Steelers' Spencer Anderson Makes A Surprising Admission About Moving To Right Guard

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to struggle against teams led by Shane Steichen, the current head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Steichen took over the Colts in 2023 and routed the Steelers 30-13. That made the 2024 Week 4 game a bit of a revenge game for the Black and Gold. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort in the second half, the Steelers could not win and again went down, this time 27-24. However, Steichen seemed to have Mike Tomlin's number even before that, beating the Steelers as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, 35-13.

A lot went wrong in the most recent game. The offensive line, in particular, seemed to struggle, but they were also most heavily impacted by injuries. They were already without Super Bowl-winning guard Isaac Seumalo and rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu. Then their most veteran and consistent player, guard James Daniels, suffered what we would later find out was a season-ending torn Achilles. 

That meant that second-year guard Spencer Anderson had to step up quickly. Anderson, who had already been filling in for the injured Seumalo on the left side, was moved to the right when Daniels went out. That allowed rookie Mason McCormick to play on the left side, which is usually considered the easier side of the line to play on. 

While the Steelers have been dealing with some musical chairs at the tackle position, it is more unusual at guard. After practice on Monday, Anderson spoke with the media and was asked about the change. 

"Yeah, somebody asked me that yesterday, how many reps at right guard had I taken before that game," said Anderson with a chuckle. "I don't think I took any really other than in camp. But obviously, I felt more comfortable there. Even Isaac [Seumalo] came up to me, the player, and was like, 'You like right better?' I was like, 'Yeah.' And he was like, 'You look more comfortable there.' I thought it was pretty good. I had to adjust on the fly 'cause obviously when James [Daniels] went down, somebody had to fill in."

The original plan seemed to be to rotate Anderson and McCormick before Daniels exited the game. This seems to show that there isn't full confidence in either young player. Daniels is an exceptional run blocker, so it feels unfair to compare either to him. However, as Anderson said to the media, football is a game of attrition; you have to seize those opportunities when you're the next man up. Against the run game, McCormick had a Pro Football Focus (PFF) score of 56.0, and Anderson was a little better at 63.5. 

In pass protection, it was a similar story. McCormick gave up one pressure, but no sacks, for a 67.8 pass-block grade and an overall grade of 54.2, which was better than Anderson's 61.1 against the pass and overall grade of 51.6. Anderson also gave up a sack. It isn't the worst offensive line performance the Steelers have seen, but it wasn't the best. 

Hopefully, Seumalo will return for the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. If he does, he should return to the left guard spot, and the right guard position will be between Anderson and McCormick. It will be interesting to see if the coaches agree that Anderson looks more comfortable on the right and can build upon that, or if they see that McCormick got higher marks for Week 4. 

Steelers' Offense Could Be In Trouble

They always say the best ability is availability, which looks like a problem for Pittsburgh on the offensive side of the ball. Fortunately, the highest-paid defense has stayed relatively injury-free, but this young offense is struggling.

The constant injuries have caused a revolving door at nearly every position on the line. With new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith, and new quarterback Justin Fields still trying to find their rhythm, they can ill afford to keep losing and moving players. Hopefully, rookie center Zach Frazier stays healthy because he has been a consistent presence despite a few miscues with Fields.  

How did you think Anderson did in the Colts game? Click to comment below. 

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