Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently called the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense "dink and dunk" under new coordinator Todd Haley. Has that phrase ever been used in a positive context?
The Steelers own the 17th-ranked pass offense and have not been a downfield threat despite the receiving trio of Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.
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"Haley's offense is not a big-play offense," Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's kind of a dink-and-dunk offense."
The Steelers hit Wallace for an 82-yard touchdown pass during last week's loss to the Tennessee Titans, but that was it for the explosive plays. Brown and Sanders haven't had a reception longer than 27 yards in 2012.
"There's a guy calling the plays. That's on him," Roethlisberger said, referring to Haley. "Sometimes, we'll call something long, and it's just not there. For us, the big thing is that when we get into the red zone, we don't get complicated. We need to finish drives."
The Roethlisberger-Haley debate has not gone away seven weeks into the season. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere either heading into Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
This will remain a story as long as the Steelers' offense continues to have its hiccups. Especially during a season when the defense has lost some of its potency.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
