According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson said Monday he liked how running back Jonathan Dwyer ran with the football Saturday night against the New York Giants in the preseason opener and that there was only one of his six carries that he disagreed with Dwyer\’s decision of where to run.
While I don\’t know for sure, I assume the one carry Wilson had a problem with was the second down and four run from the Giants 22-yard-line with 9:57 left to go in the first half.
As you can see in the two animated gifs below, the call is an outside stretch run to the left out of an ace formation using 12 personnel.
In Dwyer\’s defense, tight end David Paulson fails with his block on Giants defensive end Justin Trattou which prevents the Steelers running back from being able to get to the edge. However, considering the down and distance, Dwyer, once he sees Paulson not in control of the block, probably should have aimed for the backside of guard Ramon Foster and slammed it up that direction.
Sure, Trattou will more than likely make the tackle, but Dwyer would at least get the opportunity to break an arm tackle and perhaps gain two or three yards before he is brought down.
Also, Dwyer likely could have one cut back up the middle as well had he read the block quicker and beat linebacker Keith Rivers, who is flowing down the backside, for a gain of a yard or two.
There was no way this play was going to go for more than a three yards, but it would have set up a third and two or third and one had Dwyer read the failed block by Paulson quickly enough.
The end result of the play was a one yard loss and it set up a third and five that the offense failed to convert.
