The Broncos game was a disaster if you listen to Steelers’ fans. Too many penalties, costly interceptions and an ugly final score made Steelers’ fans are a lot more anxious now than they were a week ago, and they were already pretty anxious.
After all, there still is no clear answer to who will be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback Week 1. But the uncertainty with the offensive line has largely cleared up — it would be shocking if Maurkice Pouncey isn’t the center in the opener and Flozell Adams will be the right tackle.
| Player | Good Plays | Total Plays | Pct. |
| Ramon Foster | 9 | 10 | 90.00% |
| Tony Hills | 19 | 22 | 86.36% |
| Jonathan Scott | 19 | 22 | 86.36% |
| Kraig Urbik | 11 | 13 | 84.62% |
| Maurkice Pouncey | 34 | 43 | 79.07% |
| Doug Legursky | 18 | 23 | 78.26% |
| Justin Hartwig | 17 | 22 | 77.27% |
After that, predicting the Steelers’ backup linemen — and how many they will keep — is a wide-open question. So that makes for a lot of fascinating viewing as I rewatched the offensive line against the Broncos. Lets dive in.
Maurkice Pouncey: For a rookie, Pouncey is very, very good. Usually Steelers rookies sit and learn, Pouncey will play right away. But lets not put him in Canton yet. Pouncey faced a very good test in battling nose tackle Jamaal Williams. He didn’t get blown off the line, but he also didn’t exactly take Williams and toss him around (it’s hard to toss around a 350-pounder). Pouncey was able to lock up Williams, but often Williams was able to still flow down the line toward the hole. But what was most important is that Pouncey was able to block Williams without much help — it’s a strong sign that Pouncey will be able to take on 3-4 nose tackles and hold his own.
| Play | Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | With little help from Kemo handles Jamaal Williams | Yes |
| 2 | Moss lined up over him. Drives Pouncey back, but Pouncey anchors, then shoves Moss to the ground | Yes |
| 3 | Williams drags Pouncey to run hole, but Pouncey then puts him on the ground with help from Kemoeatu | Yes |
| 4 | Double-teams Williams with Essex | Yes |
| 5 | Blocks down/left on #98, but loses him and he gets assist | No |
| 6 | High snap in shotgun, loses Bannan on rush up middle | No |
| 7 | OK job on Williams 1-on-1. Driven back a little, but stays in control | Yes |
| 8 | Again gives up a step into backfield, but then gains control, puts Williams on ground | Yes |
| 9 | Quick block on outside screen | Yes |
| 10 | Picks up #57 on blitz on 3-step drop | Yes |
| 11 | Stiffs Bannan on another quick pass | Yes |
| 12 | Takes Williams and drives him down line | Yes |
| 13 | Williams stalemates Pouncey on run up middle | No |
| 14 | Excellent job of hand-fighting with DT | Yes |
| 15 | Williams flows down line to make tackle as Pouncey gets hands on him but can’t control him | No |
| 16 | Recognizes blitz quickly picks up LB | Yes |
| 17 | Confused by stunt, whiffs on attempt to block #56 who loops outside. Then whiffs on attempt to block #94 who also gets free to flush Dixon. Leftwich would have been posterized | No |
| 18 | Williams manages to use arms to shove Pouncey aside on running play up middle | No |
| 19 | Double-teams with Kemo to stuff Williams | Yes |
| 20 | Not much to do as Williams takes pass play off | Yes |
| 21 | Ok job on Williams this time on run up middle | Yes |
| 22 | Blocks Williams well initially, then Dixon roll out scrambles everything on INT | Yes |
| 23 | Helps Essex with DT | Yes |
| 24 | Again really looking for something to do, so helps out Kemo | Yes |
| 25 | Same story. 4-man front pass rush=Pouncey helping out OGs | Yes |
