The Pittsburgh Steelers went into their bye week with a 3-2 record, but there was plenty of work for Mike Tomlin and his staff to do. The No. 1 thing on their to-do list is figuring out how to get the offense on track.
The Steelers have a winning record in large part because of their defensive performance. In their victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, they came from behind in the fourth quarter gaining negative yards on offense. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, they had less than 300 yards of total offense.
Tomlin is proving once again why he is one of the best coaches in the business. But, life would be much easier for him if the offense were able to get on track. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada has received the brunt of the blame, and rightfully so, as his schemes and game plans just haven’t worked.
Without a change being made to the coaching staff, adjustments need to be made on the field. The Steelers aren’t struggling because of a lack of talent; there are a lot of good players on that offense. A few tweaks should help them get on track.
The biggest issue that has plagued them is slow starts. Unless the defense is playing lights out, which they have most of the season, Pittsburgh finds themselves in early holes. This isn’t an offense built for big comebacks, so getting off to faster starts is a must.
How can they do that? Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a fan chat where numerous questions were asked. One was about the backfield, which is where he believes a change can be made to avoid slow starts.
“I would use Warren earlier in games because he can provide explosive plays and help the offense overcome their slow starts. If the defense is playing well, they’ll get leads and then they can use Harris as a hammer later in games to wear defenses down. I’m not sure the touches would be all that different.”
The running game has been abysmal for the most part in Pittsburgh this season. Some of that is on the players, as the Steelers are ranked 22nd in run-blocking grade per PFF. Better execution on blocking would certainly lead to better results on the ground. Getting first-round pick Broderick Jones into the lineup permanently would aid in improving in the trenches.
The team has managed only five through five games and none have come on the ground by running backs. Another person asked Fittipaldo what the key to the Steelers scoring multiple offensive touchdowns in a game is and he once again mentioned the backfield.
“Feed Warren more. Lean into the running game earlier in games [with Warren],” Fittipaldo said.
Harris actually has more big-play rushes than Warren this season, going for 10+ yards six times compared to four for his backfield mate. All six of those designed rushing attempts have gone for 15+ yards for Harris, while Warren has only two as well.
Something certainly has to be done to get the Steelers on track early in games. Switching up when the running backs are deployed would be an intriguing tactic as Warren is the superior receiving back at this point. His presence could help Kenny Pickett get into a rhythm earlier in games, leading to more success for the team.
