bruce vs pep

[CR91]

so we had one year of both offenses. which offense is more to your liking and why

[Everyone]

Idk, it's still a small sample size to me and pep dealt with more injuries last season than Bruce did.

[shakedownstreet]

hard to say because there are so many variables. luck's progression, injuries, turnover, etc

 

i was happy with how the offense managed to adjust through injuries & lack of a run game last season. it took a bit too long, but it did happen to their credit

[21isSuperman]

I like Pep's system because it allows for a higher completion percentage while preventing Luck from taking big hits.  I like Bruce's playcalling far more than Pep's, though Pep has shown some promise in this area

[Nesjan3]

I think Bruce's play calling was a better fit for the type of skill we had on offence in Lucks rookie year, but they are clearly trying to now build around Peps style of playcall which i also like, and Pep is most likely the future so im going to say Pep

[CR91]

Bruce only coached 10 games for us, so its not really a fair judgement call, plus Bruce has his own team now and Pep is most likely the future for us so I'm going to say Pep

 

even before pags got sick, he was still calling the offense

[TKnight24]

Pep & it's not even close

Spider Y Banana for the win!!!! :cheer:

[CR91]

Pep & it's not even close

Spider Y Banana for the win!!!! :cheer:

 

Im pretty sure that was the play when havili scored against denver

[throwing BBZ]

Bruce was the opposite of what i want in an offense. We played a lot of hard to watch offense.

Kind of a Lost season therefore in Andrews developement. But it was awesome to play that playoff game in Baltimore

[FastStarts]

Bruce was the opposite of what i want in an offense. We played a lot of hard to watch offense.

Kind of a Lost season therefore in Andrews developement. But it was awesome to play that playoff game in Baltimore

Not at all lost for Luck. His deep ball went from good to great.

[NewEra]

Peps. Think he needs to mix it up and make better adjustments though. He started to later in the season so there's hope of improvement.

[HtownColt]

I like both just about the same, it's just with Arians it's too easy to get wreckless with the ball.

[TKnight24]

Im pretty sure that was the play when havili scored against denver

It is, Pep's offense is better

I've never been a fan of a QB throwing 35-45 times a game. Even when it was Peyton to Harrison/Wayne

[Dark Superman]

I think Pep did a fairly decent in his FIRST year in the NFL..

He will only get better.

[crazycolt1]

I think Arians offense put Luck into many situations where he took a lot of risk with turnovers and injury. Pep's first year he wanted to use ball control more but injury put a dent in that. I think Pep did OK in his first year. He did get them a division title and a playoff win while the turnovers went way down.

[#12]

Which offense from Pep?  The offense of the first 12 games or from the final 4?  The offense from the final 4 was a completely different offense.  I'll take that offense over Arians' offense.  If it's Pep's offense from the first 12, then I'll go with Arians.   

[SilentHill]

Which offense from Pep?  The offense of the first 12 games or from the final 4?  The offense from the final 4 was a completely different offense.  I'll take that offense over Arians' offense.  If it's Pep's offense from the first 12, then I'll go with Arians.   

 

Pep's offense isn't bad.

 

It was his execution of it in the first half of the season that was atrocious. Hey, I have an idea. Let's run the I formation and then run it up the middle... every time... They will never suspect that!

 

I personally prefer offenses that offer a good deal of deception.

[TKnight24]

Which offense from Pep? The offense of the first 12 games or from the final 4? The offense from the final 4 was a completely different offense. I'll take that offense over Arians' offense. If it's Pep's offense from the first 12, then I'll go with Arians.

So the offense that....

1. Stomped the 49ers

2. Blew out Jacksonville

3. Outscored the highest scoring offense in NFL history in the Broncos

4. Outdueled the eventual Super Bowl champions

5. Came back to beat the rival Texans

That offense is worse off than the offense that named Andrew Luck the NFL interception leader in your opinion?

That's an interesting perspective there my friend. But hey, to each their own

[#12]

So the offense that....