| 26 | Tries to get out to pick up LB, but can’t get their in time, his man makes tackle | No |
| 27 | Does a good job as a help blocker | Yes |
| 28 | Same again. As helper in pass blocking | Yes |
| 29 | Very good block. Makes punch, hands off one man, picks up another | Yes |
| 30 | Loses battle of leverage, but has a good enough base to recover and stop pass rush | Yes |
| 31 | Handles his man well as Essex allows sack | Yes |
| 32 | With help from Kemo puts #79 on ground | Yes |
| 33 | Picks up initial blitzer in ILB X blitz, but second man makes tackle. Confusion between him and Essex. Looks like he should have handed off first man and taken second LB | No |
| 34 | No one to block on quick pass | Yes |
| 35 | OK job. Blocks his man then helps on LB | Yes |
| 36 | Not able to stop Williams from flowing down line and helping on tackle | No |
| 37 | Excellent help on LB blitz | Yes |
| 38 | Uses hands well again on Dixon scramble. Pops a LB after Dixon runs by | Yes |
| 39 | One of his better blocks of night. Helps drive DT down line then slides off to get good block on ILB | Yes |
| 40 | Stalemate with #99. Solid job | Yes |
| 41 | No problem handling #99 on pass play | Yes |
| 42 | Decent job in pass blocking | Yes |
| 43 | No one to block on 4th and 1 bootleg | Yes |
Jonathan Scott: He didn’t have a better day than Flozell Adams, and at this point it’s hard to see how he’d be a starter. Adams would have had to fall on his face, but instead he played his best game of the preseason. But Scott has been adequate, which is good news for a tackle who was very inadequate last year in Buffalo. If you were looking for something to worry about, there was one play where Scott’s big weakness — struggling to maintain his base — cropped up, but unlike last year, he was able to recover after being lifted off his feet.
| Play |
Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | Good job on pass rush. Uses hands well | Yes |
| 2 | Helps out Legursky on double team | Yes |
| 3 | Solid job pass blocking with help from Legursky | Yes |
| 4 | Stuffs pass rusher at the line. No push at all | Yes |
| 5 | DE slides outside, but almost gives up | Yes |
| 6 | Takes initial step inside, which induces DE to go outside on run the other way | Yes |
| 7 | Loses his man outside, but run is the other way | Yes |
| 8 | Takes LB and drives him off the screen. Scott flagged, but it’s Dwyer’s fault not his | Yes |
| 9 | Bad block. Gets caught helping out inside as LB Mays beats him to outside | No |
| 10 | Drives back DE #93 | Yes |
| 11 | Solid block on quick pass | Yes |
| 12 | Loses his man after initial pop. | No |
| 13 | Good job pushing his man back | Yes |
| 14 | Seals corner on Dwyer’s 40-yard run | Yes |
| 15 | Decent block on run | Yes |
| 16 | Problems with his feet as we’ve seen in past. Bull rush knocks him over | No |
| 17 | Handles bull rush this time, although still troubles with balance | Yes |
| 18 | Has two men to block. Picks proper one | Yes |
| 19 | Decent job on Batch INT | Yes |
| 20 | Drives him man, eventually puts him on ground | Yes |
| 21 | Easy block as run is other way | Yes |
| 22 | Decent shove on run his way | Yes |
Tony Hills: The tackle who was headed for the waiver wire is now making it awfully hard to cut him. There wasn’t a whole lot to dislike about Hills’ work on Sunday. He twice showed poor technique on pass plays and got away with some grabs that could have been flagged as holds, but, hey, if they don’t call it it’s good use of your hands. Hills is showing plenty of energy — he blocks to the whistle, he is quick enough to make blocks downfield (see his block on Dwyer’s long third quarter run for proof).
