We’ve all blown off steam after a Steelers loss spent yelling at the television by going online and venting about the coaches that need fired T. J. Watt Jersey , players that need cut, and strategies that are so common sense it is baffling that nobody in the NFL bothers to try them.This season, after Ben Roethlisberger was hurt and the Steelers were winless some familiar calls erupted.The defense was giving up big plays, even while they showed signs that they could be much better than their numbers and the offense was struggling to do anything well. Here on BTSC in the gamethread, the articles, the fanposts and comment sections, and all over Steeler Nation the cries erupted to get back to Steeler football, strong defense, power run game. The magic recipe for success from 15 years ago was clearly the answer to the team’s woes.Of course most of us expected to see the same old thing. The offense would continue as it had, instead of running the ball, or adjusting to the opponent’s weaknesses and the QB talent, just spread the WRs out and throw the ball. While on defense the Steelers would record sacks and give up big plays. The doom and gloom crowd was chanting for Munchak in 2020 and the glass is always full enough crowd were talking about the great opportunity to see if Mason Rudolph was the QB of the future.But then something different happened. No coaches were fired, but the Steelers pulled a mid-season trade of a first round pick for a second year safety to fill Sean Davis’s shoes. This set off a whole different set of fans, as the draft watchers lamented the loss of a first round pick (and the countless hours of thinking about and debating who to use it on), while others wondered why you would go all in when the team was awful. It was an unprecedented move by a franchise that rarely trades high profile picks and yet it was their second big move of the year after trading up to draft Devin Bush and they brought in a young and talented sidekick to help Bush patrol the field from the middle out.Then the offense started to show signs of change. More snaps started occurring from under center, the offensive line started putting a hand on the ground occasionally, and the offensive focus shifted from the QB and WRs to the three-headed RB monster the Steelers had built over the past three seasons with a late third, a late 5th and a 4th round pick.Heading into week 4, after Rudolph’s first start I argued that the Steelers should learn from the 2004 Steelers, the 2016-2017 Rams and the 2018 Ravens in how to deal with starting a young QB Jerome Bettis Jersey White , and talked about how success with a young QB, even a very talented passer, coincides with a higher percentage of running the ball. The Steelers apparently read that article and agreed (obviously), because in the three weeks since the Steelers have the 5th highest percentage of running plays in the NFL, at 49.1%. They did this without their FB Roosevelt Nix and even traded for TE Nick Vannett to bolster their 2 TE sets.If you look at the breakdown by snap counts, the Steelers the first three weeks averaged 2.97 WRs per snap, while the 3 games after San Francisco they have averaged 2.5 WRs per snap. The Baltimore game was the highest WR usage since San Francisco, and that game stands out as one where the Steelers looked to take advantage of their WR blocking vs the Baltimore secondary. Contrast that with the Los Angeles game where the Steelers used a lot of heavier looks with 1.6 TEs/6thOL per snap in that game when they were attacking San Diego’s lack of speed in their LBs with passes to James Conner.The game against Cincinnati featured 1.2 RBs per play, with 12 more RB snaps than there were offensive plays, with 7 of those snaps accounting for wildcat plays.It is clear that the Steelers aren’t just running the ball more, but for three straight weeks have run their offense with a heavier focus on exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses, while the defense has been superb.Apparently the Steelers are capable of making a big trade or two, they are able to adapt their offense to attack the opposing team’s weaknesses, and the defense is able to succeed under Tomlin and Butler.Which makes the real question, what was stopping them from doing it before?Feel free to chime in with your opinion below! Eleven people died Saturday morning at a church in Squirrel Hill, a predominantly Jewish neighborhood just to the east of Pittsburgh. A gunman, radicalized by hate and anti-semitism and armed with a semi-automatic rifle along with three handguns, entered the Tree of Life synagogue and shot over a dozen attendees, killing Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil and David Rosenthal James Conner Jersey White , Rose Mallinger, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger in cold blood. One of the victims was a Holocaust survivor, man. This is awful. More than a million people viewed this website last month. We’re one of the most popular team blogs on the SB Nation network, and that’s a testament not to the quality of the writing and analysis here (though the writing and analysis done by my colleagues here is exceptional), but to the tangible online community that you, the readers, have created. Now, I know that my irreverent musings are not generating millions of page views each month, but the Stock Report seems to be a fairly well-read blog, so I want to ask you, this online