Sorry for not posting this during the week after it happened, here were my notes from that week.

What a bad loss, it’s not like they looked any different than any other week this year, it’s just that Dak completed the pass on 4th so the Steelers lost.

Dallas ran 75 plays, Steelers ran 57. Even though the Steelers won the turnover battle 3-1.
-3rd down conversions, Dallas was 9-15, Steelers were 3-12.
-That was the game. The Steelers defense was more gassed, their offense couldn’t sustain drives.

We all know the Steelers have an offensive problem, I’d say 40% the players, 60% the scheme. But their defensive problems are starting to show up, it seems like they aren’t communicating well and a too many missed assignments has them looking like a high school team at times.

It all boils down to Patrick Queen. He’s the “green dot” on the defense and if the defense can’t communicate it comes down to their leaders. If you’ve been reading the blog you know how poor he has been against the run. He also hasn’t distinguished himself against the pass in any capacity. And no we fully see his lack of communication (not all his fault to be fair) but overall what is this guy’s worth? If Roberts could handle it I think he’d be a far superior every down MLB because even though he is bad in the pass game, at least he can fill a hole like a mad man (as we all saw on the goal line fumble)

But there needs to be changes, more work on communication and checks.

Also, why does it seem the Steelers defense is easy to read? The give away what they’re doing too much. Like whenever it’s cover 3, they have the corners backed off. Why don’t they ever mix in press cover 3 like the Seahawks were so good at doing in the early 2010s. Whenever the Steelers are pressed it’s either man or cover 2. We saw Dak take advantage of this multiple times with explosive plays during the game.
-if you know pre-snap where the holes are going to be, it’s an easy game.

I’ll say this AGAIN, if I never see a toss to Najee again it’ll be too soon. DOES ARTHUR SMITH NOT KNOW THE STRENGTH OF HIS TEAM?

Why isn’t George Pickens out on the field more. This is so strange.

Why are we in so many heavy sets? Does Tomlin require this package when taking the OC job? Why is this two years in a row of seeing the steelers trying to line up and run at a stacked box and going nowhere but they keep doing it? This isn’t how effective football is played good sirs.

The best heavy set users in the NFL right now are the Shannahan style schemes, but they use a ton of full backs. The Steelers have Connor Heyward, and we did see him a few times here but he isn’t a true fullback. Why are they doing this heavy TE stuff that we see fail over and over.

AND not having Pickens on the field means you aren’t keeping the defense respectful of the deep shot.

I will say there are some good things in the o gameplan, like the fullback leak that Fields and Connor just missed early in the game. So it’s not AS bad as Canada, but man there still the same major issues. Canada likes jet sweeps, Smith likes Tosses. Both ineffective outside runs when run over and over but solid when mixed it. But they both spam it.

Seumalo had a rough 1st game back. But he had a rough 1st game last year against the niners before he settled in. Broderick Jones kinda sucks still.
-Watching more, Jones REALLY sucks

Tomlin’s still a coward for not going for it more on 4th down in enemy territory.

I like the QB designed runs…until Arthur called them a couple times too many and Fields got hit really hard a couple times.

All last week against the Colts they chipped TJ every play. So what did the Steelers do the first couple of plays? They dropped TJ first play, moved him over the middle of the D the second then from there on it they didn’t do anything else with him. He looked uncomfortable over the middle rush.
-which is why I suggest to take care of the chip advantage by not moving TJ but to blitz behind him, or use him once in a while to man up on the chip guy and send pressure from the other way. Mix it up but a solid blitzer outside of TJ (or inside) will cause havok. I think I’ve only see them do this once all year and it resulted in a free rusher. DO IT UNTIL THEY ADJUST.
-Vikings send someone b/c gap every play it feels like and people call them geniuses. That could be us.

The Fields experience is so interesting. Because people love him for the plays he makes. But he leaves a lot on the bone as far as the pass game. For example early in the game Darnell Washington had his guy beat and it was a touchdown. But Fields throws a bullet and it goes well over his head (which is hard since he’s 6’7 lol) but if he just floated it with touch it was 6 points.

From what I see overall
Dan Moore – good in the pass game, bad in the run game
Seumalu – good in the run game, bad in the pass game
Frazier – good in both
McCormick – good in both (so far from what I’ve seen)
Broderick Jones – bad in the run game, okay in the pass game

Remember when Jones was a beast in the run game last year? Almost like he was good in a certain scheme (just like our RB)

You know how the o-line “isn’t blocking well” well as you know it’s hard to block when you’re outnumbered. Please Arthur, please. Stop with these tight tight end sets that are easy to stop since the defense is packing the box too.
-sorry for mentioning this over and over. I just see it on film over and over.
-obligatory mention that Najee isn’t built to run this way. He’s got no patience.

Fields keeps fumbling and it’s pissing me off. Steelers fans really thought he was past it because he didn’t fumble in the first few games.
-he also looks dreadful under the blitz

I don’t know what was said to Pickens but Tomlin clearly hit the wrong button coaching this week, dude just jogged and half assed the whole game.
-Tomlin said in the post game pressor that it was “fatigue management” for why he didn’t play as many snaps this week. Awful to have Van Jefferson out there more than him.

Beanie Bishop was picked on a lot in this game. He’s an undrafted rookie, it makes sense. Hope he cleans this up. Cam Sutton comes back week 10, we’ll see if he can play.

Terrell Edmunds wasn’t great either (but didn’t play a whole lot.) There’s a reason a couple other teams offloaded him.

Joey Porter Jr. and I noticed quite a few others were going for punch outs. Only problem is the 2nd year guy should know if you’re first to the ball carrier you wrap up, you don’t go for the punch, that’s the 2nd guy’s job.
-dude might break his hand trying this, hopefully coaches fix this with him this week.

BTW if Herbig and Highsmith are out, the Steelers are kinda eff’d lol. Leal is a major disappointment and not great and Moon looked worse.

We all know what Roberts did on the goal line, but I just watched a play at :48 seconds left in the 1st quarter where he just put his shoulder into the chest of the Cowboys left tackle (when the left tackle was a max speed on a pull) and messed him up. One of the most impactful collisions I’ve seen in my life.

Steelers got to play more match/man. This drop zone stuff got them torn up. (they need to mix in all of it)
-to be fair I know they had communication issues with match in the game
-but there are plenty of options Dak had this game to find open WRs (not just the ones he targeted for 350+ yards)

On that cover 2 down the sideline that went for like 50 yards, first, Terrell Edmunds got beat at the snap because him and Minkah were communicating at the snap. So Minkah had to cover the middle kinda hard. AND then the outside corner Donte Jackson got a slight jam but the jam was an outside release. Correct me if I’m wrong in a cover 2 you want to force them inside so the sideline shot isn’t as easy right?
-I did see JPJ destroy Lamb on his jam on this play and it was outside too. Must be the coaching.