Steelers Defensive Issues: Predictable & Static Coverage Shells
For the second week in a row, the Steelers inability to handle a common passing concept led to multiple big passing plays for the Seahawks against Pittsburgh's static and predictable defense.
For the second week in a row, the Steelers inability to handle a common passing concept led to multiple big passing plays for the Seahawks against Pittsburgh's static and predictable defense. This week, I’ll try to use quick-hitting examples to illustrate larger defensive issues that appear in some form or fashion in every Steelers game. One significant issue is that the Steelers remain extremely static and easy to attack in their coverages, especially without difference-making players/athletes in their secondary.
Last year, the Steelers were first in the NFL in percentage of defensive snaps in single-high coverage, near the top of the league in percentage of defensive snaps in Cover 3 and near the bottom of the league in percentage of snaps with any coverage disguise. This is most commonly denoted by some rotation of the safeties either at or right before the snap to keep opposing quarterbacks from knowing what coverage they are getting.
When the Steelers aren’t playing Cover 3, they are typically still in a single-high shell while playing man coverage in front of the deep free safety. In other words, it is rare to see Pittsburgh not playing Cover 1 or Cover 3, especially in neutral situations. And they rarely play anything other than what it looks like they are playing when they line up pre-snap.
So the Steelers spend a ton of time in single high, and very few snaps in a 2-high shell. This means that offenses can feel really comfortable A) designing and preparing plays to attack these coverages B) knowing where they are going with the football before the snap, negating the potential pass rush impact, and C) knowing what they can check to at the line of scrimmage.
In Week 1, the Jets had a 1st-and-10 from the Steelers 34-yard line. New York broke the huddle in a spread formation from 12 personnel, with the Steelers defense matching the tight ends in coverage with a linebacker and a strong safety. Strong man coverage indication here, given the way Pittsburgh lines up. Because they rarely disguise, Justin Fields feels confident checking into a single-high beater Yankee concept, a staple 2-man passing design often used to attack defenses that play with one deep safety in the middle of the field.
As the Jets condense, both cornerbacks remain in off coverage. That’s the first issue. The reason most teams don’t play a lot of off man coverage is that it is too hard to match receivers when they’ve built up a full head of steam. You’re way more likely to draw a flag once the opposing receiver is attacking you at full speed than you are at the line of scrimmage. Also, now you’ve done nothing to disrupt the timing of the route, and you’re already on your heels reacting to the route runner instead of being proactive.
But both cornerbacks are simply executing as they are supposed to within the scheme. At the snap, the receivers put free safety Jalen Ramsey in conflict. Because of the leverage of the receivers and the technique of the cornerbacks, either player is going to be open, regardless of what Ramsey does. He cuts the post and the crosser (Garrett Wilson), burns Darius Slay, who was put in an extremely difficult spot, for a touchdown.
So, back to the drawing board. They got us Week 1, no way it happens again. Right?
