Welcome again to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As all the time, we’re right here for the subsequent hour to reply no matter is in your thoughts.
To your questions!
Jake Marion:When George Pickens & Mike Williams are on the sector collectively, what place do you count on them to take (X,Y,Z)?
Alex: These strains have positively blurred since Antonio Brown’s commerce. When he was the X and everybody else labored round that. Pickens will usually now align bottom, which makes him the X, to try to see if groups are rolling protection his approach or singling him up. Helps the offense know what protection the protection is enjoying. However he performs all lover. As can Williams.
Williams has truly been within the slot greater than folks assume. And he has some sneaky worth as a giant slot over the center. A number of of his catches with the Jets (and he solely had 12 of them) got here that approach, together with one towards the Steelers. I don’t assume Williams can actually run anymore so the dimensions mismatch over the center might be on the desk.
To attempt to give a solution, Pickens is extra X and Williams extra Z however offenses are so a number of and versatile it’s arduous to neatly put gamers in these buckets anymore.
Marcel Chris Chauvet: Alex, what’s the one actually out of the field commerce you wouldn’t thoughts seeing the Steelers make?
Alex: I didn’t actually have one, particularly on the deadline. I used to be all for making a giant swing at large receiver like Brandon Aiyuk or Davante Adams. However when it comes to stuff that hadn’t been talked about…I didn’t spend a lot time fascinated by it or actually wishing for one thing.
Danatural08: Alex, do you personally have any asperations of working for a NFL Entrance Workplace? Additionally, did you play soccer & in that case, at what age?
Alex: I honestly hadn’t spent a lot time specializing in it however no, probably not. Nothing I plan on pursuing. I’m pleased right here working with Dave and the crew and build up the positioning. And that’s all I take into consideration. How one can enhance the positioning and the reader expertise.
Didn’t play soccer, except YMCA flag soccer counts (it doesn’t). However I’m actually doing what I did rising up. In center faculty/highschool, I’d tape Steelers video games, watch them again, and take notes. I nonetheless keep in mind the click-click of the VCR because it went to rewind every time. Now I simply do it on-line and for greater than my very own amusement (although positively nonetheless for that).
Brian Tollini: When Canada was OC, there have been quite a few issues schematically you wished can be modified/included into the offense. What (if ANY) adjustments/additions do you’ve got for Smith’s offense thus far?
Alex: That’s one thing I actually wish to spend time drilling down as soon as the season ends and we are able to all breathe a bit. However except for the general philosophy of being tight-end heavy, personnel adjustments, and so on, the offense is simply competent. There’s a primary construction the place you’ll be able to perceive what the crew is attempting to do. A imaginative and prescient of run recreation marries boot-action marries vertical play-action.
Smith does a greater job packaging and pairing performs to work one idea off one other. He clothes issues up extra to run the identical idea out of various seems so it seems completely different to the protection however the identical for the offense. He’s extra artistic within the receiver route tree to scheme gamers open. His purple zone calls are smarter to take care of the dearth of house down there. He appears extra versatile and in a position to modify. He’s counter-punching as a substitute of simply operating what the plan he introduced into the sport was. I’ll must undergo the tape to supply higher examples however yeah, it simply appears like an precise NFL offense.
chris: On the degree {of professional} sports activities, do Head Coaches primarily ‘coach’ place coachs coach higher? Is Tomlin on the market educating the DB coach be a greater coach, or is it anticipated they already know the whole lot they should know?
Alex: Usually, no. In case you’re hiring an NFL coach, you’re trusting them to do the job. In case you gotta train or micromanage, then you definitely employed the flawed man. That’s extra for assistants to be taught and watch. Watch Tomlin at coaching camp and it’s a number of observing. He walks round and checks in on everybody. Generally he’ll look to inspire and problem guys however he’s not educating the gamers a lot, a lot much less the positional coach.
There might be some behind-the-scene issues he goes over with, particularly for coaches simply employed as they get to know the group. And Tomlin has often been extra hands-on previously, sometimes with the secondary which is his background. I keep in mind one yr a number of years again him working with the CBs on jamming/re-routing because the flat defender in Cowl 2.
However largely, the positional coaches are given the latitude to do their job. As they need to.
