COLUMBUS, Ohio — Until a few months ago, the idea of using the Browns to illustrate how a potential change in schemes could benefit the Steelers would have been widely mocked in Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ trophy case is filled with silverware. The Browns’ trophy case has been collecting cobwebs since 1964.
But Cleveland caught the attention of the NFL last year with its first playoff appearance since 2002, beating the Steelers in the regular-season finale and doing it again in the playoffs’ opening round before falling to the Chiefs. A big part of the Browns’ success was a conversion to a wide-zone blocking scheme that new coach Kevin Stefanski brought with him from Minnesota. Powered by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, the Browns finished third in the league in rushing (148.8 yards per game.)
The Steelers, well, they finished 29 spots below third — dead last averaging a paltry 84.4 yards. An offseason of significant change has produced a new offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and feature back. Is a new primary blocking scheme also in the plans?
We probably won’t know the answer until new coordinator Matt Canada meets with the media, but there’s already speculation the Steelers might incorporate more wide-zone blocking into their attack. (Every team employs some in its packages.) It’s an intriguing idea and I think it would be well suited to a one-cut back like Najee Harris, the club’s first-round draft pick.
The scheme’s roots trace to the post-World War II era, but it was popularized in the 1990s under Mike Shanahan and assistant Alex Gibbs, who modernized it with the Broncos to counter the Steelers’ zone blitz. Both the Browns and Ravens employed it with great success last season.
Offensive linemen are asked to block areas more than man-on-man. It also relies more on quickness than power and requires linemen to block further down field. Is the Steelers’ offensive line nimble enough to utilize this scheme? That’s one question new line coach Adrian Klemm must consider. Third-round pick Kendrick Green, who will get the chance to win the starting center job, certainly seems athletic enough to play in such a scheme.
Harris starred in an Alabama offense that ran multiple blocking schemes and wide zone was part of their packages. It should be an easy transition for the gifted back.
The Steelers need to get more creative to break out of a three-year funk in the running game. Harris running behind a wide-zone scheme certainly would qualify.
YOUR TURN: Do you think switching to a wide-zone blocking scheme would work with the Steelers?