The Pittsburgh Steelers started building teams around a great defense and a ball control punishing offense in 1969 under Chuck Noll. The blueprint has been in place for a long time and except for a brief dalliance during the second half of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, the Steelers have stuck to it. The Super Bowl illustrated that Pittsburgh might need a new plan on offense, but depending on the competition committee’s reaction maybe it isn't the one you think.
Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Ben Roethlisberger (7)
The Philadelphia Eagles held the ball for 36 minutes and nearly pulled off the win against the Kansas City Chiefs. They were aggressive on first and second down which allowed them to get into third and fourth downs that required a yard or less. From there they got into a rugby-like formation and pushed Jalen Hurts for a first down repeatedly. They took advantage of a loophole all season long that made it almost impossible to stop in short yardage.
Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin are not the first names that spring to mind when you think of offensive gurus, but an opportunity is lurking. Assuming Bill Belichick doesn’t beat them to the punch, and the NFL does not change the rule, Canada and Tomlin could turn NFL games into fights in a phone booth. The Steelers have always liked power football so why not exploit this formation on first down, heck every down?
Sounds like it is a bridge too far, right? Kenny Pickett has concussion issues already, and running repeated quarterback sneaks is a bad idea, right? Pickett has indeed demonstrated that he is a gifted runner, but the Steelers shouldn’t want him seeking contact in the running game. After all, they are going to need him to throw a few passes even if the league approved offensive strategy works to perfection.
CREDIT | GETTY IMAGES Joe Sargent
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris carries the football.
Pittsburgh has an advantage that only the Tennessee Titans currently possess on their roster. The Steelers have one of the two best big running backs in the league with Najee Harris, and he loves contact. If the NFL is going to allow this type of football the Steelers should lean into it.
Harris is an excellent ball handler and has only fumbled once in his NFL career. He could easily learn to take a snap from center and the Steelers could turn this formation into an absurd advantage. Defensive units in the modern NFL are not built for short yardage and if Hurts can consistently get two yards on that play, why couldn’t Harris at twice the size get 3 or maybe even 4 on the same play? The Eagles proved that NFL teams aren’t ready for it, and they don’t have the personnel to combat it.
Jumbo personnel versus defenses that are designed to stop modern NFL passing attacks is a mismatch and just waiting for someone to abuse them. The Eagles converted an absurd 89% on the push plays this season and abusing this rule even more, will draw white-hot hate from the league office.
Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (@JSKO_Photo Twitter)
Steelers Kenny Pickett (8) scrambles away from pressure
The NFL constantly changes the rules on pass defense making it almost impossible for defenses to be effective in today’s game. Defensive backs can’t touch receivers in press coverage and when they do catch the balls you can’t punish them across the middle. Headhunting needed to be brought under control, but it has evolved to any hard hit is a penalty. Until recently you could pressure quarterbacks into mistakes, but now even if you tackle the quarterback with perfection, you can still be flagged. The NFL has not and will not do defensive teams like the Steelers any favors so maybe it is time for a little payback.
Exploiting the silly rule that has been on the books since 2005 is the perfect way to give the NFL exactly what it deserves and if the Steelers do not do it, somebody will. High-flying offenses would be grounded as drives in this formation might take up the entire half. Quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Josh Allen would stand on the sideline powerless as teams could hold the ball for 40-45 minutes and the fantasy football crowd would lose their minds. The NFL is a copycat league, and the Eagles were devastatingly effective from the formation.
Steelers Could Make Matt Canada Seem Brilliant
Canada could be hailed as the offensive innovator he currently is not by implementing a ridiculous wrinkle that even the founders of the NFL saw fit to outlaw. The NFL loves giving advantages to offensive units, but if they are blind to the consequences of outlawing this strategy then they get what they deserve. If they want to embrace Rugby, the Steelers should serve them a heaping helping of biscuits along with the kettle of tea.
What do you think Steeler Nation? If the NFL decides not to change the rule about pushing ball carries should the Steelers lean into it as a strategy? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
