Former Longtime Steelers Staffer Perplexed By Mike Tomlin's Comments On Scripting Plays

The Pittsburgh Steelers have just one first quarter touchdown through the first six games of the season on a long bomb by Kenny Pickett to Calvin Austin III against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. Despite the team's scoring woes early in games, Pickett's clutch play late in contests combined with a defense that is tied for fifth in forcing turnovers, has the team in the thick of a playoff hunt in the loaded AFC with a 4-2 record. Head Coach Mike Tomlin sees no reason to change the script of early plays, despite the horrid starts.   

Doug Whaley worked for the Steelers from 2000-2010 leading the personnel department. He joined the Buffalo Bills as an assistant general manager in 2010 and then served as the general manager in Buffalo from 2014-2017. The Pittsburgh native joined hosts Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson Wednesday morning on 93.7 The Fan's Morning Show. Whaley said that Tomlin's explanations about scripting plays doesn't seem to line up with his actions on gameday. 

Whaley pointed to a specific moment in Pittsburgh's most recent game against the Los Angeles Rams where it seemed that Pittsburgh either stuck to the script, or just completely didn't learn from an earlier play. 

"The first possession, they [the Rams] had a full out blitz and Kenny didn’t see it," Whaley said. "Most importantly, there was no hot read. If you’re scripting, you’re trying to figure out what they did. Fifth possession, exact same blitz there’s no hot read and no adjustment and Kenny missed it again. Help me understand that coach? Whatever you gathered, you didn’t use it."

A hot read was explained by Dickerson at Whaley's request. Either way, he's not buying the explanation Pittsburgh's head coach is selling by presumably not adjusting to the blitz.

Steelers Lack Creativity In Early Plays 

Pittsburgh's Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada has taken a lot of heat for the simplicity of his scheme. Whaley said it seems like that carries over into the offensive script for games. Tomlin talked about making personnel changes when he talked about designing plays for early in the game, but Whaley doesn't see it. 

Whaley hasn't seen a real effort to actively use different formations or personnel groupings which he said can surprise a defense. If it doesn't, a good offense should have some bread and butter plays that they can go to if the opposition catches onto the changes. 

"You mix it up and keep the defense on their heels," Whaley said. "Keep the defensive coordinator guessing instead of just saying, 'Let’s just run the same 15 plays that we’ve run for the whole three years this guy has been here and expect to do some information gathering.' No, they’re going to shut you down like they have." 

Tomlin said the coaching staff is focused on how they can get off to better starts after their string of awful ones. A large part of that will be trying to figure out the enigma that Pickett has been so far in 2023. 

He continues to have games where he starts slowly and then rises to the occasion to make the plays that are needed to win. It's been a factor in the last two Pittsburgh victories over the Rams and Baltimore Ravens. It's something that Tomlin joked he struggles with "Every day of my life."  

Whaley said the team feels like it's adopted Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope strategy he used to beat George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle in 1974. Take punches all game and then seal the tilt at the end. However, it's not a strategy the only offensive player with a Super Bowl ring endorses along with Whaley.

What did you think of Whaley's comments? Are the Steelers not learning from their mistakes or are they just too stubborn to change? Comment below!

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