Let's review Seahawks 31, Steelers 17 by starting with the offensive game plan. And for that, allow me to step back into college football for a minute:
As some of you may know, I follow the Michigan Wolverines football team closely. From 2021 to 2023, they recorded a 40-3 record. Chief among the changes that brought about that successful run was the adoption of a new defensive approach. In 2021, Michigan brought in two defensive coaches who were disciples of coordinator Wink Martindale while he was with the Baltimore Ravens: Mike MacDonald and Jesse Minter. The goal for Jim Harbaugh and the program was to have a defense that could contain the Big Ten team with superior talent, specifically Ohio State and its dominant passing offense, which regularly featured first-round receivers and quarterbacks.
Michigan's success in beating Ohio State four consecutive years and recording an undefeated season had a lot to do with a defense that finished in the top three, or first overall in yards and points allowed during those seasons. MacDonald parlayed that success to become the Ravens' defensive coordinator. His defense finished first in points allowed for the Ravens in 2022. That success led to him being named Seattle's head coach in 2023.
Minter's success as Michigan's DC led him to acquire the same position with the Chargers. Minter's defense in San Diego tied for the lowest amount of points allowed in the NFL last year.
Watching Michigan those three seasons, the defense has been predicated on disguising at the line of scrimmage while primarily playing two deep safeties on the back end. They'll give up 4-7 yards at a time in the run game and understand that the opponent will quit on it.
However, the point is that the defense was a nightmare for spread offenses, whether it was OSU or Washington in the 2023 national title game, which featured a first-round pick at quarterback, tackle, and receiver, along with a second-round pick at receiver and tackle.
Now, we all realize I'm not an elite-level coach like Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin. But having seen this defense for four years every college Saturday, as I have, I would like you to imagine the dismay I felt watching the Steelers roll out a game plan that featured Aaron Rodgers in the shotgun. It made no sense to me from the start of the game. And it was no surprise to me that Rodgers had only 27 passing yards on his first 11 attempts and 37 yards overall on 12 passes by halftime. The Steelers played right into the hands of that defense.
The game plan feeds into the fear I had about signing Rodgers in the first place: You overthink it instead of committing to an identity.
Yes, the Steelers ran the ball early. They also must have believed they could take advantage of a defense without Devon Witherspoon. However, they didn't force the Seahawks to pack the box with tight formations to set up under-center chunk play-action plays, as they had the week before against the Jets. So, the fear that Tomlin and the staff could do more than he could or should do took all of two weeks to manifest. Instead of first planning a game around understanding where your own individual players are, they plan as if they have the personnel to be diverse from week to week.
With Rodgers being 41 and not very mobile, and behind line that struggles to protect, it's a gross oversight to prepare first around their own talent rather than considering the offensive personnel can do anything week to week.
Another aspect that remains constant is the team's struggles in short-yardage situations. Whether it's Rodgers or Russell Wilson, it doesn't matter; the Steelers are still terrible on third-and-2. On the first third-and-short situation, the Steelers ran for nine with Jaylen Warren.
On the next third-and-2, they emptied the backfield and eliminated any threat of the run. Subsequently, Rodgers retreated from a sack and heaved the ball away incomplete. Several times last season, I wrote about the same empty backfield formations on third-and-2 and the lack of success those yielded. Yet, they continue doing it.
On the next third-and-2, the Steelers had a running back in the backfield, but punted after another incompletion.
The biggest frustration I have with Tomlin is that in 18 years, I've come to learn how incredibly stubborn he is. It's his curse.
Some of you may recall I have been lamenting for years that 7-shots are a complete waste of time in improving a team. Practicing 7-shots certainly didn't help the Steelers on third-and-2 on Sunday. It didn't help them near the goal line, either. When my wife walked outside to our gazebo and found me shaking my head, she said, "You're not happy they just scored a touchdown?" And after trying to explain how the Steelers are still not built to run the ball and collapse a defense into the end zone, and how they have to resort to soft jump ball calls to win one-on-ones. How that wasn't championship-level stuff. And then I realized I might as well have been talking to the bricks on the house at that point.
