Seeking again to 2001 for how the Steelers can maximize the run game

For the 1st time in a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason with an chance to certainly advance the run activity. And to do it, they just will need to look back again 22 decades.

Prior to very last year, head coach Mike Tomlin experienced trapped to a rigid philosophy to obtaining a single workhorse operating back again who took the vast the vast majority of the carries. This was the situation with Le’Veon Bell, James Conner, Najee Harris and even DeAngelo Williams. The starting up again obtained all the touches.

Obtain Steelers Tickets

But in 2022, we saw Tomlin present real expansion in his technique to the operate recreation when he not only gave backup managing again Jaylen Warren essential carries in position of Harris but authorized quarterback Kenny Pickett to run the ball and even had sets with Warren and Harris on the field at the exact same time. For lovers who have viewed this group for a extensive time, it was a little something of a revelation.

If Tomlin would like to preserve up the momentum and expand the operate activity even a lot more, he demands to search back to the 2001 year when then-head coach Monthly bill Cowher utilized a 4-headed rushing assault that involved quarterback Kordell Stewart.

In 2001, running again Jerome Bettis led the group with 1,072 dashing yards. The Steelers also have three more players, Stewart, fullback Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala and working back Amos Zeroue all had at the very least 440 hurrying yards. The crew was 13-3, produced it to the conference championship video game and was third in details scored and seventh in yards. Teams under no circumstances understood exactly where the run would appear from but no subject what the crew was unified in the idea that this staff would be prosperous operating the soccer.

With Harris, Warren and Pickett Pittsburgh has all the makings of a three-headed dashing monster that can place Pittsburgh again into the hunt for an AFC North title. In 2022, Harris had 1,037 rushing yards, Warren had 379 and Pickett finished with 237 speeding yards. The subsequent 3 gamers each and every had much more than 55 yards speeding.

The Steelers showed they want to be a ability run group in the 2nd half of the period and if they acquire that 2001 blueprint, they can be even much better in 2023.