1. Stomped the 49ers

2. Blew out Jacksonville

3. Outscored the highest scoring offense in NFL history in the Broncos

4. Outdueled the eventual Super Bowl champions

5. Came back to beat the rival Texans

That offense is worse off than the offense that named Andrew Luck the NFL interception leader in your opinion?

That's an interesting perspective there my friend. But hey, to each their own

 

Talk about interesting perspectives:

 

You're somewhow giving Pep's offense credit for the 12 and 18 point holes the team was put in vs. the Seahawks and Texans(not to mention vs. the Rams, Bengals, Cardinals, etc.) in which Luck had to bail them out, or at least attempt to bail them out?  With 17 and 24 point holes, he would be a genius. 

 

Don't you see they played their best football when they were forced out of Peps offense - when they were down big or in a track meet vs. the Broncos and had no choice but to play up-tempo offense?   The 49er game was the only game the Pep/Stanford offense worked, and it might have been the worst thing that happened to the team because Pep and Chuck then thought they could play like that vs. everyone.  In virtually every other game that offense did nothing but put them in a huge hole.  Thankfully, Pep came around the final 4 games. 

[TKnight24]

Talk about interesting perspectives:

You're somewhow giving Pep's offense credit for the 12 and 18 point holes the team was put in vs. the Seahawks and Texans(not to mention vs. the Rams, Bengals, Cardinals, etc.) in which Luck had to bail them out, or at least attempt to bail them out? With 17 and 24 point holes, he would be a genius.

Don't you see they played their best football when they were forced out of Peps offense - when they were down big or in a track meet vs. the Broncos and had no choice but to play up-tempo offense? The 49er game was the only game the Pep/Stanford offense worked, and it might have been the worst thing that happened to the team because Pep and Chuck then thought they could play like that vs. everyone. In virtually every other game that offense did nothing but put them in a huge hole. Thankfully, Pep came around the final 4 games.

Reggie Wayne's injury depression for the team was still lingering when we played the Rams & others

Concept wise, Pep's offense is better. Luck's picks were cut in half (literally) than what they were during Arians control

So I'll take the less turnover offense over the turnover machine offense.

You point out the deficits we faced yet forget games in Arians like the Packers game or games where Luck is throwing 3-4 picks & have to come back or defense has to bail him out

Pep had deficits when injuries hit us. Before all those injuries, the offense was working

[YOUR GM]

Reggie Wayne's injury depression for the team was still lingering when we played the Rams & others

Concept wise, Pep's offense is better. Luck's picks were cut in half (literally) than what they were during Arians control

So I'll take the less turnover offense over the turnover machine offense.

You point out the deficits we faced yet forget games in Arians like the Packers game or games where Luck is throwing 3-4 picks & have to come back or defense has to bail him out

Pep had deficits when injuries hit us. Before all those injuries, the offense was working

 

It was still inconsistent and flawed because of the offensive line. The Chargers and Seahawks games were examples of Chuck and Pep's stubbornness digging us in a hole, and in the case of the Chargers game, contributed to losing it for us. Though, I'd say Chuck's overall conservatism was a greater factor in that loss than the offense itself. Still, the flaws were there even before Reggie's injury. 

 

That being said, I'd still chose it over Arians' offense. It was too risky, and just as predictable, on the opposite end of the spectrum 

[BlueShoe]

It looks like I will be in the minority opinion on this, but Bruce Arians was a far better offensive coordinator, and in my mind it is not even close. Pep really doesn't belong in the same sentence with Arians at this point. Not too many people can say they have a resume as stellar as Bruce Arians. 

 

Can Pep become a very good offensive coordinator to compare to the likes of Arians? Of course. But we are no where near there yet.

 

Plus, I am not sure you will find a better motivator than Arians. He has the "it" factor about him. Players love to play for him and they show it on the field.

[Synthetic]

Reggie Wayne's injury depression for the team was still lingering when we played the Rams & others

 

 

 

That Rams team last year was incredibly underrated. The Colts weren't the only team they beat to a pulp badly. For a 7-9 record they looked like they should have been 11-5 with the way they worked over good teams.