But that frustration turned out to be just. Because after Warren's 65-yard reception to get the Steelers to the Seattle 5, they had to resort to a third-down pass that was intercepted. The first-down play after the reception was a waste. Did anyone think Warren was going to get a handoff after running 65 yards? Nobody on Seattle's defense seemed to think so.
The second thing Harbaugh changed to improve his results at Michigan was his approach to practice in developing a dominant run game. In 2021, the program did a drill weekly on padded practice days called the "Ohio State drill" in which Michigan would run the ball OVER and OVER again to hardwire an identity of running the ball even when teams stack the box. It, in turn, sharpened the defense's ability to stop the run. This drill is believed to have helped them turn the corner at the lines of scrimmage. Bill Cowher installed a similar mindset in 2004 to re-establish the Steelers' ground game.
To my disappointment, the Steelers made no such adjustments in their coaching strategy this training camp, after Tomlin had discussed how change was on the way. He did hire new coaches for the linebackers and secondary, moved on from both quarterbacks, traded Minkah Fitzpatrick, added Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey, etc. And yet, the results are the same. The Steelers struggle to run the ball effectively in short-yardage situations and at the goal line. They're not consistent at running the ball. And over the years, they've gotten smaller at nose tackle, and at linebacker. Their ability to stop the run has slowly deteriorated.
Ramsey, who was supposed to be a star hybrid defender, has been picked on. Cooper Kupp, who seemed to have nothing left for over a year, suddenly produced 7 catches and 90 yards.
The Steelers gave up the most points in the first quarter last year. They were one of the worst teams in the league at giving up touchdown drives on the first series. Despite the changes to the personnel and coaching staff, the Steelers have given up scoring drives, including a touchdown, on the first two opponent possessions this season. Seattle had the longest drought in the league, not scoring a touchdown on their opening drive (22 games), before finally scoring one Sunday.
The Steelers defense has been repeatedly picked on over the middle and seemed to have no answers, regardless of whether Ramsey was in the slot or Beanie Bishop last season.
Rodgers says it's just Week Two. However, Rodgers hasn't been experiencing the same problems year after year. Yes, I'd like to believe it's only Week Two. Still, between player deficiencies and/or a lack of player development, as well as recurring issues with individual players and overall results on both sides of the ball, I don't think it's just an early-season issue. Until Tomlin shows accountability and is willing to make adjustments to his approach, nothing will change.
Other thoughts:
* I want to conclude these in-season pieces on a positive note, but it's tough after Sunday's game. The only things that immediately came to mind on Sunday were that Warren is a good running back who needs to be featured in an offense that commits to running from under center, and Chuck Clark is a good tackler.
* On Kaleb Johnson, my first thought when I saw Johnson's kick return mistake was also Barry Foster in San Francisco. I still remember it clearly. Johnson is a talented player who has a chance to have a very good career. But hearing about his struggles with confidence and seeing that play out in his mistakes on the return, this young man needs to be coached up on the importance of developing a growth mindset. Johnson apparently lost confidence over the preseason. He's used to being a starter. Currently, he's prioritizing results and expectations over the process. Regardless of your failures or successes, young man, it's all an opportunity for improvement. You have to flatline on your results. Do not ride the emotional roller coaster as Tomlin has often articulated. The blowhards out there who say Johnson should have been cut don't have a clue. As Teddy Roosevelt once said, they are the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. I hope Johnson lets this fuel him to do great things. Johnson needs to develop tunnel vision for the process. Forget the depth chart. Just focus on the controllables, which are getting better. Here's to hoping this young man finds that.
* Lastly, I agree with Tomlin punting on fourth-and-1 on the first possession of the second half. At that point, the Steelers were essentially up 3-1 in the turnover battle (including Seattle's missed field goal). You should play those numbers. Football justice usually works out. But then the Johnson gaffe occurred. I have no doubt Johnson was taught the kickoff rules repeatedly. The coaching mistake was continuing to use a player in that role who was struggling with confidence and had no prior experience with it.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin during the second half Sunday (Photo: Barry Reeger, USA TODAY Sports)