To Enhance Steelers’ Run Recreation, Mr. Arthur Smith Should Go To Washington

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ working recreation could have proven enchancment in Week Two’s loss in opposition to the Seattle Seahawks. However a working theme of the week is “higher isn’t ok.” Averaging simply 3.0 YPC as a crew with a 44-percent success fee, the bottom recreation should get in gear. Doing so means altering on a number of fronts: the scheme and the person. One tweak isn’t the treatment, however for a crew struggling to run the ball, getting the crew’s greatest run-blocking tight finish, Darnell Washington, on the sphere extra is an efficient place for Arthur Smith to begin.

Per the charting offered by our Tom Mead, the Steelers have referred to as 39 working performs this season. Of the 39, right here’s the distribution of tight finish snaps.

Washington is second on the listing, solely behind Smith. There’s an intent to get him on the offense. However are half the snaps sufficient? For a way good a run blocker as he’s and the way average-to-below Smith and Freiermuth are, it’s too low. Particularly when you think about the success fee. Of every tight finish’s snaps, right here is the run recreation success fee with every on the sphere.

In equity and context, it’s nonetheless a restricted pattern measurement, and one participant isn’t chargeable for the entire success. There isn’t all the time a direct correlation. Nonetheless, it’s no shock to see Washington stick out with the highest mark.

Maybe essentially the most attention-grabbing stat is how little the crew has used 13 personnel, three tight finish units, regardless of that place being considered as a energy with nice depth. Per our charting, Pittsburgh’s used 13 personnel on simply 4 snaps this season. That’s simply 3.5-percent of the overall. It’s price noting 14 personnel has been used twice this yr however even accounting for that provides as much as solely 5.2-percent. Final yr, these groupings amounted to greater than 16-percent.

That quantity gained’t keep at 5-percent all season, and if Pittsburgh performs extra usually with a lead, run-heavy personnel turns into extra inviting.

Is Pittsburgh being reckless with Washington’s snap counts? No. On the floor, these numbers aren’t unreasonable. Particularly two weeks in, because the Steelers get a really feel for his or her offense, their wants, and methods to deal with three succesful tight ends. That is about priorities. What issues most to the offense. The run or move recreation? It’s the run recreation – in fact it’s. It’s the oxygen to this crew. When you don’t have sufficient oxygen, nothing else issues besides getting extra air. The whole lot else might be sorted out later.

All these numbers add up. Play Washington extra in 12 personnel (and even 11 personnel, although his utilization there appears truthful). Use extra 13 personnel. It doesn’t require the formation packing issues in tight. Freiermuth, Smith, or each might be break up out with Washington in-line, eradicating defenders from the field whereas preserving a top-notch run blocker like Washington on the sphere.

Execution is paramount. With out that, the personnel or scheme don’t matter. However this isn’t both/or. Pittsburgh can and must make changes in each.