Steelers offense and Fields

[HailtoPitt]

It seems to me that if they are going to keep Fields, then they should design a modern offense around his skills, like Philly and Baltimore have successfully done. The Steelers offense seems to rely too much on the power/heavy type formations. I could be wrong, but those other offenses just seem more dynamic.

 

[pittchagg]

I agree, but the Eagles and Ravens also have personnel that are just so much more threatening than what the Steelers have, regardless of scheme. Line, receivers, running back, quarterback. I think the Ravens and especially the Eagles just have better guys at every one of those spots than the Steelers do.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

They should design a formation that yields 2.5 yards every time. If you get 2.5 yards - a mere 7.5 feet - on every single play, you almost certainly cannot lose. I think Fields, with his arms extended, would cover this distance.

1) Snap the ball to someone under center (we don't want Fields taking these snaps)

2) Behind the guy taking the snap will be Fields and a guy on either side of him. Upon the ball being snapped, they immediately pick him over their heads (I recommend each of them kneeling and offering a leg for him to climb upon to expedite the hoist) so that Fields is in a Superman position

3) Then they rush him toward the line of scrimmage, in a battering ram fashion

4) Fields grabs the ball from the guy who took the snap, which is being held over his head

5) The two carrier men proceed to throw Fields as far as they can, as if they're assistant Iggy Pop with getting back on stage after his crazy shirtless ass just jumped into the crowd

As long as the backs of his heels reach the line of scrimmage, the 2.5 yards should be had; do this four times and the chains will move

I think we should call this... The Mosh Pitt.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

It seems to me that if they are going to keep Fields, then they should design a modern offense around his skills, like Philly and Baltimore have successfully done. The Steelers offense seems to rely too much on the power/heavy type formations. I could be wrong, but those other offenses just seem more dynamic.

i keep going back and forth with Fields. Currently, im not feeling it. He has some serious weaknesses in his game, misses a ton of the field (open wrs, going thru one progression).


And well he has about 40 starts under his belt, that's more than enough of a window to see what kind of a player he is.. It's not getting much better than what we see folks, he is who he is..


I'd be ok with a one year deal or possibly even two IF we draft a QB with the plan of them being the future.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

i keep going back and forth with Fields. Currently, im not feeling it. He has some serious weaknesses in his game, misses a ton of the field (open wrs, going thru one progression).


And well he has about 40 starts under his belt, that's more than enough of a window to see what kind of a player he is.. It's not getting much better than what we see folks, he is who he is..


I'd be ok with a one year deal or possibly even two IF we draft a QB with the plan of them being the future.

I really don't care who we plug back there, because we're at least a few years away from it mattering. 7-10, 10-7 while being completely outclassed in the wildcard round... what's the difference?

I'll start caring who the quarterback is when our chance to compete for a championship is a little higher than the 0.0% it's currently sitting at.

Build the team up and then trade like two firsts and two seconds to try and get a Jalen Daniels type of player in a few years or something. Of course, knowing this franchise we'd probably just end up with Fields 2.0.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I really don't care who we plug back there, because we're at least a few years away from it mattering. 7-10, 10-7 while being completely outclassed in the wildcard round... what's the difference?

I'll start caring who the quarterback is when our chance to compete for a championship is a little higher than the 0.0% it's currently sitting at.

Build the team up and then trade like two firsts and two seconds to try and get a Jalen Daniels type of player in a few years or something. Of course, knowing this franchise we'd probably just end up with Fields 2.0.

that's where my frustration lies. to build this team up by trading draft picks, that means the ownship and tomlin have to admit that they need dramatic actions to "right the ship." I truly believe that rooney and tomlin dont believe they are that far off.. And that's why we've been doing this same thing over and over and over and nothing will change until we at least admit, this thing needs torn down and re-built..

 

[pittbb80]

I really don't care who we plug back there, because we're at least a few years away from it mattering. 7-10, 10-7 while being completely outclassed in the wildcard round... what's the difference?

I'll start caring who the quarterback is when our chance to compete for a championship is a little higher than the 0.0% it's currently sitting at.

Build the team up and then trade like two firsts and two seconds to try and get a Jalen Daniels type of player in a few years or something. Of course, knowing this franchise we'd probably just end up with Fields 2.0.

Yup. If you’re going to emulate Philly it starts from the inside out. You need dominant lines

It appears they have upgraded the OL but they are miles away from being as good as Phillys. Same as the DL. In fact the gap between phillys DL and the Steelers is much greater than the gap between the OLs

The reason Philly one was because they are able to totally disrupt Mahomes with just four pass rushers. And it appears they had a two deep at every position to keep the players fresh. For sure Hurts had a good game but the DL was the MVP of that game

On offense they also have studs at wr and TE. The chiefs totally took away Barkley but they left themselves vulnerable to the pass game. Philly may choose to focus on the run game but they can be multiple when they need to be. The Steelers skill guys are pedestrian by comparison

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

that's where my frustration lies. to build this team up by trading draft picks, that means the ownship and tomlin have to admit that they need dramatic actions to "right the ship." I truly believe that rooney and tomlin dont believe they are that far off.. And that's why we've been doing this same thing over and over and over and nothing will change until we at least admit, this thing needs torn down and re-built..

