Whether Isaac Seumalo plays or not Sunday, it seems the Steelers still intend to use Spencer Anderson in their jumbo package. Last Sunday, despite starting at left guard for the injured Seumalo, he kicked out wide when they brought out the big boys. In his place, they inserted Andrus Peat at left guard. Ray Fittipaldo explained the rationale for their musical chairs approach, which teams normally avoid.
“I think they do it because Spencer is athletic enough to play on the edge and do some stuff that you would actually ask a tackle or a tight end to do” in that jumbo package, he said on 93.7 The Fan. “I don’t know that Andrus Peat at his age is that kind of athlete anymore”.
While the Steelers are not new to using extra linemen, the “jumbo package” features Spencer Anderson paired with 300-pound TE Darnell Washington. While he’s not exactly DK Metcalf, Anderson is a good athlete for a lineman. Playing on the edge, that is obviously a more desirable trait. Peat is nearing the end of his career and probably works best in the booth at this point.
“I get why they did it, but you never like to change positions like that in the course of a game”, Fittipaldo explained. “You saw the false start early. Mike [Tomlin] said they were both above the line. They usually don’t do that. They like to keep guys in one position just for continuity’s sake, but I do kind of get why they did it. Spencer’s been so good as that extra tight end that I think they wanted to keep that as part of their [jumbo] package.
The Steelers drafted Spencer Anderson a couple years back in large part because of his immense versatility. He is able to play any position along the offensive line, so it’s no surprise he can play tight end as well. But he is also just the latest lineman the Steelers have used as an extra blocker over the years. It was really under Todd Haley that they started doing that a lot, and while they eventually got away from it, it was always in their bag.
And it often depends, of course, on who is available. I think it’s reasonable to assume the Steelers didn’t feel comfortable with Andrus Peat on the edge. It’s the only way to explain pulling Anderson out of the formation to kick out wide in their jumbo package.
Anderson declares himself as an eligible receiver when he moves over to the tight end spot in the jumbo package. In actuality, he doesn’t have to, though the Steelers apparently want him eligible for the “threat” of a big-man catch. It does add the complication, though, that an eligible receiver had to come out of the game for a snap before re-settling into a non-eligible position. The Steelers apparently felt that was better than having Peat come in as eligible while not really being eligible.
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