Calling it straight
Receivers differ on second-half calls
The Steelers’ offensive playcalling has come under fire.
It’s a bit of deja vu, but here we are the day after a Steelers victory asking ourselves if Ben Roethlisberger himself changed the fortunes of the offense and if so, what that says about play-caller Randy Fichtner’s role, or lack thereof.
Longtime football writer Mike Silver went on NFL Network after the 28-24 comeback win against the Colts and reported that Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster told him Roethlisberger “was calling plays in the second half that we did not practice; just pulling things from the past.”
“The Colts defense was really good early on. They were calling out plays they knew we were running,” SmithSchuster said via Silver.
That might be the viewpoint from one Steelers passcatcher, but not so fast, says another.
Tight end Eric Ebron did a Zoom call with local media Monday morning and was asked how much of the second-half success was Roethlisberger drawing up plays versus calls coming in from the sideline.
“All of those plays Ben would call were all the plays we practice,” Ebron said. “As much as it may seem like Ben’s making stuff up, nah, we practice this stuff. … We understand when we get in situations where we need offense how to recreate and try to create problems for opposing defenses. That’s really all it is.”
Ebron did echo the sentiment that the Colts came out with a better plan on defense than the Steelers did on offense. But he also gave himself a bit of credit for his familiarity with Indianapolis, given the past two seasons he spent there and his knowledge of what they do defensively.
“They had our number in the first half. There was nothing, really, we could do,” Ebron said. “We knew we were facing a playoff opponent, so we had to adjust, really, and that’s all we did. We knew where their weak spots were. Especially me being there, knowing where their weak spots were …”
That did add another layer to it all for Ebron, who did not contribute much behind-thescenes intel into whatever halftime speech came from Roethlisberger and fellow captain Maurkice Pouncey. If that pep talk turns around the season for the offense, it won’t be because every single player was engaged and ready to win one for The Gipper.
Ebron, for one, was “zoned out” during halftime.
“To be honest with you, I was more angry than anything,” Ebron said. “Because we were losing to Indianapolis, and I did not want to lose to Indianapolis.”
Williams and Williamson
Since Devin Bush’s injury, the Steelers have just needed their inside linebackers to be limited liabilities. At times, they’ve even been quite good, such as when Robert Spillane stepped in and made a few splash plays as an unlikely Bush replacement.
With Spillane eligible to return from injured reserve for Week 17, they’ll have more reinforcements at a spot that was recently perilously thin, but also a bit of a logjam. Vince Williams, in his return from the COVID-19 list after missing two games, played every snap against the Colts. Avery Williamson played 80% of the snaps in a matchup that was heavy on base defense for the Steelers, and those two combined for 19 tackles. Williamson also had a sack and two tackles for loss in his best game yet as a Steeler.
“I’ve been a starter before, my whole career, but it’s different when you’re on a new team,” said Williamson, who was traded from the Jets eight weeks ago.
The Steelers can afford to split the playing time more equally among Williams, Williamson and Spillane, if all are healthy. The Colts managed to attack Williams several times in one-on-one matchups with tight ends, running backs and even wideouts, which could be a problem in the postseason.
Once Marcus Allen returns from an injury of his own that kept him out of the Colts game, he can be used situationally on obvious passing downs. But the playoffs are a time for veterans such as Williamson and Williams, who knows the Steelers defense better than anyone and was the play-caller on that side of the ball, hence his never leaving the field.
“Shoot, he just pushed through it,” Williamson said. “He was on the sideline with the oxygen mask, so I know he was tired. We just had a lot on the line, and he toughed it out.”
Gray gone
The Steelers waived backup offensive lineman Derwin Gray before the Colts game and he was claimed Monday by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gray, a seventhround draft pick in 2019, played meaningful snaps two weeks ago at Cincinnati in a rotation with fill-in starter J.C. Hassenauer.
Rookie Kevin Dotson returned to action Sunday and played every snap at left guard.