Steelers Ben Roethlisberger perfect fit for no-huddle
Ben Roethlisberger has been lobbying for the no-huddle offense throughout his career. Under Ken Whisenhunt, Bruce Arians and, now, Todd Haley, Big Ben has pushed to transition and rely upon the speedy offense. After all the success it gave the towering Steeler quarterback last season, the no-huddle is in full effect this May.
More from NFL
- NFL rumors: Dalvin Cook suitor maintaining very ‘real’ interest
- Packers training camp news: Jordan Love struggles, Bakhtiari schedule, position switch
- 3 Cowboys who won’t be on the roster after training camp
- Packers: Aaron Rodgers reached out to Jordan Love this offseason
- Damar Hamlin is a ‘full go’ at Bills training camp
“It’s something that, when it’s working, can back defenses off,” Roethlisberger said, via TribLive.com. “They can’t get quite as exotic, and that helps us. They’re rushing only three or four guys and trying to drop and cover.
“We became a very dynamic passing team in the second half, which made teams bring in nickel guys and smaller guys. That then let us run spread running plays in which we have a big, powerful back (Le’Veon Bell) to do that.”
The Steelers have never run no-huddle exclusively to start training camp, but they’re doing it this year. Haley is committed to it, because he thinks it was a partial key to their success at the end of the season.
“When the season ended, we were playing at a pretty high level,” Haley said. “We stopped turning the ball over, (pass) protection was better, and some of that was a result of the no-huddle.”
The no-huddle can be successful for different quarterbacks for different reasons. The reasoning behind Roethlisberger’s aptitude for the offense could be his elevated football IQ. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady excel in the no-huddle because it allows them to stay one step ahead of the defenses. Roethlisberger appears to have that same advantage.