How Pittsburgh Steelers Manufactured Pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick
One of the high points of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 30-23 win over the Houston Texans was the inspired play of the Steelers defense. After bending in a big way in the first quarter, the defense stiffened and held off a late rally for the win.
The Pittsburgh defense impressed in several areas. The group forced three turnovers in the game. This is a major step in the right direction. And after giving up 73 yards rushing to Texans running back Arian Foster in the first quarter, it only surrendered 29 to him in the final three quarters.
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However, one area that has been a bone of contention is the cause for the lack of pass rush. Much like Pittsburgh’s red-zone offense, the pass-rushing woes are generally attributed to either a lack of talent or poor scheme.
Now, don’t get me wrong, if you are looking for a game to mimic in terms of rushing the passer, this one might not be textbook. This team still must address outside linebacker in the next offseason. That’s why right now, Pittsburgh must manufacture a pass rush.
ESPN’s Mark Schlereth had this to say about it.
"I can't remember a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have an outside linebacker that was a viable pass rush threat!
— mark schlereth (@markschlereth) October 21, 2014"
Nevertheless, Pittsburgh did take advantage of some opportunities and use some creative play design, along with showing outstanding individual effort to bring heat when it was needed against Houston quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Let’s take a closer look at a couple of plays that show excellent individual effort as well as some creative scheming.
On this first play, the Steelers come up to crowd the line of scrimmage on first down. The Steelers had been getting carved up on the ground, so they have nine guys up around the line, as Foster is a full seven yards deep.
The first key to how this play works is the position of safety Troy Polamalu. By setting up on the inside shoulder of Texans right tackle Derek Newton, he must account for him as a potential blitzer. This gives outside linebacker Jason Worilds the matchup he wants with tight end Garrett Graham.
Worilds goes wide at the snap and beats Graham around the corner, forcing Fitzpatrick up into the pocket. Not a sack, but pressure, and a play the defense can point to and use later on in the season.
On this next play, we see the Steelers once again crowding the line. On the first example, the Texans had the option to check to a run. In this case, there’s no doubt with five wide receivers and Fitzpatrick in the shotgun, this is pass all the way. The Steelers can attack.
The Steelers counter this with four guys up on the line of scrimmage, none of whom have their hand on the ground. Then, just before the snap, you see linebacker Lawrence Timmons creep up to the line as an additional rusher. Once again it is Newton they target, and again he comes up short. Timmons whips him off the ball and chases down Fitzpatrick.
These are just two plays that showed how the Steelers were able to create confusion along the Texans’ line, and then the Steelers player whom the scheme put in a position to win did just that.
Overall, Worilds had a strong game coming off the edge. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave Worilds a 7.7 grade. It might not have shown itself statistically, but you can see flashes of the player everyone expected to see all season long.
It might take some creativity, and Pittsburgh is going to have to pick its shots. However, all things considered, this team has a shot to keep putting heat on opposing quarterbacks.
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