[southwest1]

It looks like I will be in the minority opinion on this, but Bruce Arians was a far better offensive coordinator, and in my mind it is not even close. Pep really doesn't belong in the same sentence with Arians at this point. Not too many people can say they have a resume as stellar as Bruce Arians. 

 

Can Pep become a very good offensive coordinator to compare to the likes of Arians? Of course. But we are no where near there yet.

 

Plus, I am not sure you will find a better motivator than Arians. He has the "it" factor about him. Players love to play for him and they show it on the field.

No one is denying that Bruce is a skilled OC, but he likes to throw the ball too much & he relies on TE's too much. His preference for the ariel attack is undeniable. Look at when Bruce ran Pittsburgh's offense under Big Ben, it was dominated by slinging the ball downfield & then Todd Haley gets hired by Coach Tomlin & they return to ground & pound again with timely throws mixed in. 

 

Even when you look at Carson Palmer now in AZ, Bruce needs a QB with a good arm to make his offense go. Yes, he has RBs on the roster, but he doesn't lean on them. Bruce wants to beat you in the air which exposes a QB to repeated unnecessary hits & contact IMO. If Bruce had to win employing the Rex Ryan formula of run it down your throat, he couldn't do it. 

 

I just like Pep much better because he believes that the ground game sets up the pass & it protects Luck more. I just like an offense predicated on a solid o-line, less screens, & fast ball releases. Besides, the ability to run the ball wins games in the playoffs. 

 

Plus, Andrew respected Bruce & everything he did for him in his rookie year, but there is a comfort zone & chemistry level that Pep has with Luck going back to their Stanford days that creates a feeling of trust in 1 another & that element is priceless. 

[southwest1]

That Rams team last year was incredibly underrated. The Colts weren't the only team they beat to a pulp badly. For a 7-9 record they looked like they should have been 11-5 with the way they worked over good teams.

You're right about the Rams Bogie. They kicked our caboose. If QB Sam Bradford can stay healthy, holy moly man that team is gonna be extremely dangerous & scary good. 

 

Getting DC Gregg Williams back under the Jeff Fisher team umbrella always seems to work wonders too. Those 2 work well together. 

[BlueShoe]

No one is denying that Bruce is a skilled OC, but he likes to throw the ball too much & he relies on TE's too much. His preference for the ariel attack is undeniable. Look at when Bruce ran Pittsburgh's offense under Big Ben, it was dominated by slinging the ball downfield & then Todd Haley gets hired by Coach Tomlin & they return to ground & pound again with timely throws mixed in. 

 

Even when you look at Carson Palmer now in AZ, Bruce needs a QB with a good arm to make his offense go. Yes, he has RBs on the roster, but he doesn't lean on them. Bruce wants to beat you in the air which exposes a QB to repeated unnecessary hits & contact IMO. If Bruce had to win employing the Rex Ryan formula of run it down your throat, he couldn't do it. 

 

I just like Pep much better because he believes that the ground game sets up the pass & it protects Luck more. I just like an offense predicated on a solid o-line, less screens, & fast ball releases. Besides, the ability to run the ball wins games in the playoffs. 

 

Plus, Andrew respected Bruce & everything he did for him in his rookie year, but there is a comfort zone & chemistry level that Pep has with Luck going back to their Stanford days that creates a feeling of trust in 1 another & that element is priceless. 

 

Arians offense is more explosive, and the years of experience perfecting his craft shows on the field. When it comes to the style of play, it really doesn't matter to me, because both styles can work. We are lucky to have a quarterback who is multidimensional and can play any system.

 

As far as any comfortable factor, I would not give Pep the edge; however, Pep was a good choice once Arians departed. 

 

It is my opinion that if all 32 teams had a choice to choose between Arians and Pep that the vast majority would choose Arians. And they would be very wise to do so. It is not a knock on Pep; just high praise to Arians, and he deserves it.

 

Arians has been forced to evolve, because he has been around a long time, and he has evolved well. Pep will eventually need to evolve too, and I cannot give credit to him for the possibility that he can.

