Pittsburgh Steelers DL Breiden Fehoko is competing with Keeanu Benton and Montravius Adams for snaps at nose tackle, and while Fehoko is known as a run-stuffer, something he showed off during Pittsburgh’s team period today, he talked about some of his go-to pass rush moves on Training Camp Wrap-Up today. Fehoko explained why he won’t be trying out a ghost rush anytime soon.
“So every day before pass rushing drills, we go with one of our EQ assistants, and he has the dummies on his hands. And so we’re going through pass-rush moves, double-hand swipes, chop, dip and rips, and then we get to the ghost move. And Coach Tomlin comes up to me today and he goes, ‘Yeah B, just stick to the bull rush.’ So power rushing, power rips, bull rushing is what I’m good at, and I’m just gonna stick with my fastball pitch for now,” Fehoko said via Steelers.com.
At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds and plugging up the interior of the line, Fehoko isn’t gonna get by anyone utilizing the ghost rush. He’s not much of a pass rusher to begin with, but if he’s going to have success it’s going to be with his strength. Obviously, he knows that, and Tomlin knows that, so it was a funny moment between the two of them at practice today.
Fehoko’s strength is one of his best attributes, hence why he’s so much better just using a straight bull rush. His strength can help him move the lineman back and get in the backfield himself to make the play, particularly in the run game — as evidenced by his 23 tackles in nine games for the Los Angeles Chargers last season — or take on blockers to allow the linebackers behind him to get in and clean things up.
Fehoko only played five snaps against the run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener on last Friday night, but Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with his work, as he received just a 42.2 run defense grade. He actually graded out well against the pass, with a 64.3 pass-rush grade on 10 pass-rushing snaps. But Fehoko has showed up well over his career as a run stuffer and has shown off that ability of his game in practice.
While he might not see the field a ton, if Fehoko makes the roster, he’s a great locker-room presence, and from his media appearances, he seems like a really fun person to be around. He can also pass on some pointers to Benton and make the most of his appearances as someone to add some beef to the middle of Pittsburgh’s defensive line. But he certainly won’t be caught trying a ghost move anytime soon.
