Why Rashard Mendenhall is so Vital to Ben Roethlisberger's Success

If I told you that Ben Roethlisberger posted a QB rating of 92.1 in the shotgun you may wonder why the Steelers don’t use that formation more often. But if I then told you that Roethlisberger has a QB rating of 109.9 when under center, then you may wonder why the Steelers use the shotgun period. That’s the question I’m wondering as well after Roethlisberger’s QB rating under center jumped 24 points from 2008 when it was around 85.

Perhaps the biggest reason why there was such a large jump for Big Ben is because of one player: Rashard Mendenhall. In 2008 the Steelers didn’t have much of a running game; the combo of Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore combined for just 3.9 yards per carry. In 2009 Mendenhall averaged 4.6 yards per carry, good enough for 7^th in the league for players with at least 200 carries. The reason why Mendenhall helps Roethlisberger when he’s under center is because of the threat of the run. Defenses have to prepare for the run or the pass from that formation which means they can’t commit to one or the other. Put 8 in the box and Pittsburgh will throw the ball. Drop your safeties 20 yards from the line of scrimmage and you can expect a handoff to Mendenhall. But when Roethlisberger is in the shotgun, then the defense knows what to expect. There’s no threat of the run so the defenders can just watch the man they are covering or the zone they are occupying and pay no attention to the running back. Take a look at the chart below and you can clearly see when the Steelers spread the field with receivers and take the threat of the run out of the equation, Roethlisberger’s rating recedes like Santonio Holmes’ hairline. Yes the numbers are somewhat ambiguous as related to being under center vs. the shotgun due to the Steelers running multiple-receiver sets while Roethlisberger is under center. But for the shotgun, there is ALWAYS at least 3 receivers in the formation. (In the chart below, receivers are defined as any player split wide or in the slot including running backs and tight ends who are flexed out).

Charlie Weis has his hands full in KC

When you take a look at Matt Cassel's 2008 stats and you factor in the appointment of Charlie Weis as Chiefs' OC, you realize that Kansas City is faced with a paradox: Charlie Weis loves to employ the spread offense which frequently has at least 3, but often 4 or 5 receivers on the field at a time. But Cassel struggles in multiple receiver sets where its tougher to read defenses and throw the ball downfield. (With the stats above, receivers are counted as anyone who lines up out wide or in the slot; thus, running backs and tight ends flexed out are counted as receivers).

So what should the Chiefs do? Forcing Cassel into the spread could be like fitting a square peg into a round hole. I thought about the Chiefs possibly utilizing Cassel more in the shotgun which would give him a little more time to avoid the rush and a better look at the defensive alignment. However, that idea was put to rest once I saw these stats:

This is why half of Philly wants McNabb gone

I guess it wasn't just the Super Bowl in which Donovan McNabb got tired in the second half. Here is a look at how his passer rating dips from the first half to the second half-both in 2009 and for his career.



This chart doesn't exactly scream "clutch" which is what every fan wants from his team's starting QB. This stat doesn't help McNabb's case either in terms of getting in the good graces of Philadelphia: In 2009 when the Eagles were within 7 points (in either direction) during the 4th quarter, McNabb did not throw a single TD pass (48 pass attempts). BTW just for comparison's sake, JaMarcus Russell threw 2 TDs in these situations in 15 fewer pass attempts. Ouch!!!

Comparing QB Rating to 2009 Salary

This chart shows how each team's QB performed in relation to their total salary cap value for the 2009 season. By cap value I mean the amount that each player costs his team in regards to the salary cap for this season. I chose to use cap value over total salary because the total salary numbers are inflated for those players who signed new contracts in 2009. Also, total salary takes into account signing bonuses, performance bonuses, roster bonuses, workout bonuses and many other incentives which are often unavailable to the public. Thus, the amount a player costs his team to their salary cap is the best, and most convenient, statistic to use.