2020 Week #11 GDT Steelers @ Jaguars

[3rivers]

11 hours ago, August4th said:

LV winning tonight would be so clutch for us. We need breathing room

if KC wins tonight and next week. We lose this Thursday. They take the Number 1 seed

has it been a final decision for the playoffs where #1 seed gets the bye week?  That would be nice, but lets earn it and not hope for others to lose. Stay undefeated, and no questions asked. 

[Dcash4]

17 hours ago, warfelg said:

So @Dcash4 I was thinking about your assessment of the run game from last week.  I also noticed today and would want to add that AV and Chucks are getting too much depth on outside runs to where pullers can't get around them.

Super late to the party here, but I am curious to see more of this if I get the chance this week before thanksgiving. The more I watched it just seemed like the adjustment defenses made on us from our success running early in the season is just committing to not allowing us to get the edge. I would think the counter to that for us would simply be to have our tackles push the defenders up the arch and let our run game (pullers/runners) adjust to inside shoulder instead of trying to bounce. 

The one thing I have to keep reminding myself is that this offensive line was built to pass block....and they do that very, very well. Al and Pouncey don't bully people, but they keep them off Ben. 

[Dcash4]

All 22 isn't up yet, so some of the run game action is hard to judge fully, but early on its really not great. Big problem through the first half is actually Wide Receivers, surprisingly. We run a draw with Snell and the CB blitzes right past JuJu who, by his reaction, clearly looks like he is thinking "I probably should have got him". Coulda been an RPO situation where Ben has a hot, but doubt it on a draw. Next drive we downblock everything to get Conner on the edge to the right side, but Claypool just wiffs against Hayden and it goes for like -4 when it would have been clear space and 1 on 1 with a safety going downhill for James. 

There is a run earlier that looks like James could have bounced it for a huge gain off the left side, but without all 22, I cant really tell if he sees a guy cross Villy which is why he doesnt. 

I dont know, put all the position names in a hat and pull one out and you have your problem in the run game. Just seems like a mix of execution and coaching.

[jebrick]

You are going to see a lot of the same.  Very hard to get movement unless they get an angle.  They really look like they are zone blocking at times but I could not help but think back to 2008 Oline.  These guys look like they are pushing on a wall.  They need to ditch the power game or put a FB in.

[MOSteelers56]

32 minutes ago, jebrick said:

You are going to see a lot of the same.  Very hard to get movement unless they get an angle.  They really look like they are zone blocking at times but I could not help but think back to 2008 Oline.  These guys look like they are pushing on a wall.  They need to ditch the power game or put a FB in.

Stapleton, Kemoeatu, Hartwig, Colon

*shudders* 

[Dcash4]

1 hour ago, jebrick said:

You are going to see a lot of the same.  Very hard to get movement unless they get an angle.  They really look like they are zone blocking at times but I could not help but think back to 2008 Oline.  These guys look like they are pushing on a wall.  They need to ditch the power game or put a FB in.

That's a good assessment in the bold. I was paying attention to some other run games this weekend and it just looks so different from us. We really dont get any push and Im not sure I have seen any one "fire out" in the run game. We look like we are still blocking for LeVeon where the goal is to just get in front of a guy and let Bell make the difference. 

[MOSteelers56]

5 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

That's a good assessment in the bold. I was paying attention to some other run games this weekend and it just looks so different from us. We really dont get any push and Im not sure I have seen any one "fire out" in the run game. We look like we are still blocking for LeVeon where the goal is to just get in front of a guy and let Bell make the difference. 

I only watched about a quarter of the game, but I watched the Jag's O-line move the entire LOS forward about 3 yards multiple times. Our line never does that. 

[jebrick]

28 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

That's a good assessment in the bold. I was paying attention to some other run games this weekend and it just looks so different from us. We really dont get any push and Im not sure I have seen any one "fire out" in the run game. We look like we are still blocking for LeVeon where the goal is to just get in front of a guy and let Bell make the difference. 

My exact thought

[3rivers]

5 hours ago, jebrick said:

You are going to see a lot of the same.  Very hard to get movement unless they get an angle.  They really look like they are zone blocking at times but I could not help but think back to 2008 Oline.  These guys look like they are pushing on a wall.  They need to ditch the power game or put a FB in.

I doubt it happens since we are winning, but I too would like a change in the run game. The FB is a good start, but Connor also had success vs the jags redirecting his runs to the outside since there was nothing inside.  It would be nice to have a legit run game against anyone, but right now its more of a possible week to week run game, always left in suspense.

