The change in offensive coordinator and play caller for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been the big topic of discussion over the last week, especially after the Steelers generated 421 yards of total offense in a 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, the first game following the firing of former offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Some are using that as a clear-cut example of why Canada was the issue offensively and not the players, especially after tight end Pat Freiermuth had a breakout game and stated that communication was much better offensively in Week 12.
For rookie right tackle Broderick Jones though, it doesn’t matter who is calling plays or overseeing the offense, so long as the players on the field on that side of the football are all on the same page.
“To me, honestly, I really didn’t feel no difference of like the tempo. I just feel like we played more as a collective on the offensive side of the ball. Just everybody being on the same page, everybody playing together for each other,” Jones said to reporters from the locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, according to video via 93.7 The Fan. “So I feel like that’s all it was for me. So, I really don’t think it matters who’s calling the plays.
“I could call the plays, you know? As long as everybody’s on the same page, I feel like we’ll be all right.”
Jones is the first player on offense to state that he really didn’t feel a difference in tempo, communication, or urgency, whatever it may be.
He’s not exactly wrong, either. Though things felt different Sunday against the Bengals on the offensive side of the football, Pittsburgh still played at the same pace and still utilized the same pieces. There was more 13 personnel, obviously, and the Steelers attacked the middle of the field, but in Jones’ mind things weren’t all that different with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan calling the plays.
That’s not a shot at Sullivan from Jones, either. He’s right in the fact that it doesn’t matter who is calling plays, so long as everyone offensively is on the same page, understands the game plan and is out there executing.
To the Steelers’ credit, they executed at a high level on Sunday against the Bengals and took advantage of favorable matchups throughout the game. There was great balance, too, offensively between the run and the pass. Sullivan called a heck of a game, and the Steelers were rewarded with the best offensive performance from a yards and time-of-possession standpoint in quite some time.
Now, they need to build off it. In Jones’ eyes, that means being on the same page. Hopefully there’s more of that moving forward.
