The Pittsburgh Steelers are a franchise built on tradition. And among those traditions has been winning football games, and winning football games in the trenches.
The NFL looks a lot different today than it did in the 70s and 80s. But the Steelers won Super Bowls building around the trenches, and they are looking to do it again in the modern NFL. We’ve seen a lot of teams in the 2020s try and build from the outside in, investing in skill-position guys first, but the Steelers are bucking this trend and almost doing the opposite.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin touched on this philosophy and how it relates to where he spent his time at training camp in a recent Steelers.com interview with Bob Labriola.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, the bigger the men that’s the drill I’m going to.” Tomlin pointed out “I recognize the power of my presence. I value big people. The big people on our team in particular are going to play a significant role in terms of the outcome of us, and so I show them that respect by being with them when things go down. Just about daily when we do 7-on-7, for example, we’ll do O-line vs. D-line pass rush, and you will almost always see me at pass rush. I’m gonna be with the bigs. Forget the littles. Football is a big man’s game, and I just want my actions to match my words, and I understand what my presence means. And so I’m gonna be with the bigs.”
It’s a classic Steeler philosophy, and it may not be as outdated as some think. We’ve seen running backs struggle more and more to get big contracts, as most of their success has been attributed to the offensive line around them. But the thought of having a good offense line equating to a good running game has not wavered.
Additionally, when the Steelers have had success in recent years, it hasn’t been all because of their skill guys, even though they have had some great ones. It’s been based around their elite pass rush, and that’s been a huge focal point for Tomlin and the team at this camp. And the Steelers have put their money where their mouth is, giving LB Alex Highsmith big money to wear the Black and Gold for years to come.
While guys like Kenny Pickett and George Pickens have been listed as the most common “breakout” candidates, Tomlin would likely argue that the x-factor of the 2023 Steelers is the performance of the men in the middle.
