Steelers wideout Antonio Brown was extremely specific when asked about the lapse in Pittsburgh's passing game since Ben Roethlisberger got injured.
"I think (Mike Vick's passes) just come out a little bit later than Ben's," Brown said, via the Post-Gazette. "I don't think Mike Vick has yet adjusted to the timing of how we run things. His balls come out later in the routes, at the top of your route. You just have to get the timing down and make sure we're on the same page."
The last part -- getting on the same page -- is the normal platitude we're fed when an offense isn't in sync. But Brown gets to the heart of the matter, and something that was quite evident during Pittsburgh's loss to the Ravens.
It's not a dig. Timing elements in an offense sometimes take months to develop. The unconscious relationship Roethlisberger and Brown have takes even longer.
Vick, for his part, is not really to blame for this. Brown is just stating a fact. In relief duty he's completed 24 of 32 passes and hasn't thrown a pick. He overthrew Brown on one crucial pass last week but Brown also dropped another.
The mobile element in Vick's game should help matters, which is why head coach Mike Tomlin said the offense would tailor itself to Vick and not the other way around.
But that doesn't mean the timing elements can be ignored altogether. Brown, after his streak of 5-catch, 50-yard games came to an end, admitted to "total frustration" with Roethlisberger out. He is by far Pittsburgh's most dynamic player and Vick cannot afford to have him unhappy for long.