community, to assist Pittsburgh, my community, in its time of need. Please consider donating to the Tree of Life victims fund, the official GoFundMe for which can be found here. Thank you. ANYWAY...Stock up: Offensive efficiency and balanceSunday’s proceedings did not get off to a great start. The Steelers failed to convert a single first down on their first three drives Womens Jerome Bettis Jersey , and on the second drive Ben Roethlisberger tossed a hilariously ill-advised pass in the general vicinity of JuJu Smith-Schuster, only to see said pass carom off some person’s extremity into Derrick Kindred’s awaiting arms. It definitely felt like it was going to be one of those games. Fortunately, the aforementioned interception represented thenadir for the offense (not including whatever happened with Roosevelt Nix and Ryan Switzer on that punt, but we’ll get there). Roethlisberger was sharp, completing 24 passes and throwing a pair of touchdowns to Antonio Brown, thereby further demonstrating that their near telepathic connection is stronger than ever, and James Conner’s multifaceted skillset was on full display, as he trucked, dodged, eluded, and stiff-armed his way to more than 200 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. I went to the game Sunday, and I don’t know if this is a regular thing, but midway through the third quarter a pocket of fans near the south end-zone starting chanting Conner’s name. Shortly thereafter, a deafening chorus of “Conner” chants echoed throughout the entire stadium. It was really neat. All told, the offense converted six of its 13 third-down attempts (six of 10 if you’re inclined to look the other way on those three stalled drives to start the game), generated more than 400 yards (they ran 68 plays and amassed 421 yards; we were sooooo close to the magic numbers, you guys), and controlled the time of possession. More impressively, their run/pass splits were about as good as you can hope for from a professional football team. If they can maintain that level of balance moving forward, they’ll be a difficult unit to slow down Jerome Bettis Jersey , let alone stop. Stock up: The secondaryWho’d’ve thunk that parking Artie Burns on the bench would’ve alleviated the secondary’s woes? Oh, that’s right, everyone. Listen. It isn’t like Coty Sensabaugh, Burns’s “replacement”, played like vintage Darrelle Revis and it isn’t like Cleveland’s passing attack is as potent as, say, Kansas City’s. Baker Mayfield’s the best quarterback the Browns have had on their roster since, like, Otto Graham, or something, but he’s still a rookie and he’s still surrounded by what is still a supremely underwhelming supporting cast. Still, holding a professional quarterback to 180 passing yards and two touchdowns—one of which was the trashiest and most pungent garbage-time touchdown you can ever hope to see—on 36 attempts is a commendable feat regardless of circumstances and it’s something upon which the Steelers can build. Also, Joe Haden, already the best cornerback in NFL history, made one of the best interceptions you will ever see a defensive back make. On the eighth play of Cleveland’s ensuing series after Roethlisberger connected with Brown on an unscripted play for a 43-yard touchdown strike, Mayfield said “screw it” and hucked a bomb to Damion Ratley. Haden tracked it the whole way, high-pointing the pass near the opposing sideline and tapping both feet inbounds. I was in line for food and had to watch it on TV. That—getting stuck in line because I couldn’t wait until halftime to shovel food into my stupid mouth and failing to witness an electric play in person—is the worst. I’m very thankful for closed circuit game-feeds. God bless those of you who attended games before concession stand TVs were a thing. So, yeah, it was a good interception. He dropped a pair of should-be picks against the Bengals in Pittsburgh’s last game, so it was nice to see him make arguably the play of the game; against his old team James Conner Jersey , no less. Of course, one of primary factors in guiding the secondary’s success was...Stock up: The pass rushThe Steelers only picked up a pair of sacks, but their pass rushers were regularly in and around Mayfield’s headspace, causing many a hurried throw. In fact, the pass rush was responsible for putting some points on the board, as the Steelers were awarded a safety after to remove Bud Dupree’s head from his spinal cord. Stock down: CommunicationFollowing the safety, there seemed to be some confusion Roosevelt Nix and Ryan Switzer during the requisite punt. Specifically, Nix called for a fair catch, which led Switzer to back away from the ball’s charted course and allow it to hit the ground. With no Steelers in sight to pounce on the now-loose ball, a caravan of Browns recovered it, after which they were awarded possession. Switzer apparently was not aware that safety punts not treated like regular punts, but like kickoffs, wherein that a ball is live until it’s recovered and downed by the kicking team. I was also not aware of this. Unlike Switzer, though, I am not paid to know this rule, so it would’ve been nice for him to, ya know, maybe clarify that point with the coaching staff before heading on field. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith and head coach Mike Tomlin are not absolved of blamed in this matter, as the onus to inform personnel of complexities such as that is kinda on them.