Five Plays That Led To Pittsburgh Steelers' Success

39 Toss is one of the most basic, yet effective plays the Pittsburgh Steelers run on offense.

This play is most commonly run out of I-Formation with two wide receivers split out to the opposite side of the tight end.

As the name implies it is a quick toss to the running back, often Willie Parker, and the back takes advantage of his speed to get outside. The two wide receivers are used to seal the edge and help spring the runner free.

This play is so much a part of the Steelers offense that teams often anticipate it. "39 Toss" was one of the reasons the Steelers won Super Bowl XL.

Pittsburgh had run the play to near perfection all game long and they finally called a variation on the play. "Fake-39 Toss X-Reverse Pass."

That is better known as Antwaan Randel-El's reverse pass to Hines Ward for a touchdown.

To take advantage of the effective running game the Steelers will often turn to play-action passing. They take it one step further by adding a bootleg which allows Big Ben to take advantage of his athleticism and get outside the pocket.

The bootleg can also be run out of shotgun, but it doesn't get the same effect it does when run out of I-Form.

The purpose of the play-action is to hold the linebackers and safeties which will allow for a cleaner release for the tight ends and wide receivers. Heath Miller is often the recipient of these passes.

The bootleg shifts the pocket and the receivers usually roll towards to direction the quarterback is moving creating better passing lanes and angles.

A "stack" formation is used to create confusion. It makes it harder for the offensive linemen to locate the linebackers because they are lined up behind the defensive linemen, instead of lined up in the gaps.

The Cross Blitz is used as a "stunt" for the linebackers. A stunt allows one linebacker, let's say the left, to cross behind the nose tackle and go after the right guard.

Once the left inside backer crosses in front of the right inside backer(RILB), the RILB goes in the opposite direction attacking the left guard.

The switches and stunts will cause confusion and can result in one of the inside linebackers (ILB) getting double teamed.

If the ILB gets doubled teamed, it works in favor of the Steelers because they get a one on one matchup for either James Harrison or LaMarr Woodley on the outside.

If the offense spreads their protection to better protect the edges, one of the stunting linebackers will break loose for an easy run at the quarterback up the middle.

This is just one advantage for the 3-4 defense.

This may not be as commonly known to the public, but it was a big reason for the Steelers victory in Super Bowl XLIII. The winning play was a variation of "Shotgun, 4 Wide F Option."

The play gives the quarterback and receivers a chance to play on the go. There is usually a designated No. 1 target on the play, but if he is covered the quarterback looks elsewhere.

The play is designed to take advantage of all types man to man, zone coverage, and aggressive blitzing defenses.

A quarterback must first use the advantage of being in the shotgun to read the linebackers. If a linebacker is going into the flat, the out route is usually a non-factor.

A wide receiver has two or three routes to run on the play and depending on coverage he picks where to go. This requires great chemistry between QB and WR.

If there is a weak spot in the zone, the receiver will cut off his route and wait for the pass. If there is an open area of the field, the receiver will redirect his route in that direction.

The reason this play was successful for the Steelers was because of Ben Roethlisberger's patience for the play to develop. He first pump faked to a short curl route over the middle, then pumped to a covered crossing pattern.

Those pump fakes brought the coverage down and allowed Santonio Holmes to cut towards the open sideline. Ben recognized the open receiver and took advantage of the out of position safety.

Touchdown Steelers. Record six Lombardi Trophies.

This is the play that makes the Steelers defense so deadly. It was created by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and it is a big reason why he has a one-way ticket to Canton.

The Fire Zone does away with man coverage during blitzing situations and instead employs zone coverage.

This is a safer way to blitz.

Dick LeBeau has said, “What you’re looking to do is simulate a max blitz. So often in what you call a max blitz, if one [defender] slips or if [the offense] springs a guy somewhere, there’s no one left as a second line of defense to keep a 15-yard gain from becoming a 60-yard gain. So all you’re trying to do is affect the pressure of a blitz but keep a player who can – if something fouls up – keep the play from going more than 15 or 18 yards. That’s the concept.”

When a quarterback sees a blitzing linebacker, the first reaction is to hit quick read or "hot route."

What the Fire Zone does is take away the hot route. When the linebacker blitzes, a defensive lineman will move back into the spot vacated by the blitzing linebacker.

A quarterback doesn't anticipate someone being in that spot, so it often results in an incompletion or an interception.

If the quarterback notices the lineman dropping back, they will have to hold on to the ball longer than they want; that usually means a sack for the Steelers D.

Dick LeBeau is a genius. His mind is a big reason the Steelers have the best defense in the NFL and why they always wreak havoc on opposing offenses.