On the whole, the 2013 offseason was not kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall ended up in Pittsburgh West, Keenan Lewis to the Big Easy, and James Harrison to the Bengals.
But arguably the toughest blow was letting Mike Wallace go to the Dolphins. It can be argued it was a decision made out of financial necessity but there’s no question the team is losing a playmaker. A prime example of that from Week 6 against Tennessee.
Personnel: Deuce
Route Concept: Go Route
Defense: Cover 3
Result: 82 yard touchdown
Before we even draw up the play, check out a few things pre-snap. Unusual backfield grouping for the Steelers. It looks like a heavy set with two TEs and just one WR (Wallace) split out. But the team has Chris Rainey and Antonio Brown in the backfield, eventually motioning Rainey out wide.
That motion might not seem like much but it manipulates the single high safety. Combine that with Rainey’s speed and it forces safety Michael Griffin onto the far hash. It’s subtle but in football, everything counts.
Cornerback Jason McCourty plays it correctly against the speedy Wallace (bottom of the picture). Instead of backpedaling, he uses “bail” technique (back to the sideline) allowing him to run off the snap. Off coverage with a five yard cushion pre-snap.
Check out how quickly Wallace eats up the cornerback’s cushion (the space between them). From being only a yard behind when Ben throws it.
To Wallace being steps ahead on the catch, all while tracking the ball.
Pure speed from Wallace. McCourty protects himself as well as you can coach. Off coverage and bail on the snap. But it turned into a track meet between the two. A battle 60 Minutes wins every time.
There still is speed on the Steelers’ roster. Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are no slouches. But it’s impossible to replace Mike Wallace’s game-breaking speed and the ability to take over a game on any given play.
