Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

August 22, 2009
By Donald Starver

This is Part 8 in a series.  If you haven’t read the previous installments, please click below:

Part 1:  Defensive linemen

Part 2:  Linebackers

Part 3:  Safeties

Part 4: Cornerbacks

Part 5: Quarterbacks

Part 6: Running backs

Part 7: Wide receivers

Tight end is the next position up as we attempt to look at each position on the Steelers and predict which players will make the final 53-man roster.

Since becoming head coach, Mike Tomlin has always carried 3 tight ends on the roster.  We are going to operate under the assumption that this year will be no different.

The Steelers took 5 tight ends into training camp; Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Sean McHugh, Dezmond Sherrod, and rookie David Johnson.  Let’s look at them one at a time.

Heath Miller – I was a very happy man when I heard that the Steelers had extended Heath Miller’s contract.  Though underutilized, Miller is crucial to the Steelers’ offense.  He is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL (which is important in a run oriented offense like the Steelers’), and he also has great hands.

It has always amazed me how Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians seems to love tight ends, and he loves the passing game, yet he can’t find a way to get the ball to Heath Miller more often.  Nevertheless, Steelers fans know that when Arians does call Miller’s number, Heath is going to deliver.

Matt Spaeth – Not many teams have two John Mackey Award winners on their roster, but that is exactly what the Steelers have.  The John Mackey Award is given annually to the best tight end in college football.  Heath Miller won the award in 2004, and Matt Spaeth won it in 2006.

Big Ben has publicly stated that he likes throwing to tall receivers, and at 6’7″, Spaeth is a very tall target.  Moreover, Spaeth has excellent hands.  Unfortunately, Spaeth is only an average (okay, below average) blocker.  That means that he will probably never be a starter for the Steelers.

Sean McHugh – McHugh was signed by the Steelers in 2008 after being released by the Detroit Lions.  While he has been the Steelers third tight end, he is their primary fullback.  Bruce Arians believes in using a tight end as an H-back, rather than using a traditional fullback for blocking purposes.

Perhaps this offensive philosophy has contributed to the decline in the Steelers running game (though most of the blame probably belongs to the offensive line).  Willie Parker has stated that he prefers running behind a traditional fullback, and that he misses former Steeler Dan Kreider.

McHugh played in 15 regular season games last year and caught a total of 3 passes, so it is clear that he is not viewed as a viable component of the Steelers passing game.  However, as long as he is the best blocking option on the Steelers’ roster, he will maintain his spot on the roster.

Which brings us to……….

David Johnson – The rookie out of Arkansas State is clearly the best blocker among the Steelers’ tight ends.  As I watched the Steelers’ tight ends doing blocking drills at training camp, Johnson jumped out at me.  Firstly, when they did blocking drills with the blocking sled, Johnson consistently drove the sled back farther than any of the other tight ends, including Heath Miller.  Moreover, when Johnson hit the sled there was always a loud popping sound that sounded like an explosion.  It was that sound that made me start paying attention to the tight end blocking drills in the first place.

Besides excelling at clobbering blocking sleds, Johnson did something that almost never happens at Steelers training camp.  I watched him stop James Harrison’s bull rush dead in his tracks.  For those of you who have never been to Steelers training camp, when James Harrison goes up against any blocker, it is pretty much like watching Germany battle France during World War II; Harrison wins in devastating fashion.  But that was not necessarily the case against Johnson.

Johnson plays at essentially the same weight as Sean McHugh, but he is 3 inches shorter.  That means that he is stockier and more powerfully built.  Based on the fact that McHugh was used almost exclusively as a blocker, I believe that Johnson has a very good chance of supplanting McHugh as the Steelers’ H-back.

Dezmond Sherrod- The fifth tight end battling for a spot on the Steelers’ roster is Dezmond Sherrod.  Sherrod spent 2008 on the Steelers’ practice squad, and is now hoping to earn a spot on the active roster.  Unfortunately, Sherrod finds himself in a precarious position.  He is not as good a pass catcher as Heath Miller or Matt Spaeth, and he is not as good a blocker as Sean McHugh or David Johnson.  This leaves Sherrod little chance of making the team.

