Yes, Haley had been terrible in the red zone and a putrid situational caller | general | Forum

When Todd Haley was fired Youth Antonio Brown Jersey , Steelers Nation celebrated, but its joy was tempered by uncertainty.With the Steelers’ decision for Randy Fichtner to take over as Offensive Coordinator, they got a modernized mind which was far ahead of its time when he was at Memphis, and now, he is right in his comfort zone.Fichtner’s mind of efficiency-based play calling is all made for this day and age of high-powered offenses and combined innovation.Fichtner has shown to not just be efficient, but also incredibly innovative. He has led the Steelers to be top 3 in all efficiency categories, including second in red zone efficiency, which is a huge reason why the Steelers are averaging as many points as they are. For the first time in his career, Ben Roethlisberger is being asked to get the ball out quickly and efficiently, and it is no secret why his efficiency numbers are so much higher compared to other years. Randy Fichtner has transformed this team into a efficient one that can set up the big play at any time. For example, on a 3rd and 3 after a short completion to Antonio Brown and a short run by James Conner, he makes an incredible call that not only highlights the situational aspect of his play calling, but the high-percentage nature of it as well.The Panthers have a nice nine (!) man box here. They will not go and blitz all nine obviously, but six is entirely possible, so Fichtner’s play call against a conservative or aggressive look is one that has to be flexible. Given it is 3rd and 3 Black James Conner Jersey , the aggressive nature of the defensive alignment is likely to come out, and it does.So, they run almost a rub / pick play with Washington here. He is going to run that seam up the sideline to take Bradberry out of it, as he has no safety help over the top. The rest of this underneath stuff is underneath zone and aggressive man on the line with the CBs. This is what we call fireman safe in football terms – which essentially refers to the blitzers, and the aggressive man and the zone help over the top. It is incredibly common to get this type of look on short third downs on the opponent’s side of the field. Fichtner likely knows that a variation of that overarching umbrella is going to be coming. So, a high-percentage play with two easy reads for the blitz that can exploit the zone and over-aggressiveness is key. If the man is super aggressive, AB’s out route is going to be taken away and JuJu is going to be wide open. If it is more laid back, they will get JuJu locked up, but AB is going to be open with the more relaxed coverage. Having two flankers, even though AB was a split-end to start off, is key, because it gets JuJu and AB both in space, which immediately makes this a high-percentage play. Ben’s first read is to hit AB right there on that short flat that becomes a modified 7 route and he turns it into a quick-out. As for the rest, JuJu just has to get Foster in front of him to lead the way and it is an easy imitation of AB’s route, almost like a type of out screen if that would make sense. It is not a shuffle pass, but it is a modified type of screen. The last read is Conner, but he is the safety valve. What is the point to explain all of this? All of it adds up to an efficient play call by Fichtner. The situational play calling is absolutelymarvelous to watch and see unfold Black Jon Bostic Jersey , because it is not easy to make the correct call here all the time, but Fichtner knew what was coming from the jump. The look he gives out of 11 personnel is a modified bunch set. JuJu is playing so far back asto be a flanker, and AB too is a flanker by the end of the play. That is a rare, innovative set. Rarely do we ever see two flankers on the same play, but with them both being there, it not only leaves the pick play open with JuJu slanting in, but they also having to keep an eye on McDonald over the middle.One thing you will notice about all of Fichtner’s looks is that they are so versatile, but every option they have is suited for a specific situation. Luckily, he gives multiple looks for each situation.

The set he came up with for this is not only original and seldom used around the league, but it shows his emphasis on high-percentage plays. This is why Randy Fichtner is so darn good.Ryan Switzer has the look of the lethal return man the Steelers have been looking for As we approached the 2018 campaign, many wondered if the Steelers would ever find a solution for having to send star receiver Antonio Brown out on the field when the other team is punting. Actually, that’s probably a lie. Let’s face it, after years of searching for someone suitable to replace Brown—even Mr. Return Man, Jacoby Jones, was so bad in 2015, it was almost like he was getting revenge on Mike Tomlin for that sideline incident in Baltimore two years earlier—any current attempts at a solution seemed futile. Even Brown, himself Youth Cameron Heyward Jersey , seemed to be getting less spectacular at returning punts and hadn’t taken one back to the house since 2015, which just so happened to be the last time he tried to make love to the goalposts. Not only had the Steelers’ punt return average steadily declined over the previous four seasons, it had sunk to an abysmal low of 6.9 yards per return in 2017 when Eli Rogers did the bulk of the heavy lifting. As far a kickoff returns, after watching Danny Smith’s unit average 21.6 yards per return since 2014 (or 3.4 yards less than you’d get by just downing the kick in the end zone), I had totally written that phase of the game off—I was just glad we weren’t still living back in the late 00’s, when Tomlin would often trot out big running backs, like Najeh Davenport. (Remember that? Why didn’t he just send Max Starks out to return kicks?) When news broke late last month that Pittsburgh had acquired return specialist Ryan Switzer in a trade with the Cowboys, I didn’t really pay much attention. Sure, I saw the impressive highlight package from Switzer’s rookie season in Dallas last year, as well as his college days with North Carolina. However (and please forgive me if you’re the president of his fan club), I also saw the highlight package of tight end Vance McDonald last summer, right after Pittsburgh acquired him from the 49ers—and here we are a year later, and that one play where he went 70-plus on the Carolina Panthers is still the best—and only—highlight of Vance McDonald’s injury-riddled career.Anyway, the last person I gave a darn about as the Week-1 contest against the Browns approached was Switzer and his attributes as a return specialist. But then the game began, and Switzer started returning everything, kicks, punts http://www.authenticspittsburg…..ams-jersey , both of them. He looked decisive, as if he knew where he wanted to go the second he corralled the football. And the speed? I believe the phrase: “Shot out of a cannon” is apropos when describing what I saw on Sunday. Instead of leaving the room during a kickoff or punt, I stood there and cheered, screaming things like, “Come on, Switzer, take it to the house, baby!” It felt so foreign to me. Switzer averaged 23 yards per kickoff return, which isn’t necessarily an impressive average. However, he did look like a threat to do something with each kick besides return it to the 21.6-yard line—certainly a step in the right direction. But since the NFL is hellbent on making sure fewer and fewer people make kickoffs exciting these days (I still can’t believe JuJu Smith-Schuster scored on one last year), punt returns are where Switzer will likely be of great value. Switzer averaged 11.2 yards on five punt returns against Cleveland on Sunday and set up Pittsburgh’s third touchdown by returning one 20 yards to the Browns’ 39. I realize it’s only one game, but when you couple that game with Switzer’s rookie season in-which he showed great promise as a return specialist, it might be safe to assume the Steelers have found something. And it looks like Antonio Brown may have finally found a reason to stay off the field when the other team is punting.