| Play | Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | Poor technique, OK results in pass blocking | Yes |
| 2 | Outstanding block. Maybe best by any OL tonight. Hurries to get inside angle on LB, then drives him back and puts him on ground | Yes |
| 3 | Follows it with bad block. Gets caught cheating outside, beaten inside. Ends up getting away with hold to stop rush. | No |
| 4 | Swallows up #52. Makes it look easy | Yes |
| 5 | Easy block as his man has man responsibility on RB | Yes |
| 6 | Very good run block on #93 | Yes |
| 7 | Arm over throws LB outside on draw. Then excellent block downfield on CB | Yes |
| 8 | Beaten to inside on Dwyer’s screw-up. Could have been flagged for hold again | No |
| 9 | Not much to do with run other way | Yes |
| 10 | Dominates man in pass blocking | Yes |
| 11 | Same play that worked before. Throws LB to outside, but this time LB sniffs play out for tackle. Not Hills’ fault | Yes |
| 12 | Solid pass block, quick pass | Yes |
| 13 | Hustles, but finds no one to block on run other way for TD | Yes |
| 14 | Keeps blocking and blocking on Dwyer’s second effort | Yes |
| 15 | Blocks no one | No |
| 16 | No one to block on pass play | Yes |
| 17 | Gets #93 to do a no mas on TD pass | Yes |
| 18 | Ok job with help from Urbik | Yes |
| 19 | Excellent technique on Batch INT | Yes |
| 20 | Blocks til whistle on run play | Yes |
| 21 | Good drive block on run | Yes |
| 22 | Shows awareness punches inside then slides outside to pick up man | Yes |
Doug Legursky: If Legursky wasn’t so versatile and didn’t have experience, I’d be wondering if he was in danger of being cut. It’s hard to say he’s played better than Kraig Urbik during the preseason. But Legursky is a competent center who can also play guard, which means that he’s not only likely to make the 53-man roster but also is likely to be on the gameday roster. Legursky doesn’t show as much power as some of the other guard candidates, but he is pretty mobile. When he was asked to pull, Legursky showed good mobility, but when a linebacker met him in the hole, he wasn’t able to blow them up. Instead they usually forced a stalemate in the hole, which created traffic for the running back to try to work around.
| Play | Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | Fine job on #99 | Yes |
| 2 | Puts #93 on his back | Yes |
| 3 | Aggressive. Handles his man, hands him off to Hartwig then lights up Scott’s man | Yes |
| 4 | Picks up blitzing LB | Yes |
| 5 | Double-team help with no one lined up over him | Yes |
| 6 | Pulls for OK block on LB, but his man able to wrap up Dwyer | No |
| 7 | Finds LB and blocks him on nice Dwyer run on draw | Yes |
| 8 | Dwyer blows assignment but Legursky does solid job | Yes |
| 9 | His worst block of night, misses his man, falls down | No |
| 10 | Handles his man on sack | Yes |
| 11 | Blocks no one as he misses on LB | No |
| 12 | Blocks LB downfield on quick pass | Yes |
| 13 | Gets very good initial surge on Dwyer TD | Yes |
| 14 | Flagged for false start | No |
| 15 | Good job pushing on Dwyer’s extra effort | Yes |
| 16 | Gives a little ground but maintains block | Yes |
| 17 | Pulls, turns his man, but Dwyer runs right up his back | Yes |
| 18 | Smith gets penetration on pass play | No |
| 19 | Good job of pass pro. | Yes |
| 20 | Not much to do on Batch INT | Yes |
| 21 | Whiffs on LB | No |
| 22 | Pulls for ferocious hit in hole | Yes |
| 23 | Turns his man on run up middle | Yes |
Justin Hartwig: It looks like the end is near in Pittsburgh for the former starting center. If this was one of his final arguments for sticking around, it likely won’t help. Hartwig once again showed that he is a scrapper who will usually figure out how to get the job done, but he also ends up on the ground a lot — something that has been noticeable going back to his days in Carolina. I counted six plays (out of 22) where Hartwig ended up on the ground at the whistle. He also appeared to be at fault on a sack.
