Practice how you play. That’s the football adage your high school coach probably screamed out as you ran hills for the 11th time in practice. But good coaches have it right. Do the things in practice that are applicable to a game. Your effort should be high. Your focus should be high. And the drills coaches create should mirror in-game situations.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, I wonder if they’ll follow through on that.
To be fair, that critique is a more narrow and specific one. Overall, the Steelers have a good coaching staff and this has been a high-effort and detailed team. It’s been a good summer. But there’s a couple elements of practice that haven’t carried over into games.
1. Pony Groupings
As in, two-running back sets. Those have littered training camp to the point where I’ve lost count of how many they’ve run. All have included RB Anthony McFarland Jr., who almost feels like a wide receiver with how he’s being used. He’s standing up in the slot nearly as much as he’s getting work out of the backfield. It’s something this team has truly explored this summer.
But in the team’s preseason opener, there was no Pony. McFarland logged 20 offensive snaps, all featuring him as the lone running back on the field. To be fair, and I’m sure the common response will be, it’s just one game. For the Steelers, they have been toying around with these Pony backfields for years to the point where it’s the butt of the joke. It’s training camp, let’s talk about Pony backfields until it disappears in the fall along with the 85-degree weather.
If the Steelers are going to dedicate this much time to it, why not use it in the game? At least a little bit. Otherwise, what’s the point? Pittsburgh should use it this preseason with McFarland to see how he looks and fits in that role. If he makes the squad as the team’s third-string running back, all it’ll take is one injury to Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren to thrust McFarland into a serious No. 2 role.
2. Kendrick Green At FB
Of course, what Green does along the offensive line is more important than what he does at fullback. And what he’s doing up front isn’t going too well. But that’s all the more reason to give him some in-game looks at fullback. It’s been the most successful thing he’s done this summer. And if it can create some additional value for him, it’s worth a shot.
Understandably, Green’s time there would be limited. He’s not going to get 20 reps there in a game. And considering he’s playing center half the time, those opportunities are more limited. Still, Pittsburgh has stuck with Green at fullback for over a week and it’s been relatively successful. They may argue he needs more practice reps before testing out in a game. Fair enough, but it’s something that should happen over the team’s final two preseason games.
Some may think the Steelers don’t want to put it on tape. But the only way to find out how players fit into new roles is to test it out now. And if any NFL teams worth their weight do a little digging, they’ll be able to read about Green’s new position. It’s only been one of the biggest stories of training camp.
3. Calvin Austin III and Gunner Olszewski Returning
Here, I’m safe in assuming it will happen though it didn’t take place against Tampa Bay. Austin nor Olszewski fielded a kick or punt; in fact, neither were even positioned in that role for the preseason opener. Instead, rookie Jordan Byrd saw the bulk of the workload while McFarland was the deep man for one kick return, a touchback.
Austin and Olszewski are the two most logical return options for the Steelers in 2023. And it’s an open battle. Austin missed his entire rookie year while Olszewski fumbled away the job early last year, replaced by Steven Sims. Both players need reps. Austin has to show what he’s capable of inside a stadium, and he wasn’t exactly a highly used returner at Memphis (29 punts, zero kicks). Olszewski has to show the ball security to regain the coaching staff’s trust.
It appeared Pittsburgh chose to use its special teams backups in the opener. None of the incumbent specialists – K Chris Boswell, P Pressley Harvin III, or LS Christian Kuntz – entered the game. Miles Boykin wasn’t a starting gunner, Miles Killebrew wasn’t the starting personal protector on the punt coverage team. It stands to reason those guys along with Austin and Olszewski will see action in the team’s next two games.
You have to wonder if giving Byrd a long look in the opener was the right decision. It’s not like return men get an abundance of chances to begin with thanks to the high number of touchbacks along with fair catches on punts or ones that go out of the end zone/out of bounds. With only three preseason games, those chances dwindle all the more. Now, there’s just two games to make a determination on Austin versus Olszewski. Practice tells you a little but only that. It’s not like the team is running full 11v11 kicks against returns in practice. Doesn’t work that way. It’s fair to give Byrd, an exciting return man at San Diego State, his chance, but it may not have been the best thing for the team.
