They said I’d never get to use the phrase “two turtles humping” in a post about football. And today, they’ve been proven wrong after Merril Hodge shared his blunt and colorful thoughts on the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. A unit that, to him, has talent but no heart. All bark, no bite.
Appearing on 102.5 DVE with Randy Baumann Wednesday morning, Hoge chastised the Steelers’ effort he’s seeing on tape from the receivers and blockers.
“It might be the worst group of route runners in the NFL, okay?” he told the show. “Half the time, they quit on routes. The pick that [Mitch] Trubisky threw…[TE Pat Freiermuth] makes a move and just quits.”
After last Thursday’s loss to the New England Patriots, Trubisky explained to reporters he threw the pass anticipating Freiermuth would continue his route to the inside. But he stopped up and Trubisky’s throw was easily picked by S Jabrill Peppers. He returned it deep inside Pittsburgh’s territory, setting up a Hunter Henry TD.
Hoge has been unsparing in his criticism of the Steelers’ receivers throughout the year, especially targeting WR George Pickens. And there’s no question his route-running and effort has not always been full throttle, Pickens prone to slowing down and stopping on routes, leading to miscommunication.
Hoge turned his attention to the Steelers’ tight ends and their blocking in the run game. Or lack thereof.
“It’s the only term I can think of but our tight ends look like two turtles humping when you’re blocking. Because you’re not blocking anybody,” he said.
Note to self: do not go to the Pittsburgh Zoo with Merril Hoge.
Specifically, he pointed out TE Darnell Washington’s struggles blocking on the edge against Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings, who whooped Washington at least twice to blow up toss plays. Here’s one of those examples as Jennings, No. 33, sheds and tackles RB Jaylen Warren for a loss.
On paper, the Steelers have talent. This offense should be better than it is. But they underwhelm in part due to missing the details while, of course, struggling to find a quarterback who can consistently play above the line.
Hoge is shining a light on Pittsburgh’s potential culture problems. Things that wouldn’t be acceptable in the locker room when it had stronger leadership. Arguably, the Steelers’ offense is lacking leaders it had years ago. Veterans like OG Isaac Seumalo and WR Allen Robinson II were brought in but they’re not long-standing members of the organization who remember how things worked when Pittsburgh was a true AFC contender. That was all the way back in 2016. Since then, they’ve been outsiders and there hasn’t been a “Steeler Way” blueprint to follow. It’s not tangible but it’s high on the list of issues this team is facing.
