Nov 19, 2013 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – Ben Roethlisberger might have finally gotten his wish when he was given the opportunity to run a no-huddle offense during Sunday’s 37-27 win over Detroit.

He shouldn’t get used to it.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the Steelers (4-6) used the no-huddle in an effort to keep Detroit’s talented defensive tackles, Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, off balance and that it might not be the approach to take on a weekly basis.

“Suh and Fairley were big, dominant guys. We thought we could throw them off balance and maybe minimize some of the things they were capable of doing, maybe even let fatigue set in a little bit. That was one element of it,” Tomlin said. “Another element of it was it changes the flow of defensive communication and maybe minimizes some of the things that you see.

“We have a certain scripted set of questions that we ask if we choose to employ it as a weapon. If enough things are favorable for us, then obviously it’s something we will consider, work on, prepare and utilize.”

The Steelers were concerned that if they lined up in their base offense too many times, Suh and Fairley would take over the game, especially with Guy Whimper starting in place of Ramon Foster at left guard.

As it was, the Steelers managed just 40 yards rushing.

“They’ve got great people inside and up front and in some instances we were playing with backups,” Tomlin said. “If you’re overly concerned about style points and our ability to run the ball, or move them, then that can be discouraging. But I’m not. … We did what was necessary to win, no-huddle being an element of that, obviously. We’re more pass-oriented in no-huddle. We thought that was a strength of ours relative to the matchup.”

While the Steelers’ 37 points against Detroit were a season-high, it wasn’t all because of the use of the no-huddle. Roethlisberger completed 13 of 23 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns when the Steelers did not huddle, 16 of 22 passes for 136 yards and two scores when they did. The difference in his passer rating when the Steelers did not huddle compared to when they did was 119.7 to 118.8.

The game marked the fourth time this season Roethlisberger has topped 350 yards passing, but the first time it added up to a victory.

That could be a reason why Tomlin isn’t ready to go to a no-huddle look full-time.

“In the right set of circumstances, but you have to understand that you’re not going to be very multiple,” Tomlin said when asked if the Steelers could make the no-huddle their base offense.

“There’s limited communication when you’re snapping the football and not huddling to communicate. There are audio things to be concerned about. Technology has changed the way that that is viewed. Television copy of no-huddle offenses has a lot of information on that video. It’s something that’s been going on in football for a number of years, so you’ve got to be very cautious about employing it, how much you employ it, how you change your verbal communication. There are a lot of things that are capable of limiting your ability to run no-huddle besides your willingness or desire to.”

Roethlisberger ran the no-huddle exclusively in college and has long lobbied to use it more with the Steelers.

While it does give him an opportunity to scan the defense and call plays based on what he sees, there are many pre- and in-game adjustments that have to be made on the sideline.

“Make no mistake, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into this,” Tomlin said. “There’s a menu of plays that’s decided upon collectively during the course of the week, and he’s simply picking from that menu. We’re not out there unscripted, leaving him up to his own devices. Even though he’s fully capable, that wouldn’t be fair to him.

“Those plays we employ in no-huddle, we also employ in our normal offense. So it’s not like it’s a different set of plays. It’s just how we choose to communicate it prior to the ball being snapped, and the smaller menu of play selection associated with no-huddle offense.”

Tomlin said linebacker Stevenson Sylvester (hamstring) and safety Shamarko Thomas (ankle) are doubtful to play this week at Cleveland. … Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who left the win over Detroit with a foot injury, will be limited early in the week but has a chance to play against the Browns. … Defensive end Brett Keisel (foot), guard Ramon Foster (ankle) and linebacker LaMarr Woodley (calf), all of whom missed the game against the Lions, could be back this week. … Tight end Matt Spaeth (foot) could be activated from the injured reserve-recall list today. The Steelers would then have 21 days to place him on the active roster or season-ending injured reserve. … The Steelers signed former Pitt running back Ray Graham to their practice squad Tuesday. Running back George Winn was released.