So in summary, I believe that the Steelers are going to enter the 2009 season with Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, and David Johnson as their tight ends.  What do you fans think?  Agree?  Disagree?  Let me hear your comments.

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April 19, 2009
By Donald Starver

This is part 4 in a series.  If you haven’t read  the previous installments, please click below.

part 1

part 2

part 3

In the previous installments in this series, we’ve looked at the offensive line positions.  Now we’re going to take a look at the receiving positions, starting with the tight end.

The tight end position is one of the most versatile positions on the football field.  A tight end may be asked to block a linebacker on one play, catch a pass downfield on the next, and then line up in the backfield and lead block for a running back on the following play.  No other position has so many responsibilities.  The tight end is part offensive lineman, part wide receiver, and part fullback.

Unfortunately, the athletes who play the position don’t tend to be as versatile as the position itself.  Most modern tight ends are either skilled pass receivers, or skilled blockers.  Few tight ends excel in both.  That is why most teams tend to carry 3 tight ends on their roster.  One tight end may be primarily a receiver, another may be primarily a blocker, and the third will excel in whichever aspect of the tight end position the team tends to emphasize.  Fortunately, the Steelers’ Heath Miller is one of the few tight ends who is both an excellent receiver and an excellent blocker.

It is probably unfair, but tight ends tend to get recognition only for their pass catching skills.  That is why fans can quickly name tight ends like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Kellen Winslow Jr.  Moreover, tight ends who are primarily pass catchers tend to get paid more than tight ends who are primarily blockers.

One of the best blocking tight ends in NFL history played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Former Steeler Mark Bruener could go head-to-head with just about any defensive end in the league and hold his own.  Bruener also had good mobility, and could lead block on running plays.  Bruener’s game was perfectly suited to the Steelers’ power running attack.  However, despite his blocking prowess, Bruener never received the accolades that his pass-catching counterparts did.

What a team looks for in a tight end is dependent on how they use their tight end.    The criterion will differ from team to team.  Thus, a tight end who is ranked at the top of one team’s draft board might not even be listed on another team’s board.

The Steelers are in very good shape at the tight end position and will probably not select a tight end in the draft.  Heath Miller is one of the best tight ends in the league, and seems perfectly suited to play for the Steelers.  If the Steelers could have engineered a prototype tight end, he would have been eerily similar to Heath Miller.

Some fans may not realize that the Steelers are fortunate enough to have two John Mackey Award winners on their roster.  The John Mackey Award is given annually to the best tight end in college football.  Heath Miller won the award in 2004 while playing for Virginia, and Matt Spaeth won it in 2006 when he played for Minnesota.

Spaeth is not the skilled blocker that Miller is, but he has excellent hands, and is a very big target in the red zone.  At 6’7″, Spaeth is the Steelers’ tallest receiver.

Rounding out the Steelers’ tight end list is Sean McHugh.  While McHugh is technically a tight end, he rarely sees action in that capacity.  Instead, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians utilizes McHugh as the primary fullback in the Steelers’ offense.

It is highly unlikely that the Steelers will draft a tight end this year.  The Steelers’ tight ends are a relatively young group.  Sean McHugh is the oldest of the bunch, and he has only been in the league for 6 years.  Both McHugh and Miller will be 27 years old during the 2009 season.

The class of 2009 has quite a few noteworthy tight ends.  There is both quality and depth to at the position.   However, since the position is not a need for the Steelers, we will only mention  a few players. 

Tight Ends:

Brandon Pettigrew (6’5″, 257 lbs.), Oklahoma State.  Pettigrew is undoubtedly the best blocker in this years’ tight end class.  He is a big, physical blocker who excels in getting to the second level and picking off linebackers.  He wasn’t used much in the passing game, so he will need work in this area.  He lacks top flight speed, but seems to have the athleticism to become a competent pass catcher..

Travis Beckum (6’3″, 237 lbs.), Wisconsin.  Beckum is probably the most accomplished receiver in this years’ tight end class.  He is an exceptional athlete with great leaping ability and very soft hands.  He is rather light for a tight end, and is built more like an overgrown receiver.  Has suffered injuries, and needs to prove that durability is not a concern.