[lollygagger8]

I like Pep's offense better than Arians except for the FB. It seems to be a bit more creative for the most part (except for the one play where Ballard did the helicopter spin into the end zone.....that play was majestic)

 

It seems like Arians got Luck blasted a lot more waiting for the deep routes to develop, but I do think it helped him develop timing/and maybe even long ball accuracy. 

 

Let's see what happens with the Pep/Chud offense this year. I'd like to see them let Luck run more. The guy has serious wheels. All he needs to work on is sliding. 

[YOUR GM]

I like Pep's offense better than Arians except for the FB. It seems to be a bit more creative for the most part (except for the one play where Ballard did the helicopter spin into the end zone.....that play was majestic)

 

It seems like Arians got Luck blasted a lot more waiting for the deep routes to develop, but I do think it helped him develop timing/and maybe even long ball accuracy. 

 

Let's see what happens with the Pep/Chud offense this year. I'd like to see them let Luck run more. The guy has serious wheels. All he needs to work on is sliding. 

 

Yeah, I'm hoping Chudzinki's influence will take affect in the intermediate passing game with the tight ends. We don't know how much influence he will exactly have but he will, no doubt, have a positive impact on that particular unit. I know Pep likes multiple tight end sets as well (mainly used for the run game) but I, too, am hoping we see less Havili and more Dwayne Allen, simply because of the versatility 2-3 tight end sets bring in both run and pass situations

[YOUR GM]

It looks like I will be in the minority opinion on this, but Bruce Arians was a far better offensive coordinator, and in my mind it is not even close. Pep really doesn't belong in the same sentence with Arians at this point. Not too many people can say they have a resume as stellar as Bruce Arians. 

 

Can Pep become a very good offensive coordinator to compare to the likes of Arians? Of course. But we are no where near there yet.

 

Plus, I am not sure you will find a better motivator than Arians. He has the "it" factor about him. Players love to play for him and they show it on the field.

 

The only thing about Arians I liked were his guts. We missed that last year, situationally. He was the perfect balance to Chuck because Chuck appeared to be too gun-shy at times this past season. As for Arians play calling, he was just as dependent on Luck turning his lemon calls into lemonade as Pep was last year. The only difference was, Pep's calls put us in holes because we weren't moving the ball, whereas Bruce's calls put us in holes because they were risky and lead to more turnovers. I'd say it's been a wash, so far.

 

I like the potential in Pep's scheme way more than I liked Arians, however. Pep showed more adaptability in the last 4 games of the season last year than Arians has in his entire career. Bruce will always be about the long ball, and he's never going to change his philosophy. Pep is ground-oriented and morphed his offense into a no-huddle, shotgun, passing attack by the end of the season. The great coordinators adjust to circumstances, not stubbornly stick to ideologies for the sake of their own ego... Bruce is just fine where he's at in AZ, thank you  

[ProblChld32]

Uhm i would have to say Bruce, i prefer the arial attack. after all it is now a passing League. 

[BlueShoe]

The only thing about Arians I liked were his guts. We missed that last year, situationally. He was the perfect balance to Chuck because Chuck appeared to be too gun-shy at times this past season. As for Arians play calling, he was just as dependent on Luck turning his lemon calls into lemonade as Pep was last year. The only difference was, Pep's calls put us in holes because we weren't moving the ball, whereas Bruce's calls put us in holes because they were risky and lead to more turnovers. I'd say it's been a wash, so far.

 

I like the potential in Pep's scheme way more than I liked Arians, however. Pep showed more adaptability in the last 4 games of the season last year than Arians has in his entire career. Bruce will always be about the long ball, and he's never going to change his philosophy. Pep is ground-oriented and morphed his offense into a no-huddle, shotgun, passing attack by the end of the season. The great coordinators adjust to circumstances, not stubbornly stick to ideologies for the sake of their own ego... Bruce is just fine where he's at in AZ, thank you  

 

I agree with some of what you are saying, but I do not agree that Pep showed more adaptability than Arians. Bruce is not one-dimensional. Heck he was part of the Colts/Moore group who initially brought the 2 TE set back to the NFL. In Pittsburgh his offense passed more than the fans were used to, and he was labeled as a offensive coordinator that like to sling the ball. In was all just in contrast though.