I don't even think we have to burn it to the ground or anything, but yeah - at some point we have to play for 2-3 seasons from now instead of this season. No reason for guys like Watt and Minkah (unless he'd be a huge cap hit either way) to rot away on this roster until it's time to put them out to pasture.

We're in a never-ending spin cycle as long as Tomlin is here, because it's been so long since he's won a playoff game that he's simply not going to play for the future.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I don't even think we have to burn it to the ground or anything, but yeah - at some point we have to play for 2-3 seasons from now instead of this season. No reason for guys like Watt and Minkah (unless he'd be a huge cap hit either way) to rot away on this roster until it's time to put them out to pasture.

 

[HailToPitt725]

I don’t see the Steelers figuring out their long-term solution at QB this offseason. However, they need to figure out what type of QB they envision winning them their 7th Super Bowl.

I’m not sure Fields is “the” guy. But, if they want a modern offense with a dual threat QB, prioritize building the offense around Fields this offseason and then draft a QB in 2026 (in Pittsburgh no less). This means both personnel *and* play-caller.

That way, it’s a seamless transition and the offense is ready to support a rookie quarterback, unlike when they drafted Kenny.

 

[pittbb80]

View embedded media

That’s the thing the Steelers brass is missing.

Philly chooses to focus on the run game because they are soo good at it with the OL, Barkley and Hurst.

However they are really stacked in the pass game and can carve defenses up when they need to as evidenced last night. KC has a hell if a defense. They are the reason the chiefs were in the superbowl despite having Mahomes. What the eagles did was impressive. And oh by the way the KC defense is abkut middle of the league in salary. Hmmm

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Yup. If you’re going to emulate Philly it starts from the inside out. You need dominant lines

It appears they have upgraded the OL but they are miles away from being as good as Phillys. Same as the DL. In fact the gap between phillys DL and the Steelers is much greater than the gap between the OLs

The reason Philly one was because they are able to totally disrupt Mahomes with just four pass rushers. And it appears they had a two deep at every position to keep the players fresh. For sure Hurts had a good game but the DL was the MVP of that game

On offense they also have studs at wr and TE. The chiefs totally took away Barkley but they left themselves vulnerable to the pass game. Philly may choose to focus on the run game but they can be multiple when they need to be. The Steelers skill guys are pedestrian by comparison

I'm shocked at how good Philly's roster is. They probably have 10-12 backups who would start for us.

It's such a luxury to be able to draft the best available instead of constantly having to fill needs. That used to be us.

I agree we're doing things right building inside out. Need those tackles to be hits, though.

 

[pittbb80]

I don’t see the Steelers figuring out their long-term solution at QB this offseason. However, they need to figure out what type of QB they envision winning them their 7th Super Bowl.

I’m not sure Fields is “the” guy. But, if they want a modern offense with a dual threat QB, prioritize building the offense around Fields this offseason and then draft a QB in 2026 (in Pittsburgh no less). This means both personnel *and* play-caller.

That way, it’s a seamless transition and the offense is ready to support a rookie quarterback, unlike when they drafted Kenny.

Yeah fields isn’t a long term solution but could be a nice plug in until they build the team around him. Right now it wouldn’t matter who the qb is as the Steelers are woefully lacking in skill players and still need more help along the OL

Fields would require a total restructure of the offense but they won’t do that. He also needs more help

 

[pittbb80]

I'm shocked at how good Philly's roster is. They probably have 10-12 backups who would start for us.

It's such a luxury to be able to draft the best available instead of constantly having to fill needs. That used to be us.

I agree we're doing things right building inside out. Need those tackles to be hits, though.

Fun fact the Philly D was bad last year. So what did they do? The got a new DC.

Imaging that. Canning a coordinator who under performs

They also added the MLB who turned out to be a stud.

 

[lilspainishflea]

There's a very high probability that whoever the Steelers sign at QB isn't even the QB in 2026 (or doesn't finish the 2026 season).

I said this is why the Steelers shouldn't have deployed Pickett the way they did (i.e., thrown to the wolves with minimal reps, bad OL, bad offensive weapons, worst ever modern coaching, chased out of town for a 1 year retread). Because they flushed one season and will probably flush at least 1 more before they get any closer to the answer.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Fun fact the Philly D was bad last year. So what did they do? The got a new DC.

Imaging that. Canning a coordinator who under performs

They also added the MLB who turned out to be a stud.

