It will forever confuse me why we telegraph we’re running so much by being in heavy sets when we do it. I get the first series not being in a spread set since you’re inside your 10 but the 2nd set of downs they should have tried to spread the field to give a better chance to find holes in the defense for big gains instead of this 2 yards and a cloud of dust crap
-Our first 5 runs were out of super tight, heavy sets, and it became evident what plays were runs most the rest of the game. They got to stop showing their hands here.
-Please use these heavy sets to set up one on ones for Pickens down the sideline, it’s literally embarrassing how much we run out of these
-At least this week it was 50/50 run or pass if Miles Boykin was in the game. As you recall from last week’s notes in the Vegas and Houston game it was 14/16 chance it was going to be a run with him in the game.

And we keep trying zone runs when our linemen aren’t that great at zone runs. We got power dudes that did really well with the traps last week. It’s embarrassing to not know your personnel. These zone runs at baltimore’s front is like trying to hammer a nail with your forehead.
-and I don’t hate the zone concept but you got to use the threat of a Kenny keeper once in a while. He just about always hands it off (I do remember some keepers previously but only a couple. And he was hurt last week so that adds another wrinkle to him not keeping it, but if that’s the case then you can use different run schemes and not run it into Balts strength?)

Pickens is incredible in what he does but he doesn’t sell the penalty enough, he gets held like crazy but because he’s so big and strong it doesn’t show so he doesn’t get the flags as much.
-it’s the same reason TE’s don’t get as many flags as smaller WRs

I still think we need a true nose
-I’m surprised we didn’t see Fehoko out there at all after we just activated him.
-Guys like Adams gives it his all (remember he’s a dawg) but just doesn’t have the anchor for the nose that we need for the stout run defense. Watching him get moved then Pierce for the Ravens muck things up on the opposite is as different as you can imagine. Like going from a rainbow after a fine mist to a mist of blood from an accidental knife juggling accident.

Mason Cole is just getting tossed by Pierce, even before I looked at this all-22 I was looking for draft eligible centers for next year. People seem to love that guy out of Georgia.
-Sadly he’s under contract next year for 6 mil, if we cut him we save 4 mil but I doubt we do
-Him getting blown up is why a lot of these zone runs aren’t working
-The more I watch Mason Cole try to block Pierce the more I want to punch my screen
-This battle might be the main reason our offense struggled so mightily
–Canada needs to recognize how bad Cole is and work a different offense against these monster DTs that beat this guy’s ass.
–For an example of a good system look at what Houston did with their much outmatched o-line
-Watching Warrens reps later in the game, Balt didn’t have pierce on the field and our best inside run came when 98 (Travis Jones) was nose/a-gap and Seumalo swallowed him up, Cole got to the LB and the run went crazy. Amazing what a good nose can do for a defense.
—next rep Jones destroyed Seumalo lol

Kenny throws almost everything to the outside part of the field. It’s insanity.
-like if the knock on the QB is a poor arm (which his arm seems to be fine) why aren’t you giving him shorter throws over the middle? Everything is a stop or streak. There’s no route concepts being thrown that I’d even be comfortable throw even in Madden

Watching Kenny throws then going to the next series of Lamar getting easy throws to the middle to get the ball out quick and beat the rush is something else. It’s like watching your crush with Tanner, your high school bully

With how bad Kazee is I’m surprised we don’t see Elijah Riley more. I know Kazee is a deep guy (even though Minkah should probably be back there more) but When Riley was on the field for a like 10 plays total a few weeks back in Cleveland he made some real nice plays.

Also Desmond King (former all-pro for the Chargers) played one defensive snap. It was the TD run in the first quarter, took a bad angle to the RB as the last line of defense. Didn’t see the field after that lol.
-still probably better than Kazee, don’t know if you can tell, I’m not a fan

I am also not a fan of Chandon Sullivan. I think our defense misses Cam Sutton who from all reports is killing it out there in Detroit. I wonder if Mike Tomlin who’s coached a ton of great nickels thinks he can do it with anyone. He’s got Ronde Barber, Mike Hilton, Sutton and others that have played great for him in that position.
-but man this guy is just burnt toast, Hope Desmond King or Elijah Riley step up and get more reps here soon
-He will lose us games, slot fades just destroy him. Once teams see this they will take advantage. Even Balt went back to it on the same drive and if not for Agholor’s drop Steelers fans would be way more aware of just how bad this dude is.

Once again, I am Keeanu Benton’s #1 fan.

I’m starting to like Holcomb more. He still gets beat from time to time but overall I think he’s a very solid contributor at the MLB spot. Probably the best MLB we’ve had since Shaz (that’s not saying much)
-I do want to see the young Robinson a little more. He’s only gotten 4 snaps this season.

There was a Jet touch pass run near the goal line by the Ravens, last week against the Texans these plays destroyed us because Highsmith/Watt got hooked and they got the edge. This time Highsmith fought a double team and was able to make it into only a minimal gain vs. the huge ones the Texans did. I’ve got to wonder if the Ravens running it to the short side of the field hurt them here. Seems like you want more field with this kind of thing not less?

