Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind ahead of tonight’s NFL kickoff and Sunday’s opener between the Steelers and San Francisco 49ers.
To your questions!
srdan:
Do you see the Steelers using 3 safety looks this weekend to help tackle the catch?
Do you think the Stillers will use more nickle this year than last?
Alex: I do. It’s matchup based, usually against 12 personnel with teams who have athletic threats at TE/FB like the 49ers have, so it’s as much about that as it is them tackling the catch. Just gets more athletes and cover guys on the field. But it’s partially dependent on what San Francisco’s gameplan is.
Will they use more nickel? Again, it is influenced to a degree by the opponent. I don’t know if I see anything that says they absolutely will but Desmond King might be their best all-situations nickel they’ve had since Mike Hilton.
Peter-Petersen:
Hi Alex,
the Steelers might be looking to take a Safety in next years draft. Could you explain what to look out for, when trying to spot an ideal candidate, while watching college football?
Alex: In this situation, the team is looking for a SS more than a FS. Want someone with size. 6’1, 205-plus pounds, ideally. Not a small guy who can’t hang around in the box. Someone who can hit, tackle, filly the alley and support the run. Someone durable and available. Your SS is in the box a lot and has to be tough and can’t be in and out of the lineup. He has to be a sound player, not just a head hunter who misses as often as he hits. Coverage is less of an issue but Pittsburgh still generally likes athletes with good testing. Those are just some of the basic things to watch for.
Sdale: What scenarios during the game do you think we’ll see JPJ? Will he spell Peterson or Wallace, or can he sub for either player?
Alex: To start the season, he’ll work on passing downs. Nickel and dime when Peterson slides inside. Not on early downs when Peterson stays at his LCB spot but he’ll work on 3rd and 7+ and two-minute type of stuff. All obvious pass situations. That’s how they’ll handle things to begin the year.
hdogg48:
Hi Alex
I know you pick your X Factor later in the week but
do you envision that player to be a veteran
or one playing his first game for the black and yellow?
Alex: I’ve gone back and forth. Initially thought a veteran but not sure if I’ll stick with it. Sometimes it comes down to a concept or overall area of the game, too (red zone, third down, special teams, etc). You’ll find out Saturday when I write the article.
Deacon: Alex,
How would you plan for someone like Bosa who is super successful from both sides of the line?
Alex: There’s no easy answer, obviously, against a guy like him. But a lot of chips and alignment can slow him down. Not just with the RB but with the TE. Especially a big and powerful guy like Darnell Washington. You don’t have to stop Bosa, you just have to slow him down as he gets into his rush. It’s like a WR. Just disrupt him off the line. Force him to rush wide, force him to fight through traffic, run a screen early to make this guy run around and test his conditoning. Just throw a lot at him early to get him off his game. Pittsburgh sees it all the time with T.J. Watt so they’re aware of the tricks offenses use to slow top-tier pass rushers down.
BananasFoster: Alex- I know what you’re answer will be here (I’m just thinking about this season will be your response most likely), but let’s say the Steelers go 7-10. How much better can they get arguably? With this loaded AFC. They had almost a perfect offseason. What else more can they do?
Alex: I mean, if they go 7-10 with this team and no serious injury that impacted things…then the model doesn’t work. Of run the ball, play good defense, eek out the 17-14 victory. In a land of top-tier QBs, established and emerging, it’ll be the wrong play. So that’s what a 7-10 record would tell me if there wasn’t an obvious explanation.
It would mean going all-in on scoring as many points as possible. What exactly that would look like, because this team does have a good set of skill guys, I’m not sure. It may also mean upgrading the secondary to deal with these top-flight QBs and WRs.
falconsaftey43: Which new Steeler will have the most noticeable impact week 1?
Alex: Good question. I think LG Isaac Seumalo is the biggest impact addition this offseason but that 49ers’ front is still tough to run on. Might be Darnell Washington. His run game impact plus helping to slow down someone like Joey Bosa. He could be that Bosa-eraser type, at least, an attempt to do it. Pittsburgh will get to show off its personality, though I hope they don’t try running into a brick wall. In my tape review, the 49ers just don’t let you run out of heavy personnel.