James Casey (6’4″, 235 lbs.), Rice.  Casey is  a unique athlete who will probably be drafted much higher than his on-field experience indicates he should be.  Casey played baseball in the Chicago White Sox farm system before going to Rice.  While at Rice, he has taken snaps at both quarterback and running back, and has lined up at seven different positions in one game.  I’m sure some scout will over-value Casey’s athleticism, and forget the fact that Casey actually has very little experience playing tight end.  His experience blocking from the tight end position is almost nonexistent.

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The football gods finally smiled upon the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seemed like each time the Steelers were in a close game this season, fate would snatch victory from their hands. Not this time, though.

The Steelers got a masterful performance from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger had thrown eight interception in the Steelers’ last 3 games. His play had been so bad, that some fans had even called for Big Ben to be benched in favor of backup Byron Leftwich. But in this game, Roethlisberger played like a virtuoso. He completed 31-41 pass attempts for 308 yards. More importantly, he threw no interceptions.

Big Ben was accurate with his passes, and perhaps more importantly, he was quick with his reads. Roethlisberger made quick slant passes early and often. When the Chargers showed blitz, Big Ben was quick to change the play to a quick slant pass to either Santonio Holmes or Matt Spaeth. This ability to make the hot reads has been one of Roethlisberger’s (and Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians’) shortcomings this year.

Roethlisberger completed passes to 7 different receivers. That’s right, seven. That may not be a shocking stat for Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but it is very unusual for Big Ben. Roethlisberger even completed a pass to third string tight end and backup fullback Sean McHugh. That’s not something you see everyday.

Roethlisberger ended the game with a 96.4 QB rating. By contrast, Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers ended the game with 2 interceptions and a 43.6 QB rating. Rivers had entered the game as the AFC’s highest rated passer, and the NFL’s leader in touchdown passes. Playing the NFL’s top-rated defense can certainly screw up a quarterback’s stats.

The Steelers welcomed back running back Willie Parker who had missed time this season due to knee and shoulder injuries. In his return to action, Parker rushed for 115 yards. Parker’s running probably helped to keep the Chargers’ defense honest, and made it easier for Roethlisberger to have a great passing day.

Perhaps the unsung hero of the game was backup tight end Matt Spaeth. Spaeth, who started in place of injured Heath Miller, caught 6 passes for 55 yards. Most of those seemed to be for 1st downs. Spaeth appeared to be Roethlisberger’s “go to” receiver anytime he anticipated a blitz. The strategy worked beautifully.

Of course, Steelers Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians also gets credit for calling a brilliant offensive game. We have written an entire article about Arians’ performance, which can be found here.

Despite 308 passing yards from Roethlisberger, 124 receiving yards by Hines Ward, and 115 yards rushing by Willie Parker, the Steelers’ offense actually failed to get into the endzone. Can you believe that? Neither could I. The Steelers’ offense was stifled more by penalties than it was by the Chargers’ defense. The Steelers were penalized 13 times for 115 yards.

On defense, the Steelers showed why they have the NFL’s #1 ranked defense. They held LaDainian Tomlinson to a paltry 57 yards rushing, and held Rivers to 159 yards passing and no touchdown passes. Linebacker James Harrison added a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception to his already impressive statistics. If he’s not the NFL’s Defensive Player of The Year, I don’t know who is.

Safety Troy polamalu also added an interception. He made an amazing play on the ball that had to be reviewed before the Chargers (and the referees) were convinced that it was actually an interception. Troy dived for the ball, and just barely got his fingers under the ball before it hit the ground. He maintained control of the ball, rolled over, and got up running.

Polamalu was also stout against the run. He had several plays against LaDainian Tomlinson that were reminiscent of their Nike commercial.

Despite the low score, and the lack of a Steelers touchdown, this was a dominant performance by both the Steelers offense and their defense. It was just an odd game that ended up with an odd score. In fact, according to the NFL, this was the first time that a game had ever ended up with a score of 11-10. The football gods even had the referees call back a touchdown by Troy Polamalu that would have led to a more reasonable score of 17-10. After the game, the refs acknowledged that they had blown the call. But in this game, it was probably fitting. An odd game like this deserved an odd score. 11-10, that’s one for the books.

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