There was a lot of pressure on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line going into this season. It’s a young group, but with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they need to mature and jell quickly. To start the season, they weren’t doing too hot. However, in Week 4, that unit had its best performance yet. They protected Aaron Rodgers well and created holes in the run game. Despite that, they weren’t perfect. Zach Frazier had a few issues with low snaps throughout the game. Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer is aware of that, but he’s not too worried.
“We tell him, it’s gotta be better,” Meyer said Tuesday via audio provided by the team. “It’s something we do a million times, tens of thousands of reps of doing it. He’s probably just overthinking it, like ‘When I snap the ball, here’s what I’m gonna do. Here’s how I’m gonna hit this. Here’s how I’m gonna throw my hand.’ It’ll be a minor adjustment. It won’t be an issue for him.”
This isn’t the first time Frazier has had issues snapping the ball. Last year, he had issues with quarterback-center exchanges, but he eventually fixed that.
This year, Frazier experienced some growing pains with Rodgers coming in at quarterback. In training camp, the two of them had issues getting on the same page. However, it seemed like they quickly developed a good relationship once they got more familiar with each other.
Now, Frazier is having issues snapping the ball again. He had a few low snaps against the Vikings. While Rodgers was able to corral them, Meyer knows that can’t continue because of the Steelers’ offensive style.
“It’s non-negotiable. That snap has to be there in the gun. It’s gotta be consistent, and it’s gotta be 100-percent, not 99-percent. Again, it’s non-negotiable. It’s gotta get done the right way.
“He’ll fix it. He’s a football guy, he loves it, and he understands the consequences when something like that happens, and the quarterback’s gotta bend down and his eyes off the secondary, and it just messes up the time and spots. I don’t expect it to continue at all.”
The Steelers’ offense has thrived in the quick passing game this year. However, a lot of that depends on timing. Like Meyer says, those low snaps can kill a play before it begins. They instantly throw off the timing, forcing Rodgers to improvise more to get the ball away.
Also, the quick passing game helps the Steelers’ young offensive line keep Rodgers clean. They haven’t been perfect in pass protection. At 41 years old, Rodgers’ durability shouldn’t be tested. Having him get the ball out of his hands quickly is a good way to cover up the Steelers’ offensive line’s weaknesses.
Therefore, Frazier’s low snaps cause a lot of issues. He had a solid rookie season, and he’s got great potential. Meyer isn’t worried about him getting that fixed, though. With the Steelers on their bye week, Frazier has the perfect opportunity to clean up his game. He’s still a valuable piece of their offense.