 

I will agree that Arians likes to run deeper passing routes than most, but we still ran our fair share of WR screens with him too. I will also agree that Arians prefers to have the passing attack setup the run; whereas Pep wants the run to setup the pass. Both can work in the NFL and one is not any better than the other. The one big difference is that if a team is going to run the ball then it had better be able to play great defense.

 

Bruce Arians became the offensive coordinator of the Steelers in 2007 and through 2011.

 

Pittsburgh Rushing Yards:

 

2006 - 1,992 - No Playoffs

2007 - 2,168 - Lost Wild Card Game

2008 - 1,690 - Super Bowl (Won against Arizona)

2009 - 1,793 - No Playoffs

2010 - 1,924 - Super Bowl (Lost to Green Bay)

2011 - 1,903 - Lost Wild Card Game

2012 - 1,537 - No Playoffs

 

This is just a small snapshot of Bruce Arians tenure as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, but it does paint a picture of where the NFL has evolved. In Bruce's lowest rushing output his team won the Super Bowl. It also shows how the Steelers performed prior to Arians and after him.

 

Colts Rushing Yards:

 

2011 - 1,594

2012 - 1,671 (Arians)

2013 - 1,743 (Pep)

[YOUR GM]

Oh, this "debate?"

 

 

I agree with some of what you are saying, but I do not agree that Pep showed more adaptability than Arians. Bruce is not one-dimensional. Heck he was part of the Colts/Moore group who initially brought the 2 TE set back to the NFL. In Pittsburgh his offense passed more than the fans were used to, and he was labeled as a offensive coordinator that like to sling the ball. In was all just in contrast though.

 

I will agree that Arians likes to run deeper passing routes than most, but we still ran our fair share of WR screens with him too. I will also agree that Arians prefers to have the passing attack setup the run; whereas Pep wants the run to setup the pass. Both can work in the NFL and one is not any better than the other. The one big difference is that if a team is going to run the ball then it had better be able to play great defense.

 

Bruce Arians became the offensive coordinator of the Steelers in 2007 and through 2011.

 

Pittsburgh Rushing Yards:

 

2006 - 1,992 - No Playoffs

2007 - 2,168 - Lost Wild Card Game

2008 - 1,690 - Super Bowl (Won against Arizona)

2009 - 1,793 - No Playoffs

2010 - 1,924 - Super Bowl (Lost to Green Bay)

2011 - 1,903 - Lost Wild Card Game

2012 - 1,537 - No Playoffs

 

This is just a small snapshot of Bruce Arians tenure as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, but it does paint a picture of where the NFL has evolved. In Bruce's lowest rushing output his team won the Super Bowl. It also shows how the Steelers performed prior to Arians and after him.

 

Colts Rushing Yards:

 

2011 - 1,594

2012 - 1,671 (Arians)

2013 - 1,743 (Pep)

 

Bruce is notoriously stubborn about his scheme an ideology. There are plenty of quotes available where he's made comments on things ranging from not throwing to running backs because they're paid to run, to him not shortening his route concepts because he doesn't run a west coast system. He also wants full control of the offense, which means no extended no-huddle like we saw from Luck at the end of last season. All of that is stubborness and shows he's not easily adaptable... which is probably why he was ran out of Pittsburgh. 

 

As for the Steelers record when he was there, I see more correlation between how the defense played in those years to their success rate than I do to Arians and his offense. The Steelers were a middle of the pack offense that was high on yardage but mediocre in scoring. His offenses have always statistically been high yardage, high turnover, sub-par scoring wherever he's gone because he doesn't know how to call games consistently when the field shortens and those passing concepts have to be shortened as well. His record as a red zone signal calller speaks volumes, in my opinion 

[ColtsFanMikeC]

I think losing Dwayne Allen in week 1 was a huge blow to Pep's offense where the 2 TE formation is a very important factor.  Prior to the season, everyone expected Allen to be a pro-bowl TE -- he goes down for year in week 1, which completely changed the dynamic of this offense.  Then D. Thomas' going down in week 2 was another huge blow -- our o-line was bad even with him in it, but once he went down we pretty much any ability we had to run powerfully inside which is another huge component of Pep's offense. 