George Pickens is insane. That’s the whole note.
-as a blocker I watched one play where he knocked over the corner then had a crazy good block against the safety. He was pumped afterwards, and so was I lol

Sucks the all-22 doesn’t have play clock, quarter, down/distance cause I want to know how late into the 2nd quarter our first spread set run was.
-I’m also not seeing mesh routes CANADA

I just compared screenshots of a shotgun run vs. pass and it was amazing, almost all our o-linemen had like picture perfect exact same stances except RT Chucks Okorafor. His right foot was further back on the pass.

Just watched a badass rep from Broderek Jones, He put Clowney into the dirt, Kenny had tons of time and completed a nice 15 yard gain.

Just saw MESH on 3rd and 8! It was against zone so the mesh stopped and Kenny eventually found him for an easy 14 yard gain!

Ravens did a ton of holding down the field, along with PI, surprised no flags. Shouldn’t complain as refs are inconsistent every game. (Steelers also hold down field lol)
-Cheap shot on Calvin Austin was dirty Balt

Too many of these stick plays against cover 2. Need more 4 verts. If you took a shot every time the Steelers ran some sort of stick play you wouldn’t be reading this right now, you’d be dead from alcohol poisoning

I love Elandon Roberts against the run, dude is a straight dawg

I like how they’re moving the pocket for Kenny, I don’t like how the route combos are getting bagged, cause they’re the same ones. And they’re mostly going left against his arm vs. right, the way of his power
-Also Kenny needs to get his eyes back to the middle of the field more on these, he’s leaving a lot of nice yardage out there

They just ran a swing screen and it died because Darnell Washington couldn’t land his block in space. I thought he was going to be such a good blocker, he’s been a bit of a disappointment in the regular season. Still a rook, hopefully he’ll get better.
-they also put him on the same routes they put Muth on, they need to tailor them to his skills, routes without sharp breaks. High point streaks, maybe some drags, etc.

Steelers look lost against man coverage to frequently. Unlike a good O that calls plays with built in man and zone beaters, steelers look to call one or the other

I rewatched TJ Watt punch Zay Flowers like 10 times, it never got less funny. Welcome to the NFL rook

I don’t know what’s wrong with Minkah Fitzpatrick in under zones, dude looks like he locks eyes with the QB and doesn’t look for work, i.e. doesn’t look for the nearest WR when he’s in an under zone. Noticed it on a big play against the Texans, see it again on one of the 3rd and long conversions the Ravens had at the end of the 2nd quarter. Maybe he just expects the pass rush to win after a few seconds? Either way Minkah needs to start to look for work while he’s in zone and not be a traffic cone.
-He might be used to playing like that as a deep third and hasn’t converted the process in under zones?

I will say a big positive is our ability to run the ball for any sort of forward progress when it’s super easy to see based on formation and pre-snap movement that we’re running the ball.
-I’d like to see the stats on our success running the ball left vs. right. Broderick Jones played well
-TE Washington is a much better in-line blocker than in space but yeah that man is not NFL ready, bad missed block not only the early one in space but first play after the JPJ pick he got made a fool of

Ooh! We ran another mesh, this time Jones got beat inside for the only pass rush pressure of the game he let up, Kenny was able to roll out the pocket though and hit the shallow crosser for a gain. Success even with a blown block! Wow almost like this is what a good offense can do!
-I will say this mesh was RB release mesh vs. 2 WRs/TEs but it still sorta counts! (cause it fits my narrative)

I don’t know if they have the check but when Pickett sees man press he should tell his dudes to get in a stacked formation. I’m watching a 3rd and long with Balt showing pressure and man pressure and one high. Outside of the Amazing Pickens (leave him on his own, dudes a stud) but the other WRs might be better suited to stacked formations or short motion to get free releases

Markus Golden is really solid don’t get me wrong but I was hoping Herbig would get a few more reps at edge. TJ and Highsmith are really getting a ton of reps. And obviously the coaches know more than I do about fatigue levels but when you have the depth of quality the Steelers do I feel like they should use it a bit more.
-I wonder if they could implement some sort of all edge package as a 3rd and long thing, move TJ Watt/Highsmith over the interior as we’ve seen them do like twice this season

I tweeted this but it needs to be said, please cut Gunner. If the Steelers don’t do this I suggest a group of fans get together every game to Naruto run the sidelines to steal his helmet. They can’t catch us all!

Just watched a play action out of shotgun with a professional streak corner dot to Pickens. Wow now this is Pod-Racing! (a professional offense)
-crazy how good the blocking was when the defense was unsure of the play call
–sadly it’s still shotgun so the defense should have figured it was a pass

I just watched the “go be a family man” rep like 10 times. JPJ played that literally perfect.
Steelers do have a separation problem with their WRs not named Pickens. Hope when Tae gets back that remedies it a little. Also got to hope Calvin Austin is okay and keeps improving.

On Highsmith’s forced fumble at the end of the game, TJ Watt got tripled teamed with the TE, RB and Right Tackle, left Highsmith on an island and he made them pay
-I mean this pass rush is absolutely crazy, Baltimore could only send 3 guys out on routes when they needed to make all those deep throws. 7 Guys to cover 3 is good math.