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Frame by Frame: What to look for tonight (NT Push)
By Dagger | November 26, 2007
Mike Tomlin was quoted in the Post-Gazette today saying the Offensive Line was having trouble controlling Nose Tackles. Full Jerry Dulac article is here. Some good quotes from Mahn, Tomlin, etc…. check it out.
Something to look for tonight vs Miami is how the O-Line (Sean Mahan specificially) can handle Miami Dolphins NT Keith Traylor (31 tackles and 1 sack on the season). I put up a few screencaps below to show you the issues Mahan and the rest of the line have had against NT. Check out where center Sean Mahan (#61) ends up on these running plays. The blue line is the line of scrimmage….watch where gets pushed to on many of these plays. If the Center is getting blown into the backfield you simply can’t have a good day running the ball. If he holds his ground and can generate a little push and movement at the line the Steelers should be able to put up a big number on the ground tonight.
See where Mahan is in relation to the rest of the OL? See where he is in relation to the line of scrimmage? Any offensive coach will tell you that inside penetration is the absolute worst thing you can have on a running play.
Again, not movement/drive/push.
Random Pic: This is the WR Screen that Santonio Holmes hurt his ankle on….
Shoved backwards and to the grass by Robertson. This was not a chop-block or Mahan “going low”…this was Mahan getting beat to the ground.
Mahan and Spaeth both struggle here.
Same idea…different game. This forces Parker to bounce towards the sideline.
So take notice tonight. Where is Mahan? At the line of scrimmage? In the backfield? Getting a good push and decent movement at the line? These are all good indicators as to how our running game will fare against the Dolphins. When Mahan fails to get a push you will frequently see Parker bouncing his runs to the outside and “dancing”. When Mahan DOES get his guy to go where he wants him to go, Parker can fire through the hole with the speed and decisiviness we are accustomed to seeing.
My intent here is not to rip Mahan. He “is what he is”….he’s an average/servicable Center that we picked up via Free Agency. He’s not GOD AWFUL and he’s not GREAT. He’s just “there”, and as others have mentioned there are many Center’s in the NFL that are “just there” and don’t dominate but Steeler fans are used to seeing dominating Centers and a smashmouth running game. [sidenote: I don't think this team is smashmouth and I don't want them to be. They weapons they have are better suited for a more spread 'em out high flying offense.....which is a nice change. I don't long for the days of 40 runs and 12 passes per game]
Back to the topic at hand: I have talked about Mahan all season long and I have said time and time again in my offensive line breakdowns that he struggles at the goalline because he can’t generate any push when we need it the most, but for the most part he’s OK. The past 2 weeks his goalline struggles have now spread to the point where he is now struggling a bit between the 20s and this has lead to number of blown up running plays.
In the screencaps above I point out to you his “positioning” and his “lack of drive”….I did not put up pics of Robertson giving him swim moves or getting sacks, etc…so this is not a blog entry to “show you how he struggled last weekend” or how Robertson abused him. My sole purpose here was to show you his positioning because it is something to look for tonight.
If you want to read more, I highlighted more of the same from the Steelers vs Arizona game (Red Zone Offense in particular). Check it out.
Topics: NFL, Sports, Steelers | 4 Comments »
November 26th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Wow, this site should be renamed to SteelersPostGameHeroes. Dill, I look forward to your Redskins posts!!!!
November 27th, 2007 at 1:07 am
PostGameHeroes
PGH.
It’s shorthand for PITTSBURGH.
This site name already broadcasts it’s Burgher roots and focus.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:25 am
In a perfect world we’d be 50% Steelers….50% Redskins.
Our “real work” schedule gets in the way of when we can post. If Dillweed is late or “away” for a few days or a week it’s safe to assume he’s busy with real life. His goal (like mine) is to get as much unique/original content up about his team as possible and with busy schedules and Thanksgiving this past week things can get difficult.
Things will probably get back to normal this week (until xmass) so look for a nice balance btw the two teams as we move forward.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
looking for white love in Kenya, must be 45 to 55 year for real fun, i just want to be funked.
real funk. plz email me lucy