Mike Tomlin emphasized the lack of splash plays on defense in Miami, but it's the offensive players who are now, seemingly in unison, stressing the need for splash on their side of the ball.
The Steelers' first day of practice, Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, in preparation for the game Sunday in Philadelphia revealed that Chase Claypool's postgame interview in Miami wasn't just a madman's rant. In fact, this offense collectively yearns for bigger plays -- so much so, you might think the players rehearsed their answers before we even stepped into the locker room.
In case you need a refresher, Claypool was asked if the offense needed to strive for more chunk plays, and he responded with brutal honesty: "It's a little harder to score when it's, like, a 10-15 play drive, because everything has to go right. If you're nickel-and-diming, you get 5 yards a play, which is fine for time of possession, but sometimes we just want to go score now."
Fast forward just three days, and Kenny Pickett echoed a sentiment so strikingly familiar, it's borderline plagiarism.
"When you’ve got 14-play drives, 11-play drives, to go all the way down and score without a false start, without something that sets you back, like we saw that happen to us, it makes it hard," Pickett said. "The splash plays shorten drives up and give us better opportunities. Guys are fresh. Overall, I think you see more production out of the offense when you have splash plays and points are going to be put up on the board. It’s something that we need to get right."
One area where Claypool and Pickett veered in their philosophies is how to create those chunk or splash plays. Claypool stressed needing to give he, George Pickens and Diontae Johnson more "go balls."
However, the Steelers' rookie quarterback provided another avenue the Steelers might navigate to open things up on offense.
"I think giving guys balls on the run where they can run after catch and get good opportunities there. It’s not just about throwing it deep," Pickett said. "Sometimes, in the NFL, we’ve got to scheme the deep balls; you’re not going to just run by some of these guys. If they’re playing soft coverage, you can’t do it. You get guys the ball on the run, let our athletes be athletes and get them in space. That’s another way we can get some of the splash plays. So, there’s different ways to do it. We’re working hard at it."
When I pointed out the Steelers' abysmal route trees a couple days ago, I not only exposed the lack of routes in the middle of the field for the wideouts, but showed what a guy like Johnson can do when given the ball in stride.
I urge you to go read it (in case you haven't already).
Here's the play from Johnson that shows what he can do when he catches the ball on the run:
Despite catching the ball a yard and a half beyond the line of scrimmage, it resulted in a 14-yard gain and a first down in a critical moment of the game.
I approached Johnson about this particular play Wednesday, asking if he wants to run routes like this more often.
"For sure," Johnson told me. "Most of the time when I get put in those situations, I can show what I can do with the ball in my hands. I know what I'm capable of doing out there on the field. I want to be able to put that on film more."
Then the conversation took a turn.
Johnson: "I know I haven't been able to show that lately..."
Me: "There have been a lot of curls."
Johnson: "Yeah. It's been a lot of stuff the defense has been throwing at us, and a lot of stuff I can't control when the defense tries to take you out of the game. But, whenever the ball comes my way, that's what I want to be able to show -- that I can get the yards after catch."
It sure is difficult to get yards after the catch when the vast majority of the targets come on curls and comebacks.
NFL NEXT GEN STATS
The players aren't coming out and saying it, but their open and collective critiquing of the offense says everything you need to know. Matt Canada's offense ranks near the bottom of the league in far too many categories. Players are frustrated. As Claypool said Sunday, they don't want to be "getting close" to hitting their stride as an offense.
"I think if we're close," Claypool said, "we have to get there next week."
Next week, the Steelers take on the undefeated Eagles, and in city where they haven't won since Oct. 24, 1965.
Unless Canada can get his offense to take a massive stride forward, his ears will continue to burn and his seat will only get hotter.
MORE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE
• Johnson didn't get a chance to address the final interception at the end of the game in Miami until he spoke with the media Wednesday. He was unsurprisingly open about it, and just as Pickett refuses to cast blame on Johnson, the Steelers' receiver returned the favor.
"Just trying to make a play. It was really nothing he did," Johnson said. "He's still learning. We've just gotta get on the same page. It's nothing he did wrong. We're both trying to make a play. The play broke down. He was trying to scramble. He was trying to throw the ball out of bounds and a guy made a play on the ball."
• After years of watching Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown have impeccable chemistry when a play breaks down, it takes others time to figure that out. Pickett has only started three NFL games, but the duo are working to improve that chemistry.
"More repetitions. It starts at practice. I believe that carries over to the game as well," Johnson said. "We've gotta get more repetitions at practice this week. If another play like that happens in a game, hopefully we're on the same page."
• Just to be completely clear on the push for more "go balls," Johnson is also in favor of testing the opposing secondary.
"We want to go down the field more. I believe we’re going to go down the field more this week, and hopefully for the rest of the season," Johnson said. "We’ve got the guys that can make the plays downfield. We've just gotta throw it up and give us a chance. We're going to see this week."
• Johnson was also asked Wednesday about the level confidence he has in the plays that are being called.
"You have to always have confidence. Stuff may not go your way, but you still have to have confidence and faith. Just try to have good energy," Johnson said. "Stuff's not going our way. Our record isn't good. You can't look at the bad. Just gotta focus on what matters, and the things that can help us get going in the right direction."
• In last week's Friday Insider, I wrote about how Johnson's honesty has molded him more into a leader this season. He knew that was going to happen not only as the longest-tenured receiver on the team, but as a guy who just got his first big contract in the NFL.
When asked about is he's been frustrated about his own performance this season, he immediately defaulted to leadership mode.
"I can't be frustrated. Kenny's still learning. Everybody's still trying to get a feel for each other; still trying to get the rhythm going," Johnson said. "I'm not using that as an excuse. We're just trying to do whatever we can to turn this around. I can't be frustrated. I have to be the example of the group, continue to lead and act like nothing is wrong. At the end of the day, stuff can go our way. You never know when the tables are going to turn. I'm trying to keep a positive mindset through this whole season. It's tough."
• One bright spot on the offense has been the offensive line's pass protection. They've consistently been graded well on Pro Football Focus, and while they've technically allowed 15 sacks this season, several of those have been pinned on the quarterback.
Even so, James Daniels gave some credit to Pickett for getting rid of the ball quickly, which has helped the line's ability to pass protect.
"Kenny has done a really good job getting the ball out on time," Daniels said. "For example, there's a play where I got beat on Sunday and Kenny (already) got the ball out. It looks good just because he got the ball out. If he has to hold the ball, that's a sack. Kenny's done a really good job getting the ball out on time."
• In some very positive news, T.J. Watt officially returned to practice Wednesday, kickstarting his 21-day clock to be activated to the 53-man roster. He wasn't in pads during the fully-padded practice, so don't expect him to suit up this Sunday in Philadelphia. But, his return to the practice field is a huge boost to a defense that needs its pass rush back.
• On the other hand, Calvin Austin's 21-day clock expired Wednesday, meaning he will miss the remainder of the season. What was initially thought to be a somewhat minor foot injury ended up derailing him for the season before it even had a chance to take off. Tough break for a hungry guy.
• Steven Sims (hamstring) was back at practice Wednesday, and participated in a limited capacity. He told me he didn't want to push it too hard with it being his first day back from his hamstring injury, but he said he felt good coming out of the day's work. Pat Freiermuth (ankle) was also limited in practice while Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) was a full participant.
Josh Jackson (groin), Levi Wallace (shoulder), Montravius Adams (hamstring) and Larry Ogunjobi (knee) did not practice Wednesday, so that'll be a group to watch closely Thursday and Friday.
