Welcome to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, I’ll spend the next hour answering your questions.
We’re here to answer your questions!
Jake Marion:When George Pickens and Mike Williams are on the field together, which position (X, Y, Z) do you expect them to take?
Alex: Since the Antonio Brown trade, those lines have definitely blurred. When he was X, everyone else was getting away with it. Pickens now lines up more often on the backside to see if teams are playing coverage his way or picking him off alone, which makes him an X. It helps the offense know what coverage the defense is running. But he’s all about playing the lover. So could Williams.
Williams has actually played in this slot more than people realize. And he has some sneaky value as a big slot above the middle. Some of his catches with the Jets (and he only had 12) did so, including against the Steelers. I don’t think Williams can really run anymore, so the size mismatch down the middle could be an issue.
Pickens is closer to X and Williams is closer to Z, but offenses are so diverse and varied that it’s hard to neatly categorize players into those buckets anymore.
Marcel Chris Chauvet: Alex, what are some really creative trades you would be willing to see the Steelers make?
Alex: There was really nothing, especially at the deadline. I was all for taking big swings with wide receivers like Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams. But when it comes to things that aren’t being talked about…I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it or really hoping for anything.
Danatural 08: Alex, do you personally have any aspirations to work in an NFL front office? Also, did you play football? If so, at what age did you play?
Alex: To be honest, I didn’t spend much time focusing on it, but no, I really didn’t. I have no plans to pursue anything. I’m happy to be here working with Dave and the staff to build the site. That’s all I think. How we can improve our site and our readers’ experience.
We didn’t play football unless flag football at the YMCA was important (which it isn’t). But I’m really doing what I grew up doing. When I was in middle school and high school, I would record Steelers games and watch them over and take notes. I still remember tick-tock of the VCR when rewinding occurs each time. Now I’m just online and doing it for more than just my own entertainment (although it’s definitely for that reason).
Brian Torrini: When Canada was OC, there were a lot of things he generally wanted to change or incorporate into the offense. What changes/additions have you made to Smith’s offense so far?
Alex: That’s something I’d like to take some time to dig into after the season ends and everyone takes a little breather. But other than the overall philosophy of emphasizing tight ends and some personnel changes, the offense is just competent. There is a basic structure that allows the team to understand what they are trying to do. The vision for the run game is a combination of boot action and vertical play action.
Smith is good at packaging and pairing plays to build one concept out of another. He dresses things up more to run the same concept from different looks, so it looks different for the defense, but the same for the offense. He plans to get players open more creatively with his receiver route trees. His red zone calls are smart to address the lack of space underneath. He seems more flexible and able to adjust. He doesn’t just execute the plan he brings into the fight, he counterpunches. You’d have to look at the tape to provide a better example, but it certainly feels like a real NFL offense.
Chris: At the professional sports level, are head coaches essentially in a position to “teach” their coaches how to coach them better? Is Tomlin teaching the DB coaches out there how to be better coaches, or are they expected to already know everything there is to know?
Alex: In general, no. When you hire an NFL coach, you’re trusting them to do the job. If you have to train or micromanage someone, you hired the wrong person. It’s more for the assistant to learn and observe. Watching Tomlin in training camp makes him very observant. He walks around checking on everyone. At times he tries to motivate and challenge his players, but he doesn’t really teach them much, let alone positional coaching.
He could be looking into some things behind the scenes, especially for a newly hired coach who is just getting to know the group. And Tomlin has occasionally done more hands-on things in the past, usually with his background in the secondary. I remember a few years ago when he was a Cover 2 flat defender working on jamming and rerouting with cornerbacks.
But primarily, positional coaches are given the freedom to do their job. That’s how it should be.
24:00 AM: Hi Alex,
Our D-line is considered one of the best in the league, especially in terms of rushing the passer. Still, the team ranked in the middle of the league in sacks with only 19, and at times allowed the quarterback to move the ball. I remember when the Steelers led the league in sacks almost every year. Obviously, bye weeks, injuries, schemes, and game situations play into that. The amount of sacks will likely increase in the second half with the addition of Herbig and Smith, as well as scheme elements. What do you think is causing this? Would you like to change the defensive scheme in the second half to put more pressure on the QB?
Alex: Yes, I noticed that too. I was a little surprised because the pressure felt pretty solid. I have listed several reasons. Injuries at OLB kept Highsmith and Herbig out for several weeks. There was a big drop off there because all the attention was on Watt and no one was playing against him. I like Moon, but he’s still a raw and undeveloped pass rusher. Not blitzing as much, pocket passers facing getting the ball out quicker, those are factors.
Even with the Steelers defense not being on the field as much as usual this year. They’re playing up front, which should help the pass rush, but they’re playing less. This will reduce your chance of being sacked.
However, I would like to cite lack of health and blitz as the biggest culprit. I’m fine with this plan as is because the group is healthy.
