Cameron Heyward called him a “silent killer” after the Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and upon further review of the tape—OG Isaac Seumalo absolutely lived up to that billing. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most aggressive signing in free agency on a three-year, $24 million contract. The team needed help at guard with Kevin Dotson not panning out (though he has in Los Angeles) and Seumalo was the answer.
Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles, a future Hall of Famer, called him a great add for the Steelers at the time and offered high praise saying that he is one of the smartest players he has ever played with. It took a while for him to catch on to the first new system of his career under OL coach Pat Meyer, but he has been a major contributor down the stretch of the season. Pro Football Focus has him down for zero sacks allowed and just one penalty committed on the season. He was the catalyst for multiple big plays on a day when RB Najee Harris and the running game carried the game against the Ravens.
THE FILM
One thing that really stood out throughout the tape was his ability to get to the second level. There are three plays in this clip and numerous more throughout the game that aren’t included here. He consistently gets up to linebackers or box safeties on time and under control and uses his size advantage to drive them back. Inside ‘backers and safeties are obviously much more athletic than a guard, but Seumalo has great latch strength and neutralizes any possible wiggle from these second-level defenders with it. On the second and third play of the clip he does a good job chipping defenders to help C Mason Cole before peeling off to block another guy downfield.
This is the really fun clip. On all three of these plays, Seumalo shows off some nastiness that guards are known for across the NFL. The first play of the clip is the Harris touchdown run. The Steelers ran an inside trap play and Seumalo pulled from left to right. He instantly planted DT Justin Madubuike on his back, paving the way for the Steelers’ first score of the day.
On the second play, he managed to block multiple defenders. He engaged a different player with each arm and drove his legs back to push the pile. That is a lot of push generated with Seumalo leading the charge. The final play of the clip is a classic big-on-big. Seumalo on DT Broderick Washington and Seumalo imposed his will. He stayed locked in with both hands and just outright won the physical battle with his powerful leg drive, made even more impressive by the slick field from the cold and rainy day in Baltimore.
Seumalo also held up well as a pass protector. He has great lateral quickness, and his hands and feet work together well when he is dropping back. On the first play of the clip, he landed his punches to each shoulder pad of the defensive tackle. If he didn’t mirror with his feet properly, this could have turned into a holding penalty, but his quickness allowed him to stay squared up and win the rep.
On the second play of the clip, he used the hop step that Meyer teaches. The goal is to give up ground in order to re-anchor while jumping both feet back in little hops. He did give up ground, but he steered the defensive tackle outside to put him out of the play.
On the final play of the clip, Madubuike twisted from the other end of the line. He came in with a full head of steam, which is a tough situation to be in for a stationary guard, but he absorbed the blow and bought QB Mason Rudolph enough time to get off the pass to Harris in the flat.
It is always good to show a balanced perspective and not just highlights of the good, but it was honestly hard to find glaring issues on his Week 18 tape. The one rep I found was a passing play in which Seumalo failed to get the first significant contact and allowed a long-arm punch that set up the defensive tackle’s bull rush. He had a path to the quarterback, but Rudolph was able to get off the pass in time to avoid a sack.