The fact that Carter fell to them and then both Mitchell and Dejean fell to them in the same draft... just so freaking loaded, while Benton is now being printed on milk cartons and we're talking about rolling with JPJ and Trice. Ugh.

 

[pittbb80]

The fact that Carter fell to them and then both Mitchell and Dejean fell to them in the same draft... just so freaking loaded, while Benton is now being printed on milk cartons and we're talking about rolling with JPJ and Trice. Ugh.

Carter was a year or two ago But yeah those rookie DBs are really good

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Carter was a year or two ago But yeah those rookie DBs are really good

I know, but Carter was the best player in that draft and they got him at like 9 after his incident. Such a weird system where a few teams didn't jump on him because of that. Like, what did they think they were accomplishing? Like if they stood on a moral high ground he wasn't going to get drafted or something. So dumb.

And then Mitchell was a top 10 guy they got in like the 20's. Just so much flexibility when you can take the best available guy. That's how you find the bargains.

With the Steelers, on the other hand, there aren't many positional groups we have solidified. Linebacker, I guess, and that's about it. And a bum tight end we have to live with.

 

[lilspainishflea]

The fact that Carter fell to them and then both Mitchell and Dejean fell to them in the same draft... just so freaking loaded, while Benton is now being printed on milk cartons and we're talking about rolling with JPJ and Trice. Ugh.

The Eagles draft philosophy has always been to load up on premium positions - OL, DL, and even QB when they already have an established starter!

Meanwhile the Steelers spend their picks on average RBs and TEs (who are low upside even if they hit because the difference between an average RB/TE and a street free agent is basically minimal), vanity projects (really big blocking TE), and nepo babies.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Draft philosophy should usually be to take the best available. If the best available doesn't have a value higher than your pick, then trade down and repeat.

I think the Steelers did this well enough in recent drafts. It's just that Fanatu got injured and Jones is being forced to play out of position.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Draft philosophy should usually be to take the best available. If the best available doesn't have a value higher than your pick, then trade down and repeat.

man i dont know. in a perfect world yes but if you are team with holes, you have to fill those holes. Steelers for years were drafting the best player available but that was back when we were good and had that luxury..

A team like the eagles, who currently have that luxury, absolutely. but a bad team, with needs at DL, interior OL, WR, CB, (Like steelers), you have to address those needs..

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Draft philosophy should usually be to take the best available. If the best available doesn't have a value higher than your pick, then trade down and repeat.

In fairness, I think higher selections in each of the last two drafts were done the right way. They were positions of need, but they were also far from reaches and they were pretty high-value positions. It's the drafting for years before that I have a problem with. Giving up a 1st, a 2nd, and a 3rd for a middle linebacker; taking a RB in the first; freaking Terell Edmunds; etc. I don't even have a problem with guys like Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns not panning out, because at least those picks made sense.

 

[HailtoPitt]

In fairness, I think higher selections in each of the last two drafts were done the right way. They were positions of need, but they were also far from reaches and they were pretty high-value positions. It's the drafting for years before that I have a problem with. Giving up a 1st, a 2nd, and a 3rd for a middle linebacker; taking a RB in the first; freaking Terell Edmunds; etc. I don't even have a problem with guys like Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns not panning out, because at least those picks made sense.

Yes the previous drafts are still hurting this team.

 

[HailtoPitt]

man i dont know. in a perfect world yes but if you are team with holes, you have to fill those holes. Steelers for years were drafting the best player available but that was back when we were good and had that luxury..

A team like the eagles, who currently have that luxury, absolutely. but a bad team, with needs at DL, interior OL, WR, CB, (Like steelers), you have to address those needs..

I don't know. If you aren't a Super Bowl bowl contender, then why not just plug those holes with average free agents and continue to build via draft value?

 

[HailToPitt725]

Draft philosophy should usually be to take the best available. If the best available doesn't have a value higher than your pick, then trade down and repeat.

I think the Steelers did this well enough in recent drafts. It's just that Fanatu got injured and Jones is being forced to play out of position.

This has been incredibly frusturating because we’ve completely botched Jones’ development. If we’d like him to play LT at some point, he should be there already. Who knows if the damage is reversible.

 

[HailtoPitt]

This has been incredibly frusturating because we’ve completely botched Jones’ development. If we’d like him to play LT at some point, he should be there already. Who knows if the damage is reversible.

It almost seems like he regressed this season. Not good. In two seasons, dude has had 3 OCs and 5 starting QBs, in additional to playing out of position. That's got to be tough on a young player's development.

 

[pittdan77]

There's a very high probability that whoever the Steelers sign at QB isn't even the QB in 2026 (or doesn't finish the 2026 season).

There's a pretty good chance that the next good QB the Steelers get onto their roster is still in HS right now. Fields is going to sign a 3-5 year deal and they'll have to live with that problem for at least that long.