 

Then losing Ballard and Bradshaw both in the first 3 weeks was another crushing blow -- Pep's offense was built much more to suit a power runner like the 2 of them than it is for a guy like Donald Brown.  Yes, T-Rich had his struggles, but he was playing behind a terrible line and you have to give him a little cushion giving the fact that it was his 3rd offense in less than 2 NFL seasons.  I think losing Allen forced us to run a lot of the telegraphed power runs that we did because we lost our best TE (don't get me wrong, I like Jack Doyle's blocking skills but he nor Saunders is anywhere near the receiving threat that Allen is). 

 

Then losing Reggie Wayne was huge -- he was Luck's security blanket and no team would do very well losing their Hall-of-Fame WR (especially a team already having lost 4 offensive starters).  I said in a thread the other day, I think Wayne's injury wound up being good for Luck -- not at the immediate time of it, but he was forced to learn to check through all his options and read his progressions.  Something he seemed to avoid when he knew he had Wayne to fall back on.  Something that will make him a much better QB this season when he has weapons outside of TY and Fleener (especially if Rogers and Brazzill step up like they did towards the end of the year).

 

If healthy, and if our young OL guys can improve from Satele/McGlynn's play last year -- I think we will see Pep run this offense the way it was meant to be run -- and with Nicks' (who I am positive will be better than DHB -- who I think we thought would be our 'poor man's NIcks' as far as a big, physical WR goes) in our line-up I cannot wait to see our TE's and TY/Reggie exploit mismatches we will have all over the interior of the field.  Just have to hope that we don't get the injury bug as bad as we had it last year and that our interior OL play can improve dramatically and I think we will all see that we are lucky to have Pep.

[YOUR GM]

I think losing Dwayne Allen in week 1 was a huge blow to Pep's offense where the 2 TE formation is a very important factor.  Prior to the season, everyone expected Allen to be a pro-bowl TE -- he goes down for year in week 1, which completely changed the dynamic of this offense.  Then D. Thomas' going down in week 2 was another huge blow -- our o-line was bad even with him in it, but once he went down we pretty much any ability we had to run powerfully inside which is another huge component of Pep's offense. 

 

Then losing Ballard and Bradshaw both in the first 3 weeks was another crushing blow -- Pep's offense was built much more to suit a power runner like the 2 of them than it is for a guy like Donald Brown.  Yes, T-Rich had his struggles, but he was playing behind a terrible line and you have to give him a little cushion giving the fact that it was his 3rd offense in less than 2 NFL seasons.  I think losing Allen forced us to run a lot of the telegraphed power runs that we did because we lost our best TE (don't get me wrong, I like Jack Doyle's blocking skills but he nor Saunders is anywhere near the receiving threat that Allen is). 

 

Then losing Reggie Wayne was huge -- he was Luck's security blanket and no team would do very well losing their Hall-of-Fame WR (especially a team already having lost 4 offensive starters).  I said in a thread the other day, I think Wayne's injury wound up being good for Luck -- not at the immediate time of it, but he was forced to learn to check through all his options and read his progressions.  Something he seemed to avoid when he knew he had Wayne to fall back on.  Something that will make him a much better QB this season when he has weapons outside of TY and Fleener (especially if Rogers and Brazzill step up like they did towards the end of the year).

 

If healthy, and if our young OL guys can improve from Satele/McGlynn's play last year -- I think we will see Pep run this offense the way it was meant to be run -- and with Nicks' (who I am positive will be better than DHB -- who I think we thought would be our 'poor man's NIcks' as far as a big, physical WR goes) in our line-up I cannot wait to see our TE's and TY/Reggie exploit mismatches we will have all over the interior of the field.  Just have to hope that we don't get the injury bug as bad as we had it last year and that our interior OL play can improve dramatically and I think we will all see that we are lucky to have Pep.