| Play | Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | Good job on #91 in pass pro. | Yes |
| 2 | Blocks no one, falls down | No |
| 3 | Helps out in pass protection | Yes |
| 4 | Struggles but manages his pass block | Yes |
| 5 | Handles #99 and blocks til whistle | Yes |
| 6 | Falls down again, but run outside so it doesn’t matter much | No |
| 7 | LB too fast for him to reach to block. But problem is Dwyer busted his assignment | Yes |
| 8 | Pushes #99 back a step, then #99 forces him to buckle to his knees | Yes |
| 9 | Badly beaten by #52 who makes initial hit on Broncos sack | No |
| 10 | Again can’t get to LB in time to lay a block | No |
| 11 | Good block, but #99 throws him to the ground | Yes |
| 12 | Again ends up on ground, but after laying block on ILB | Yes |
| 13 | OK block on run up middle | Yes |
| 14 | Falls down (again), but this time it works as he blocks LB who doesn’t see him from his knees | Yes |
| 15 | Stalemate at line on run left | Yes |
| 16 | Good job on #91 on pass play | Yes |
| 17 | Stuffs LeKevin Smith on TD pass | Yes |
| 18 | No one to block on quick pass | Yes |
| 19 | Good block on Batch’s INT | Yes |
| 20 | Doesn’t get any movement, but maintains body position on running play | Yes |
| 21 | Drives Smith til whistle | Yes |
| 22 | Caught in between, blocks DT, then slides off late to pick up LB, misses him, but also DT helps on tackle | No |
Ramon Foster: If you were grading Foster on Sunday’s game you would almost have to give him an incomplete. With the Steelers trying to split time between him and Kraig Urbik, Foster only received nine snaps (it was his bad luck that his drives were shorter than Urbik’s drives when they alternated back and forth). Foster did play well when he was in there, and his ability to play right tackle in a pinch (poorly, yes, but he has practiced and played there) will likely be a big selling point in keeping him around.
| Play | Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | Bull rush doesnt faze Foster | Yes |
| 2 | Bad block can’t reach #99 who blows up play in backfield | No |
| 3 | OK job on Smith, but loses him late | Yes |
| 4 | Fine job on quick pass | Yes |
| 5 | Finds his man flows down line well to pick him up | Yes |
| 6 | Good job on Dwyer’s second-effort run. Keeps pumping his legs | Yes |
| 7 | Best block of night. Finds LB, seals him off on Dwyer’s 40-yard run | Yes |
| 8 | Turns his man and blocks him to inside | Yes |
| 9 | Adequate pass block, but he maintains it forever | Yes |
| 10 | Makes DE give up on pass rush | Yes |
Kraig Urbik: Hills is battling Urbik for the title of most improved lineman on the Steelers’ roster this preseason. After watching him in limited action against Denver, it would be hard to see him pink-slipped at this point. Urbik showed strength, when he gives a punch or a push, the defender usually reels a little bit. He does has some trouble when he’s on the move trying to block linebackers or other moving targets. It seems like he’s a better player in the phone booth than pulling out on a counter.
| Play | Result | Good Block? |
| 1 | Excellent pass block on bull rush | Yes |
| 2 | LB gets no push in pass rush | Yes |
| 3 | Shows some strength again, although his man reaches around to help stuff Dwyer | Yes |
| 4 | Blocks no one. Looks confused | No |
| 5 | With help seals #52 on busted play | Yes |
| 6 | Finds LB and lays good block | Yes |
| 7 | Gives pop, hands off man finds next target and picks him up. Very good job | Yes |
| 8 | OK job on #99 | Yes |
| 9 | Helps Hills stuff pass rush | Yes |
| 10 | Fine pass block on Batch INT | Yes |
| 11 | Excellent run block drives #93 back | Yes |
| 12 | Doesn’t get free from DT block to pick up LB | No |
| 13 | Pulls for first time meets #96 in hole for solid block | Yes |
Related posts:
- Analyzing the Steelers O-Line: Lions, Preseason Week 1
- Analyzing the Steelers O-Line: Giants, Preseason Week 2
- Analyzing the Offensive Line: Flozell Adams Takes a Big Step
- Random Thoughts: Steelers-Broncos Preseason Game (It’s All Yours, Byron!)
- Steelers vs. Broncos: Preseason Game 3 (and Daily Thread)
