One thing that has been lost in the shuffle the past couple seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been the play-action pass.
To be more accurate, the play-action game has been more like extinct.
However by the looks of things that should all change this season. In addition to seeing some more of the no-huddle offense, we could also see the play-action pass back as a real weapon in the Steelers’ offense.
That alone is good news for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he has long excelled in the play-action game.
Considering the Steelers offensive line should be better on paper and the Steelers should be able to run the ball more effectively, it makes a lot of sense that the play-action pass returns in a big way.
The Steelers ranked 27th in the league last season in rushing and were tied for 29th in average yards per carry at just 3.5 yards per attempt. That lack of effectiveness on the ground made it easy for opposing defenses to not have to respect their play-action fakes.
Because believe me, when the Steelers tried, they weren’t fooling anyone.
It got to the point that the Steelers tried play-action on only 11 percent of their passing plays all season long.
Roethlisberger had only 74 dropbacks with play-action last season, throwing for 470 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
I would expect those numbers to increase dramatically.
No matter how they line up this season, the Steelers should run the ball much better. Le’Veon Bell came on strong towards the end of last season and the additions of LeGarrette Blount and rookie Dri Archer should only help the cause.
With the way the Steelers had success throwing the football last season, they should only be much better when opposing defenses have to respect the ground game.
If Bell and the rest of the Steelers rushing attack can take a step forward in 2014, it could help bring that play-action element back to the offense and provide some better opportunities in the passing game for Roethlisberger.
The Steelers have a deep wide receiver core and a healthy Heath Miller, who should thrive if the Steelers can get back to using play-action effectively.
With the amount of weapons the Steelers have, if they can run the football and keep Roethlisberger standing upright, the sky could be the limit for this offense.
Throw some play-action back in the mix and it is just another dimension that opposing defenses will struggle to stop.
Photo Credit: ESPN
