If there’s one thing a defense must do against mobile quarterbacks, it’s plaster. They gotta be a sticky defense. Because there will be times where the ball is supposed to come out in 2.5 seconds but becomes a six-second scramble drill. In training camp, that’s magnified. Quarterbacks can’t be hit (at least, they’re not supposed to be and teammates get very mad when they are). They can run around for seconds and seconds waiting for an opener receiver. For the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, that means staying tight on your assignment in man or flowing to the ball in zone all the way through.
Over the first six Steelers practices, they’ve done that job well. Quantifying it is more difficult than say counting the number of running back screens. But there are examples from our daily notes that highlight it. Here’s a sampling from the first six practices.
“Nothing there for Kyle Allen, good overall defensive coverage, and he scrambles away to the right. Pittsburgh was trying their swing pass to the back in the left flat, but it was covered up.”
“Fields waits and waits and waits but there’s nothing there for him. Finally tucks and runs right side. Broderick Jones and Spencer Anderson out in front as a convoy, though this run was not by design. Really tight and plaster coverage from the secondary, and I think a lot of guys stayed in to block here.”
“Fields scrambles left and throws toward WR Van Jefferson, but the pass is out of reach and incomplete, Averett covering. Throw wasn’t really there, and it was pretty much of a throwaway.”
“Lee gets pressure on Allen, who simply throws the ball away with nothing available to him after scanning the field for several seconds.
“Justin Fields subs in. Nothing there on this pass attempt and he ends up chucking the football away.”
“Fields looks right. Nothing there. Looks left. Nothing there. Eventually scrambles to his left, eyes downfield, before throwing out of bounds in the general vicinity of Pickens. Kazee is on top of him, and the pass wasn’t meant to be a competitive one for Pickens to try to grab. Good plaster by the defense.”
That’s a unit accomplishment. Not just about one man, one unit. It’s a group doing their job. One guy fails, one guy gets lazy with his eyes or his legs, and the quarterback will find an open target. It’s one reason why Justin Fields has run so much. Electric as he is, Fields has had to scramble because nothing is there. And that’s a win for the defense. Anytime a defense in a practice scenario, with everything stacked against it (can’t touch the quarterback, usually can’t tackle, offense can run around all day and just try to make something happen), it’s a big win.
The Steelers’ 2024 schedule faces all kinds of mobile quarterbacks. The Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert in Week 3, the Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson twice this season. And no one is better at this stuff than than the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, who has dominated the Steelers (and most everyone else) to this point.
For Pittsburgh’s defense, facing a quarterback like Fields is a great primer for the regular season. Even Kyle Allen can move a little bit while John Rhys Plumlee is athletic. The landscape of playing inside a stadium instead of a practice field will be the true test but right now, Pittsburgh’s secondary is tight from start to finish.
