The Steelers know they won’t have Broderick Jones at left tackle; what they don’t know—or won’t say—is who replaces him. And we might not know until the offense takes the field for the first time, to hear Arthur Smith discuss it. While Mike Tomlin brought up Andrus Peat on Tuesday, Smith even threw in Spencer Anderson on Thursday.
“We’ve got options”, Smith insisted, about their plans to replace Jones, via transcript from the Steelers media department. He then proceeded to discuss Calvin Anderson and Andrus Peat, and namedropped Spencer Anderson for good measure. Why?
“That’s unfortunately life in the NFL”, he said of injuries like Jones’ and how teams manage them. “But the good news is when you’ve got depth and you’ve got veterans, it gives you options. Again, I’m not gonna give Sean McDermott and Ryan Nielsen a couple days. I know Nielsen really well. Don’t want to give him any headstart”.
McDermott and Nielsen are, of course, the Bills’ head coach and senior defensive assistant, respectively Nielsen worked with Smith in Atlanta. Basically, what he’s saying is the Steelers have no interest in tipping Buffalo off about which tackle to prepare for in place of Broderick Jones. While Calvin Anderson filled in last week, it’s wide open right now—or so they want the Bills to believe.
All three—both Andersons and Peat—have starting experience, though Spencer Anderson has played guard with the Steelers. Truth be told, I doubt they are even bothering to give him reps at tackle this week, but it’s better to have the Bills have that in their head, already knowing that Jones won’t play.
Calvin Anderson has operated as the Steelers’ swing tackle all season, but scenarios can change when a starter misses a game. We’ve seen that happen before, so it is plausible that Andrus Peat starts for Broderick Jones.
One factor in support of that possibility is the fact that Peat joined the Steelers very late. He only signed with the team in August, so they would have been more comfortable with Anderson, who has been with the team since last season. Then again, it appears Peat has been practicing at guard rather than tackle, though he has ample experience playing both positions.
In reality, I’m not sure there is much of a difference between Peat and Anderson. The only real advantage might just be the Bills not being sure who to prepare for, which may not amount to much. All they know is they don’t have to see Broderick Jones, who has been improving over the weeks.
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