Ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin made it a point of emphasis to introduce Nick Herbig as the “12th starter” to show how big a part of the Steelers’ defense the third-year OLB has become.
Four days later against the Cincinnati Bengals, Herbig disappeared.
He played just 29 snaps in the Steelers’ 33-31 loss on Thursday Night Football, and Bengals QB Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards while facing very little pressure.
Tomlin stated Tuesday that Herbig’s lack of playing time wasn’t anything to read into, other than game situation with the Steelers struggling to stop the run. He added that people need to just “keep watching” because Herbig is going to have a role moving forward.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin doubled down on Tomlin’s explanation Thursday, though he acknowledged that he has to do a better job of getting Herbig more playing time, something he vowed to do just a few weeks ago and then underdelivered.
“Yeah, I think in that situation, Mike is right. We thought we would have in that regard more situational things for him to really rush and get after the passer,” Austin said of Herbig, according to the official transcript provided by the team. “Again, we do have to explore getting him in there more. That’s just sometimes that happens during the course of the game. Kind of get thrown a loop and as you work through and work to the game, our biggest emphasis on game day is trying to win the game. Not determining how many plays a guy plays.
“So, we did that, and we’ll go back and look at it and see if he, next time maybe do a better job of that.”
Both Tomlin and Austin’s comments about game situation dictating Herbig’s playing time are understandable, at least on the surface. Alex Highsmith is a better run defender than Herbig, and the Steelers struggled to stop the run against the Bengals.
But it’s much deeper than that, as Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora laid out.Â
Herbig played just 22 snaps on 52 Bengals drop backs, and that led to 19 pass-rush attempts in which he generated just two pressures. As Kozora noted, Herbig played just six fourth-quarter snaps and didn’t see the field on the Bengals’ game-winning drive.
In a situation where the Bengals were very clearly going to throw the ball, you don’t have one of your best pass rushers on the field. That’s unacceptable, regardless of explanation.
So yes, the Steelers — especially Austin — need to do a better job of getting their best players on the field and in advantageous positions. That includes Herbig, who has earned the right to play and try to make an impact.
The Steelers have stated time and time again that they have a plan, but that plan became hard to execute in Cincinnati, especially with three outside linebackers who are deserving of being on the field. They have to figure it out — and fast.
