First and foremost I’m a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and I get just as frustrated as any other fan does. I guarantee that if I went back and reviewed my Twitter timeline I’d wish I could have a lot of those tweets back but I can’t.
One such tweet was one in which I ripped offensive line coach Mike Munchak and questioned whether or not his presence has really had much of an impact on this offensive line.
Let’s not make any mistake here, the pass protection of the offensive line Monday night in Tennessee was fair at best. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times and while I can easily put two of those on Roethlisberger himself for not getting rid of the ball, the fact is that the Titans were still able to put lots of pressure on number seven.
Steelers Offensive Line Finds Redemption in Just 60 Minutes
As maligned as this offensive line was in pass protection, their redemption came in the form of running the football which ironically was what they’ve struggled with in recent weeks.
If you talk to any offensive lineman they will tell you that there is no better feeling than being able to dominantly run the football. It’s the complete opposite feeling of being in pass protection because instead of giving ground you are forcefully taking it. This is what the Steelers hogmollies were doing to the Titans especially in the second half.
Of Le’Veon Bell’s 204 yards rushing, an amazing 196 of those yards came between the tackles. This tells us that the ability of Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster and David DeCastro to stop penetration was vital. When you do the pulling and trapping that the Steelers did with their tight ends and fullback you cannot allow up-the-middle penetration.
If that happens, the pulling and trapping players cannot take proper angles to make their blocks and this wasn’t a problem Monday night.
It was a fascinating turn of events because the Titans’ defensive line and in particular Jurrell Casey was constantly in the backfield making plays early and often. Titans’ defensive coordinator Ray Horton was relentless with his ‘A’ gap pressure and it took the Steelers longer than it probably should have to adjust.
Eventually Roethlisberger was reading the blitz and making the necessary changes to avoid it by getting the ball to Bell in the ‘B’ and ‘C’ gaps where there was less traffic.
Both tackles, Marcus Gilbert and Kelvin Beachum asserted themselves to the point where both guys were able to get the second level against non-blitzing linebackers. The adjustments were paying off in five and six yard chunks of grass and the Titans had no answers.
Football really is a game of inches but often times it’s even more than that. Sometimes it comes down to just to a few minor adjustments and forcing your will on the opponent. Mike Munchack made the adjustments and his charges took it upon themselves to keep their playoff hopes alive and well.
It was a performance filled with redemption all in just 60 minutes of action.
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Main Photo: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
