Thanks to a Lisfranc injury suffered during training camp last year, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth spent most of the 2013 season on the injured reserve list as the designated to return player. However, while he was only able to play in the final four games of the season, Spaeth’s presence certainly helped the running game in those contests.
In the final four games of the 2013 season, the Steelers offense rushed for 4.08 yards per carry on the 78 running plays that Spaeth was on the field for as opposed to 3.54 yards per carry on all other runs without him during the season. Sure, 78 plays is really a small sample size, but a half a yard difference is a half yard difference nonetheless.
I have listed the 20 different lineup combinations used on the 78 plays and as you can see, 52 of them consisted of 12 personnel, which includes one running back and two tight ends.
During those final four games, Spaeth averaged 33 snaps a game worth of playing time. Will he average those kind of snaps in 2014? Probably, not, but an average of 25 snaps a game is not out of the question. That kind of average would result in him playing 400 snaps, which sounds about right.
The Steelers need to improve their running game in 2014 and should as long as their offensive line can stay healthy. Spaeth will definitely see his share of snaps in 12 and 22 personnel groupings in 2014 and now that he’s fully healthy, he should be able to pick up where he left off last season. Make no mistake, the Steelers offense missed Spaeth’s presence last season.
| Lineup | PLAYS | AVG | PERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown, Sanders, Miller, Spaeth, Gilbert, Beachum, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 23 | 3.87 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Wheaton, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 11 | 6.36 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown, Sanders, Spaeth, Miller, Adams, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 6 | 4.83 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Johnson, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 6 | 1.17 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Jones, Brown, Sanders, Miller, Spaeth, Gilbert, Beachum, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 5 | 4.4 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Johnson, Cotchery, Miller, Spaeth, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 4 | 3.25 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Dwyer, Johnson, Cotchery, Miller, Spaeth, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 4 | 2.75 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Adams, Gilbert, Beachum, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 3 | 3.67 | 13 |
| Roethlisberger, Dwyer, Brown, Sanders, Miller, Spaeth, Gilbert, Beachum, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 2 | 7.5 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Johnson, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Adams, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 2 | 6 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Sanders, Cotchery, Miller, Spaeth, Adams, Gilbert, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Johnson, Palmer, Miller, Spaeth, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 2 | 0.5 | 23 |
| Roethlisberger, Dwyer, Wheaton, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 1 | 7 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Dwyer, Johnson, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 1 | 6 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Dwyer, Johnson, Cotchery, Miller, Spaeth, Adams, Gilbert, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 1 | 6 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Moye, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown, Cotchery, Miller, Spaeth, Gilbert, Beachum, DeCastro, Foster, Wallace | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Roethlisberger, Dwyer, Johnson, Moye, Miller, Spaeth, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Bell, Johnson, Wheaton, Miller, Spaeth, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| Roethlisberger, Jones, Johnson, Brown, Spaeth, Miller, Beachum, Gilbert, Foster, DeCastro, Wallace | 1 | 0 | 22 |
