverage.
"They’ll show all up to the left, make you slide your protection that way, then they will drop," Roethlisberger said of the Ravens, who have 22 sacks, just four behind the league-leading Steelers. "They will bring guys to the right. It’s going to be one of those games where we are going to have to be able to keep everybody in at times. Just because you’re keeping everybody in still doesn’t mean you have all day to throw it. The ball still has to get out of your hand in a timely manner.
"It’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes you have to get lucky. You have to have the right protection called even into a blitz. Sometimes you can pick it up, you get the ball out of your hands, and it’s one-on-one on the outside with no help. We like those matchups too because we have some slippery guys at receiver that can make guys miss. Every once in a while, you take that shot over the top, knowing that there may not be a safety back there. There are some things you can try to exploit. The key is always to protect long enough to do that."
And keep the ball from getting tipped at the line of scrimmage where those defenders will be lurking.
But even though Roethlisberger had three interceptions among his 49 passes, the Steelers aren't concerned.
"Nothing to be concerned about to be quite honest with you," Tomlin said of Roethlisberger's interceptions. "One was at the end of the half, and we were trying to make a play. The other was a tipped pass. Sometimes that misfortune happens, and the other way trying to make an aggressive play at the end of a game to a guy who he had built a great rapport with over the course of the game and who had made several top-notch combat catches. We live and we learn, but we don’t cry over spilled milk. We move over to this week’s challenges understanding that preservation of the ball is important in this matchup."