[irish11]

11 hours ago, Dcash4 said:

 We look like we are still blocking for LeVeon where the goal is to just get in front of a guy and let Bell make the difference. 

This was the realization I had on Sunday. LeVeon made a group of mediocre to poor run blockers look a lot better than they were because of "patience." The same guys and a RB who is far less talent isn't going to get the same results.

Our front five is as good as it gets in the NFL and on at least one occasion I saw the Jags offensive line bulldoze our entire front three yards down the field. I don't think our OL has done that once to anyone all year long.

[irish11]

11 hours ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I only watched about a quarter of the game, but I watched the Jag's O-line move the entire LOS forward about 3 yards multiple times. Our line never does that. 

Well, it looks like I should've continued reading. Every point I just made is redundant. 

[Dcash4]

hahahahah alright, I dont know if I can watch the All-22 now that its up. I'm 3 run plays in and twice Ebron has blocked the offensive tackle. I get the idea, both times he is supposed to be doubling and someone moves on, but both times he stays engaged on the back of the tackle when the tackle has done a good job of winning the edge. Like, Ebron is not even touching the defender, he is fully engaged with the tackle. (check that, the second time he is blocking gentry, not the tackle -- same difference)

The second one is the big Connor run of 25 early in the game. But if Ebron disengages and gets to the next level there is a really good chance this is a 90 yard TD run. 

Going back to my one comment yesterday about a Connor potential bounce early for a big gain, I still think he has the opportunity, but with the End crossing Al's face I can see why he changed directions and its pretty clear Al would have been called for a hold if he did bounce it. 

Back from yesterday as well, the Snell draw late in the first. I think JuJu thinks he has a hot here with Ben, because he is the only receiver shooting out turning back for the football. No way to know if that's and option, if he thought Ben would see it, or if he just was freelancing -- but this is a big, big run that goes for 3 because of the corner blitz. It's going to be Snell vs the single safety at about +12 with 10 yards of steam....good luck 

The Claypool wiff on the next drive for Connors 2 yard run is just as painful in All-22. Anyone sensing a pattern? 

McFarlands first run is where I need OLine help. It seems to be that the line is flowing left with Ebron as a false key pulling right, McFarland, IMO needs to press the hole and bounce here to the left side -- he would walk for a TD provided James connects on his one on one block outside and Villy gets his seal (he does, but its after McFarland has already decided he is cutting back). Still, theres body on body to the left, Schobert is committed to the middle. This could be a run thats meant to be up the middle, but the guy on Pouncey is aligned where we wanted it to go and Pouncey cant move him out of the hole which causes McFarland to change his mind or its meant to be a cutback and because Pouncey is driven back some he interferes with the handoff side and trips up McFarland. I dont know. Either way, not great, Bob. 

Next play is McFarland again, and this one is just as confusing to me. Play looks like its meant to go right, but Ebron gets whooped across his face and mess things up in the backfield. What I'm confused about is that JuJu and Ebron are both in great position to seal the edge (good JuJu, bad eric), but there is a free corner on that side and a dropped down safety. We don't have numbers for the run to be outside right. We absolutely have numbers going left with Washington and Diontae on that side and only a lone corner to account for. I dont know. Weird play. 

Might as well do all the McFarland runs. Looks like they want him to set up the cut back inside the tackle. No clue what Ben thought the numbers were here. The Slot corner walks right into the hole. Decastro turns to the inside to pick up the Mike, Chuks seems to be trying to leverage inside, but its pretty clear from the jump the defense is in zone and the nickle corner quickly reads and shoots the gap and there's no one to account for him. OLine does a nice job here, but no one accounting for the corner makes this play DOA. I dont know if Ben expected JuJu to get the corner or what, but I think Ben needed to bail or adjust JuJu. Wonder if the motion from Ray Ray on the other side had anything to do with the lack of change...now I have to go back.

Okay, first McFarland play had no motion, Second and third do. The first McFarland run seems like poor execution on the OLine (Pouncey, specifically), but the next two are pretty clearly flawed from the jump based on what the defense is showing. Some guys really dont like to change plays after motion starts, and that COULD be what it is here with Ben not wanting to bail after the ball start rolling. Im not sure what the expectation was though on the second 2.

TLDR: We are one step away from some really big runs, but its an across the board failure of who to blame that one thing on. Shows you how much the NFL relies on 11 players to execute from down to down. Couple on the line, couple on Ebron, Couple on receivers, couple on Ben/Randy. But TBH, the run game is more encouraging than I originally thought. Keep cleaning up execution and we might be in a very good space. 

[jebrick]

Expecting Ebron to block is not going to end happy.  I am surprised they have not signed a TE off someone's PS