Beautiful things can come from the imagination.
Works of art, like a 5-year-old putting something together with Legos comes to mind for former NFL quarterback David Carr. That’s what he wants new Pittsburgh Steelers co-offensive coordinators Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan to do with the Steelers’ offense moving forward.
Appearing on NFL Network’s Total Access Podcast Wednesday, Carr stated that the Steelers just need to build their offense the rest of the way around their playmakers and their strengths, rather than trying to put pieces in boxes like former offensive coordinator Matt Canada seemingly did for two-and-a-half seasons.
“The biggest thing you do, and Andy Reid has always been great at this, is he finds the components. You walk into a room and throw some Lego pieces on the floor and tell a 5-year-old to build something. That’s a great play caller. So it’s not necessarily let’s make these players fit into my system, it’s let’s see what we have here and let’s build something beautiful with the pieces that we have,” Carr said regarding the Steelers and what they should do offensively moving forward. “Those are the best play callers.
“So I think that the change was really necessary because he was trying to fit these guys into this box that they didn’t necessarily fit in. And they have good components.”
The Steelers do have some good components to work with offensively. Those includes wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, and an offensive line that is getting after it in the run game recently. That doesn’t even mention tight end Pat Freiermuth, who can be a real weapon in the passing game.
Pieces are there. Now it’s up to Sullivan and Faulkner to build something beautiful out of those pieces, if possible.
Things aren’t going to change all that much with the Steelers’ offense the rest of the season. It will still be the same system, the same general components, all of that.
But the change at offensive coordinator should help get things back on track offensively, the Steelers leaning into an identity, which is the run game right now, while hopefully providing quarterback Kenny Pickett with some answers pre- and post-snap. At least, that’s the hope from Carr.
“I was in a room with Mike [Sullivan], I know how Mike works, so he’s gonna look at this exactly how I’m describing it. Run game is what starts this thing, right? And Mike Tomlin will be happy to hear that,” Carr said, according to audio via the Total Access podcast. “So they’ll know that that’s gonna be the first, right? Then they’re gonna create one-on-ones on the outside. They’re gonna create these elements inside this thing.
“They’re gonna give Kenny the ability to get in and outta good bad plays. So he’ll have answers.”
In recent weeks Pickett has had the freedom to check out of certain plays at the line of scrimmage, checking into others. It hasn’t always been successful, but that option has been there. Hopefully with Canada now no longer overseeing the offense, the Steelers can put even more trust into Pickett at the line of scrimmage.
But while things need to go through the run game offensively, that downfield, vertical element to the passing game, especially off play-action, just hasn’t been there for the Steelers. It needs to be moving forward.
Good news: Carr added that after texting Sullivan, that downfield element will be there for the Steelers.
“It’s gonna start off play action, which he’s actually really good at. They haven’t used enough of that. And then I think the vertical element will come back because if Mike is anything, Mike Sullivan I’m referencing, he’s a vertical passer. He’s the guy that wants to hit it, push it up the seams with the element of the play action pass,” Carr said. “So I even texted him…and he was like, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be in.’
“So I’m not trying to give anything away, but they’re gonna push the ball up the seams vertically and we can watch Kenny Pickett throw it down the field. They’re gonna throw it down the field. They have the elements to do it. It’s just a matter of putting those guys in the right position.”
Downfield shots have been there, even under Canada. Pickett just has been hesitant to take them. That has to change now with Sullivan and Faulkner overseeing the offense. Pickett has to throw caution to the wind in certain situations and let it rip. Getting that confidence and trust in himself back will be key.
Time to build something beautiful offensively in Pittsburgh. At least, beauty in the eye of the beholder.
