Veterans like Mike Tomlin and Russell Wilson know not to reveal their secrets. A rookie like Zach Frazier, impressive as he’s been, has something to learn. While Tomlin and Wilson played coy to whether or not they were going to go for it on the final 4th and 1 that drew Washington offsides, Frazier said it was offsides or punt. There was no play called.
“All we were doing was breaking the huddle and then trying to sell, like we were going to sneak it,” Frazier told reporters after the Steelers’ 28-27 win over the Commanders via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “So broke the huddle. Everyone just sprinted to the ball, kind of acted like we were going to sneak it. And Russ got him with the hard count.”
Fellow rookie Mason McCormick told The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo the same.
First, a rookie lesson. Saying less is more. But for us on the outside, it’s useful information. Frankly, it would’ve been more surprising to know the Steelers intended to go for it. A failed conversion would’ve given Washington the ball on its own 49 with just over a minute remaining and needing only a field goal to win.
Had Wilson’s hard count not worked, the Steelers would’ve accepted the five-yard penalty or taken a timeout before punting the ball, trusting their defense to yet again make a play in the final minute. But Wilson’s excellent use of cadence, even while on the road, got Commanders rookie DT Johnny Newton to jump offsides, giving the Steelers five yards and the first down. A classic moment of a veteran besting a rookie.
Wilson’s cadence is one of the first things we noted about him way back in training camp. Getting reps late in training camp, it was clear which quarterback was in the game by hearing them alone. Wilson’s voice is loud and in command, strong enough to get anxious players trying to time the snap to jump.
Here’s what we wrote about it on Day 5 of practice.
“One note on Russell Wilson. His cadence is loud. Can audibly here it more than the other three quarterbacks.”
While Frazier and McCormick will learn the art of not spilling the beans, their answers aren’t terribly surprising. Even for as aggressive as Tomlin was throughout the game, going for it in that moment would’ve been a bridge too far. But the decision to send the offense out and attempt the hard count was an excellent one and ended the game right there instead of asking the Steelers’ defense to make one more stop.
