To play Alex Highsmith or to play Nick Herbig, that is the question. Or at least, that’s the question on a lot of Steelers fans’ minds after Herbig went missing during the Steelers’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Instead, the team opted to play Highsmith more, leading to some outcry.
Former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke threw some cold water on that anger during a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan. While he acknowledged that Herbig is the superior pass rusher, he tipped his cap to Highsmith as the better run defender, and overall more fundamentally sound player from a technique perspective.
That edge in the run game is what sets Highsmith apart from Herbig, at least for now, in Hoke’s view.
“Number one, I don’t think Herbig is bad against the run, I think Highsmith is maybe a little bit better,” said Hoke. “I’m not saying Herbig has bad technique. What I’m saying is he may have a flash play here or there, but is he consistently playing at a high level. Setting the edge, playing physical down the line of scrimmage like Highsmith.”
Hoke went on to tell a story about himself in practice. He said he made a great play one day, hitting the running back in the backfield, dropping him for a loss. While he was fired up about it, former Steelers assistant head coach John Mitchell was not. He laid into Hoke about his poor technique on the play, saying he is lucky if that goes his way one out of every 10 times.
The point being that while Herbig is accustomed to making the big splash plays, sometimes those come at the expense of sound form and technique, which later can lead to backbreaking mistakes.
Hoke did give some additional simple reasoning for why Herbig may have been given fewer snaps.
“Sometimes in the heat of the moment of the game, guys get lost on the bench,” said Hoke. “You wanna blame coaching, whatever, that happens at every level.”
I hear ya, Hoke, but this is a professional football team where people get paid big money to not forget about their best players. Human error aside, I don’t think that one flies here.
Hoke was quick to say that he expects to see an adjustment in snap count this week with Herbig logging more than he did the previous week. Hopefully, against the Packers, we get to see both pass rushers succeed, so we can finally stop comparing two of the better players on Pittsburgh’s roster.
Recommended for you