 

 

I really hope Havili's role is reduced to goal line/short yardage plays, primarily in jumbo packages this year. Having him on the field at this point, over guys like Hilton, Fleener or Allen is just taking talent off the field. Allen can pretty much do everything Havili does anyways, probably better. I like Havili but his versatility still isn't enough to justify pulling any of those guys off the field for a significant number of snaps

[ColtsFanMikeC]

I really hope Havili's role is reduced to goal line/short yardage plays, primarily in jumbo packages this year. Having him on the field at this point, over guys like Hilton, Fleener or Allen is just taking talent off the field. Allen can pretty much do everything Havili does anyways, probably better. I like Havili but his versatility still isn't enough to justify pulling any of those guys off the field for a significant number of snaps

Yea, I honestly would be happy if we dropped the FB and kept 4 TE's -- I think Doyle, Saunders and Allen are all comparable blockers to Havili and are all better receiving threats -- just my 2 cents.

[Jason_]

Uhm i would have to say Bruce, i prefer the arial attack. after all it is now a passing League. 

 

That's true.  No way the Pats would have beaten us in the playoffs without all those yards that Brady threw.  And no way the Seahawks win the SB without that amazing aerial attack of theirs. ;)

[Valpo2004]

I have to say with all due respect to Bruce Arians and what he did for this team in 2012, Pep's system extends Luck's career by 5 years minimum over Arian's system.  

[akcolt]

No one is denying that Bruce is a skilled OC, but he likes to throw the ball too much & he relies on TE's too much. His preference for the ariel attack is undeniable. Look at when Bruce ran Pittsburgh's offense under Big Ben, it was dominated by slinging the ball downfield & then Todd Haley gets hired by Coach Tomlin & they return to ground & pound again with timely throws mixed in. 

 

Even when you look at Carson Palmer now in AZ, Bruce needs a QB with a good arm to make his offense go. Yes, he has RBs on the roster, but he doesn't lean on them. Bruce wants to beat you in the air which exposes a QB to repeated unnecessary hits & contact IMO. If Bruce had to win employing the Rex Ryan formula of run it down your throat, he couldn't do it. 

 

I just like Pep much better because he believes that the ground game sets up the pass & it protects Luck more. I just like an offense predicated on a solid o-line, less screens, & fast ball releases. Besides, the ability to run the ball wins games in the playoffs. 

 

Plus, Andrew respected Bruce & everything he did for him in his rookie year, but there is a comfort zone & chemistry level that Pep has with Luck going back to their Stanford days that creates a feeling of trust in 1 another & that element is priceless. 

How do you know that? Sure seems like you have great insight to what Luck thinks. He is going to say the right things for sure. Maybe Luck thinks Pep is a complete * that should use the pass to set up the run, stop running behind the weakest part of our line, and maybe doing something besides a dive or play action with 34 comes in. Just because they worked together at Stanford doesn't mean they like each other. I work with plenty of people I have to pretend to like and respect.  

[akcolt]

That's true.  No way the Pats would have beaten us in the playoffs without all those yards that Brady threw.  And no way the Seahawks win the SB without that amazing aerial attack of theirs. ;)

Seahawks completed 70% of their passes for over 200 yard 2td's and 0 int. First time in Super Bowl history.  While the other QB had 3 turnovers one lead directly to a td and the other a pick 6 all before halftime.

[Jason_]

Seahawks completed 70% of their passes for over 200 yard 2td's and 0 int. First time in Super Bowl history.  While the other QB had 3 turnovers one lead directly to a td and the other a pick 6 all before halftime.

 

that's great.  That simply means they had an efficient passing game...not an explosive one.  It is not a sign of an all-out aerial attack that would prove that "this is a passing league" now and that's the only way to win.  I think that statement gets way overused and is not as true as a lot of people think.