Poor execution undercut good scheme vs. Jaguars
problem for the Steelers was they blew a coverage assignment, and a simple check-down throw to running back T.J. Yeldon went for 40 yards and set up the Jaguars’ final touchdown.
That was a theme throughout the game that kept the Steelers from advancing to the AFC title game for a second year in a row. The coaches designed a game plan that would force Bortles to beat the Steelers as a thrower, not a runner. The game plan was set in motion with the expectation that Bortles would make mistakes, but the inordinate number of mental errors and blown assignments made it too easy for him to make throws and keep the Jaguars offense on schedule.
That would help explain defensive captain Cameron Heyward’s comments, which defended the coaches Monday and placed all the blame on the shoulders of the players.
“It’s not the scheme,” Heyward said. “I think we had a great game plan, but execution has to be part of the situation. When you don’t execute on your assignments … it doesn’t matter what you play.”
Playing passive against a young quarterback who has struggled with his accuracy certainly has been secondguessed in the days after the game. But on the rare occasions when the Steelers were more aggressive, Bortles made plays to beat them.
In the third quarter, on a third-and-10, the Steelers rushed five and aggressively pursued Bortles, who eluded the rush and ran 13 yards for a first down. The pass rushers didn’t stay in their lanes, and Bortles had plenty of open field while easily picking up the first down. The Jaguars didn’t score on that possession, but the scramble chewed up clock and flipped field position.
On another third down, Bortles threw a screen pass to Yeldon, who stepped out of linebacker L.J. Fort’s tackle attempt, and picked up another first down.
In the end, nothing much went right for the Steelers defense. When they were passive, Bortles hit them for big plays. When they were aggressive, he frustrated them with scrambles and short screen passes that moved the chains.
As a result, the Steelers will be in front of their televisions Sunday afternoon watching to see if he can do the same against the New England Patriots in the AFC championship.
Rogers suffers torn ACL
The Steelers could begin their 2018 season without slot receiver Eli Rogers, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee on the final drive Sunday in the divisional-round loss against Jacksonville.
Rogers, who signed a three-year contract as an undrafted rookie in 2015, will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.
He had just 18 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown in 14 games in 2017. His role was reduced with the emergence of rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, though he had five catches for 42 yards in the 45-42 loss against the Jaguars.
Coach Mike Tomlin did not mention Rogers’ injury when he talked about some of offseason medical issues Tuesday at his season-ending news conference.
Ward not new WR coach
There was speculation that Tomlin might hire Hines Ward as the Steelers wide receivers coach. Instead, they hired the guy who coached Ward in college.
Darryl Drake, who has been an assistant coach in the NFL for 14 years, accepted Tomlin’s offer to replace the retired Richard Mann to coach the Steelers wide receivers, the Post-Gazette has learned. Drake was the Arizona Cardinals wide receivers coach the past five seasons.
Drake coached wide receivers from 1992 to 1996 at the University of Georgia when Ward was there. He began his coaching career at Western Kentucky in 1983, moved to Georgia, Baylor and the University of Texas before joining the Chicago Bears staff in 2004. He left the Bears for the Cardinals in 2013.
Signings
The Steelers signed defensive back Malik Golden, linebacker Darnell Leslie and punter Matt Wile to reserve/futures contracts .
Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette contributed to this story; Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.