Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
BananasFoster: AK- hope for a W this weekend! What’s your take on Witherspoon and Dotson having supposedly very good years so far? Is it our coaching, or lack thereof? Wrong schemes, then why draft/sign them?
Alex: You and me both, man. Dotson, I’ve talked about a couple times. He was talented, I’m not shocked to see him have success with the Rams. It just never clicked in Pittsburgh. I don’t think he was a good scheme fit under OL Coach Pat Meyer and he was penalized a ton. There were some killers the Steelers’ offense can’t afford. Dotson seems to be playing really well but it’s worth pointing out he’s only started three games. We’ll see what numbers look like over a larger volume of snaps. But I don’t think he was an untalented guy. Just didn’t fit what the Steelers teach.
Witherspoon, this has been his whole career. As up-and-down as you’ll find. Same story that brought him to Pittsburgh, some big years, some bad ones, and it happened in his time with the Steelers. Top corner to end 2021, worst corner in 2022, and everyone wanted him out of town. Now they want him back. I have no issue with the team releasing Witherspoon. He is a hard guy to trust at corner but he’s on a hot streak right now.
Danny Sanchez: Alex, what happens to this team when the splash plays and turnovers by the defense go away? What are some simple concepts they can do to try to get the offense going at the start of games?
Alex: Good question. Hopefully the team is healthy and has found more traction. Because that’s how they’re built right now. That’s what is propping them up. It’s not a bad thing, splash is critical, but the team feels hollow right now.
I’m not sure if the concepts can get much simpler. They’re not making it complicated. They want some rhythm-based passing early which is why you see so much spacing/stick concepts. Trying to get Pickett going early and sustain some drives with easy first downs and staying on schedule. The issue is they are just really bad on first down, 30th overall.
And on first down runs in the first quarter, the Steelers are averaging an NFL-worst 2.0 yards per carry. Hard to get anything going with that kind of number.
Max: Assuming for the moment that the Penguins and Steelers both miss the playoffs again this season (not predicting that necessarily for either, just setting up the hypothetical), which scenario is the most likely next year:
– 0 Mike Sullivans coaching in Pittsburgh
– 1 Mike Sullivan coaching in Pittsburgh (and if so which one)
– 2 Mike Sullivans coaching in Pittsburgh
Alex: Ha, fun question. Hockey certainly isn’t my wheelhouse. I really like Sullivan as the Penguins’ head coach. But I tend to gravitate towards those who are steady eddies and not the fiery guys like Torts. New regime makes things a little more uncertain but I think he stays with the Pens through at least 2024.
Which leaves Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan. And that sorta depends on the hire of Canada’s inevitable replacement. They could wipe the slate clean and start over, there’s value in that, or choose to retain Sullivan so Pickett has some continuity as he works with a new OC. It could go either way.
My guess? And it’s just a guess. There will be two Mike Sullivans in Pittsburgh next year.
falconsaftey43:
Hi Alex. This offense is so bad, it’s almost pointless in talking about the specifics of why something doesn’t work. But that said, I really liked your article on the Zorro Toss.
After staring at it for awhile, it seems like why it worked for the 49ers and not the Steelers is the alignment of the DL. Both run from 12 personnel, against a 3-4 front. The difference being 49ers ran at the DE aligned in a 3-tech, while the Steelers ran at the DE aligned in a 5-tech.
1) Do you think there should be a check to switch the run direction? Skill set wise, it’s not ideal to have Heyward as the POA TE and Washington the puller, but the alignment advantage is so great, it seems like it should work. End up with OT climbing to block the LB and WR blocking the S, instead of OT trying to reach block the DE and WR crack blocking the LB.
2) Did you ever see the 49ers run it where Kittle was the puller instead of Juszczyk?
3) Did you ever see the 49ers run it at the 5-tech DE?
Alex: Hey Falcon! I saw your comment about the front and the differences. I briefly noted that at the end about running it into a better front but didn’t want to go into all the details because I just wanted to talk the concept and not turn it into another Canada/scheme bashing, though some of that was warranted.
In general, I agree with you. Pittsburgh can’t have Allen Robinson try to crack Roquan Smith. A safety? Sure. A linebacker? Just no chance of holding that enough. It’s not even a super quick-hitting play like Crunch/Crack Toss where the receiver just has to get in the way. Robinson has to hold this for a few beats. Not going to happen. Totally different compared to the 49ers.
But the Zorro really has the TE on the DE. Heyward is a helper who only takes the DE himself if he spikes inside. So it’s hard to make that much of a check. You really just probably want to check out of the call entirely if you get that kind of look.
I’d have to study past examples of the 49ers and Zorro to give you that answer. But probably not.
Chad Prince:
AK,
Where would rank Diontae Johnson in the order of importance of offensive players? I think an argument could he made for the top spot.
With him returning I think it has a positive effect for the offense on so many levels. It helps Pickett. It helps Pickens. It allows Austin to spend more time in the gadget role. The list just goes on and on.
Alex: I don’t have an exact ranking. I guess we’ll see how things look when he comes back and get a better answer. But he is an important piece and Pittsburgh has missed him more than I think most even realize. But we’ll see the differences starting Sunday. It’s not like with him last year this offense was prolific but again, having him back is huge. For all the reasons you stated.
Horace: Hey Alex – Besides maybe Roberts and Jackson, should ANY of the offensive coaching staff be retained after the season? Which positional groups are even average? If they replace Canada with a candidate from outside the organization (a man can dream), would they even be given the authority to bring in new assistants or would the team force the current group on them (assuming contracts go beyond this season)?
Alex: It can be harder to evaluate a positional coach than a coordinator and the players. I like some of the guys on staff. Eddie Faulkner, Jackson, Roberts is a really good coach, and Pat Meyer was doing some good things with the group, though he’s an obvious target to go. That would be another turnover in o-line coaches which has been a problem.
I’m not sure what they’re going to do, Horace. Similar to what I said above about Sullivan, it could go either way. I’d have to check and see how much turnover there was with Canada/Fichtner/Haley. But sometimes it’s not always a direct correlation. So I guess we’ll see. I don’t have a great feel but hadn’t spent much time thinking about it.
