Good morning,
As most know, the Steelers have gone to a zone blocking scheme this year. I gave more details about that in this story in which I talked to Jack Bicknell Jr., the team’s new line coach last week:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/offensive-linemen-in-the-zone-697499/
If Todd Haley had his way, the offense would have used zone blocking in his first season as coordinator in 2012.
“I was excited about it last year, but for various reasons we just couldn’t get to a point where we could fully commit to it,’’ Haley told me. “We practiced it in the offseason. We really didn’t get to training camp, maybe a couple plays here and there.”
Haley did not go into details as to why they could not fully commit to it, but two possible reasons are that the players did not suit it and perhaps the line coach last year, Sean Kugler, either was lukewarm to it or not familiar enough with outside zone run-blocking to implement it.
“We just couldn’t get full commitment to it across the board,’’ Haley said.
As head coach in Kansas City in 2010, the Chiefs led the league in rushing with 164.2 yards rushing behind the outside zone run-blocking. Jamaal Charles rushed for 1,467 yards with a hefty 6.4-yard average per carry that season for the Chiefs. Pittsburgh native Bill Muir coached that line and at 70 is now retired.
Muir and Haley did not commit totally to the zone run-blocking, however, they still used some power blocking or double-team schemes Steelers fans are used to seeing. They will do that here as well.
“The year I was there, we ran the ball pretty good, but doing both,’’ Haley said. “We weren’t like the Texans, who are strictly an outside zone team. We had some diversity. We ran an inside gap scheme and outside zone.
“I think you have to do both. They compliment each other. And [the Steelers have] always been traditionally one of the best inside gap teams. That’s a strength. Last year, the only reason it wasn’t a strength is because that’s all we did and everybody in the building knew we were doing it. Then you better overmatch them and if you’re not overmatching them you’re not going to get what you want.”
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As the Wizard might say, pay no attention to that man behind the Steel Curtain depth chart. In normal times, it’s not precise, right now, it means less.
For years, Mike Tomlin would list Ike Taylor as his starting left cornerback and when they took the field for practice or games, Taylor would line up at right cornerback, unless his assignment that game was to cover a certain receiver wherever he lined up.
This week’s press release has, for example, Le’Veon Bell as the No. 5 running back. He will be No. 1 by Sept. 8, when they open for real against Tennessee. It also lists Matt Spaeth as the No. 1 tight end. David Paulson will have that role and probably has that job right now.
Al Woods, who has been working at nose tackle, is not listed there at all but rather as the backup defensive end.
Even though they have Bell listed behind all the veterans at running back, they did not give the veterans preference like that in other places. Jarvis Jones, for example, is listed as second-team right outside linebacker behind starter Jason Worilds, while second-year veteran Adrian Robinson is listed as No. 3.
Sometimes, Mike Tomlin tries to send a message with his public depth chart, such as last season when he listed both Mike Wallace/ Emmanuel Sanders at one starting wide receiver spot before their Dec. 2 game at Baltimore. The media dutifully jumped all over that.
That was one of the few times in which it truly was worth paying attention to the depth chart. But not today.
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--- The Steelers many minor injuries are truly minor compared to what’s going on around some other teams:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000227130/article/what-we-learned-tuesday-wr-carnage-continues?campaign=Ext_Email_1st10_20130807&;cvosrc=Ext_Email.Epsilon.1st10_20130807
First Published: April 6, 2016, 4:14 p.m.