Mike Tomlin took plenty of heat for his decision to use shotgun on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ failed 4th and one late in the first quarter. Ben Roethlisberger wonders if the Steelers’ continued issues snapping the football are the reason why. Reflecting on Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game Roethlisberger attended, he wondered why the team had so many problems with football’s most fundamental aspect.
“You know what can’t happen anymore? We can’t have center/quarterback exchange issues,” Roethlisberger told co-hosts Spencer and Jerrad. “We can’t have guys stepping on his feet, him bobbling the ball. I feel like they’re afraid to go under center because they don’t trust the center/quarterback exchange. We went for it on fourth down. We’re in the gun.”
After a run by Najee Harris fell short and Mike Tomlin opted against challenging, the Steelers got aggressive and went for it on 4th and a half-yard from their 39 late in the first quarter. Instead of a conventional quarterback sneak, the team worked out of shotgun with a split backfield and sixth offensive lineman. The play was a disaster with multiple blocks missed and QB Justin Fields being stuffed nowhere close to the marker.
Pittsburgh’s snapping issues have been a theme since the preseason opener. In their seven games since August, they’ve had eight snap/exchange issues, be it muffed snaps that hit the ground, the quarterback getting his foot stepped on as he’s getting away from center, or the ball being snapped when the quarterback wasn’t expecting it. Two of those problems occurred yesterday with the latter error proving costly and ending the chance at a comeback bid.
Whatever the reason, Roethlisberger says it must be corrected, not just in Tomlin talking about it but in the way the team practices going forward.
“Are we afraid to get under center because we’re afraid of the C/Q exchange? If the answer is yes, I don’t disagree. Because we’ve had so many. He got his foot stepped on the first or second play and almost fumbled the ball. You can’t have center/quarterback exchange issues at this point of the season.
“They should go out before practice and do 15 under center, 15 in the gun. And you know what you do, you don’t just tell them to snap it. I want you to snap and reach. On this play, pretend it’s this play. Now I want you to snap five where you’re going this way, and you’re pretending it’s this play.”
Here’s a look at the issues from yesterday’s game. The first nearly resulted in a fumble and a broken run play, while the second lost 12 yards and destroyed the momentum Pittsburgh was building, 20 yards away from field goal range.
Center/quarterback exchanges are part of the Steelers’ daily routine. But to Roethlisberger’s point, in training camp, they didn’t practice carrying out the fake. Quarterbacks would get under center and take the snap—rinse, repeat. Often, these issues aren’t about the mere snap itself, but the center and quarterback stepping off it, especially in a more zone-heavy scheme like Pittsburgh runs under Arthur Smith.
For a smash mouth team like what Pittsburgh wants to be, working under center is key. It helps utilize their play-action game, bootlegs, and shot plays, the latter of which has been ineffective this season despite the noticeable increase in play-action overall. Yesterday’s loss was a reminder to get back to basics. Intercept the pass that hits your hands. Make the tackle. Be assignment sound. Don’t fumble the ball. And don’t let ‘Football 101’ things like snapping the football cost you the chance to win the game.
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