 

[pittdan77]

This has been incredibly frusturating because we’ve completely botched Jones’ development. If we’d like him to play LT at some point, he should be there already. Who knows if the damage is reversible.

In the last five drafts, the Steelers have taken eight offensive linemen and three TE's and they still can't run the ball effectively. And forget pass blocking. It's almost like they have zero idea what to do with OL-men but you could say the same thing about the RB's and WR's.

 

[HailToPitt725]

In the last five drafts, the Steelers have taken eight offensive linemen and three TE's and they still can't run the ball effectively. And forget pass blocking. It's almost like they have zero idea what to do with OL-men but you could say the same thing about the RB's and WR's.

Exactly. If your plan is for Jones to be LT long-term, why not move Moore (or Fautanu) to RT? If you’re going to make anyone play out-of-position, the last person should be Jones.

Edit: I also thought the OL Coach should’ve gone last season. He had poor results in Carolina and it’s been about the same here.

 

[pittdan77]

Exactly. If your plan is for Jones to be LT long-term, why not move Moore (or Fautanu) to RT? If you’re going to make anyone play out-of-position, the last person should be Jones.

Edit: I also thought the OL Coach should’ve gone last season. He had poor results in Carolina and it’s been about the same here.

I'll be honest, offensive and defensive line coaching is treated like an afterthought at a lot of places. It's surprising to see it in the NFL but you can't convince me it seems like a priority to Tomlin.

 

[PittPharm2002]

There is no “modern offense “ that would make Justin Fields successful.
He’s not an accurate passer who can read defenses

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

Fields will also be in year 5 of his career. I don’t care about his supposed talent. How many guys in year 5 of a pro career figure it out ?

 

[HailToPitt725]

Fields will also be in year 5 of his career. I don’t care about his supposed talent. How many guys in year 5 of a pro career figure it out ?

The issue I’m seeing is that almost any QB the Steelers start next year will be a bridge QB. The question becomes two-fold:

• Do older veterans like Wilson, Rodgers, Carr, or someone else give you a better chance to win now over Fields?
• Is Fields’ supposed potential worth starting him over the aforementioned options?

Like I said earlier, they need to decide what type of offense they want to run under a hypothetical franchise QB. Wait to draft him in 2026 but in the meantime, build an identity on offense around that archetype and find a short-term option for 2025 that fits the mold. With the way the NFL is trending, Fields (or someone similar) fits that category, and he’s a better choice than almost every other option on the market this offseason.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Jameis Winston !
We need a fun personality who isn’t afraid to sling it !

 

[joeydavid]

It seems to me that if they are going to keep Fields, then they should design a modern offense around his skills, like Philly and Baltimore have successfully done. The Steelers offense seems to rely too much on the power/heavy type formations. I could be wrong, but those other offenses just seem more dynamic.

Forget about the stillers situation for a moment and answer this question..

Would you redesign a whole offense around the worst starting QB in the NFL?

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Jameis Winston !
We need a fun personality who isn’t afraid to sling it !

That would be fun. He’s a fun dude. But if you want mike Tomlin to run out of town and forgo his last two years here, then have Rooney foist Winston on conservative no risk Mike and then get out the popcorn.

 

[joeydavid]

There is no “modern offense “ that would make Justin Fields successful.
He’s not an accurate passer who can read defenses

Unless you go really, really modern, where the starting QB stays on the bench and someone else is behind center....

 

[PittPharm2002]

That would be fun. He’s a fun dude. But if you want mike Tomlin to run out of town and forgo his last two years here, then have Rooney foist Winston on conservative no risk Mike and then get out the popcorn.

It’s why I want him

Want some shake up in a positive way .
He’s the guy . He balls out and seems like his teammates like him .

 

[HailToPitt725]

Jameis Winston !
We need a fun personality who isn’t afraid to sling it !

That would be fun. He’s a fun dude. But if you want mike Tomlin to run out of town and forgo his last two years here, then have Rooney foist Winston on conservative no risk Mike and then get out the popcorn.

It begs the question- how would a guy like Winston fare in an ultra-conservative offense that is built around limiting turnovers? Could you take away his biggest weakness while retaining some of his big play ability?

I don’t know, but part of me wants to take the unknown over the same song-and-dance we’ve seen the past four seasons.

 

[PittPharm2002]

It begs the question- how would a guy like Winston fare in an ultra-conservative offense that is built around limiting turnovers? Could you take away his biggest weakness while retaining some of his big play ability?

I don’t know, but part of me wants to take the unknown over the same song-and-dance we’ve seen the past four seasons.

Not comparing them -
But was the offense ever ultra conservative with Big Ben ?!?

It’s a silly narrative - the offense has been conservative because the qb okay has required it .