Pittsburgh Steelers pass-catchers have had a bad case of the drops lately.
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner thinks the issue stems from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's lack of practice time.
Roethlisberger was held out of Steelers practice Wednesday for non-injury related reasons. But while this has become something of a weekly routine for “Big Ben,” the inability for the receivers to synch up with their signal-caller might be causing problems, according to Fichtner:
“I hate to use the idea that Ben in these shorter weeks hasn't practiced .. but they catch on jugs,” Fichtner said, via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. “But there's something getting more balls and the basic practice schedules where Ben can throw to those receivers. I'm looking forward to that today. “
There is obviously a difference between catching a ball from a jug and a person, because there is a certainty in terms of how the ball will arrive to the receivers.
But there is no such luxury with a live ball, which makes it imperative Roethlisberger gets more time on the practice field.
The Steelers had a whopping six drops on Monday against the Washington Football Team. Diontae Johnson had three, while Eric Ebron had a pair of his own. Drops have been an issue especially for Ebron throughout his career, and he already has seven this year.
Then again, the Steelers' chief offensive problem stems from the total inability to run the ball. Pittsburgh ran for just 21 yards against Washington after racking up a mere 68 yards on the ground against a depleted Baltimore Ravens defense.
Starting running back James Conner returns this weekend, and the Steelers will look to have better success on the ground while also hoping more practice reps with Roethlisberger helps the pass-catchers solve the drop problem.
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