In 2015 and 2016, no head coach was as aggressive when it came to going for 2-point conversions as Mike Tomlin.
Taking advantage of the rule change in 2015 in the NFL that moved PAT kicks back to the 15 instead of the 2, Tomlin would go for the 2-point conversion 11 times that season. The Steelers converted eight of them, putting them at a plus-5 in points had they simply kicked the PATs, assuming they made them all.
But that was when Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Heath Miller and Le'Veon Bell all were still on the team. The Steelers were a tough team to match up again down close to the goal line, when they could simply allow Ben Roethlisberger to pick the matchup he liked best.
The following season, with Miller retired and Bell limited to 12 games because of a suspension, Tomlin only called for the Steelers to go for 2 nine times. More importantly, they only converted three of them, with the capper being a 35-30 loss against the Cowboys that saw the Steelers miss on four conversions.
Since then, Tomlin has become more conservative when it comes to going to 2, doing so just 14 total times in the four seasons since -- with 9 conversions -- with most of those conversions being born out of necessity rather than being used as a weapon.
But the additions of Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth in this year's draft could being the 2-point conversion back into play for the Steelers in 2021.
After all, if a team is successful at more than a 50 percent rate, it's coming out ahead of the game when it comes to going for 2 as opposed to simply kicking the PAT. And an 8-point score with the Steelers' stingy defense could be formidable.
The Steelers' first two picks in this year's draft, Harris and Freiermuth could give the Steelers something similar to what they had in 2015.
Harris, the rookie running back, has drawn comparisons to Bell for his receiving skills, while Freiermuth, a second-round pick out of Penn State, converted 16 of his 92 collegiate receptions into touchdowns. Considering the depth the Steelers have at wide receiver with Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool and James Washington, let alone tight end Eric Ebron, the group is well-rounded.
"You know I’m always open to that," Tomlin said when I asked him exactly that Thursday as the team wrapped up its training camp practice at Heinz Field. "When I feel comfortable with our ability to win those moments, I like to be thoughtfully aggressive. So certainly."
Even though they haven't gone for conversions quite as often as they once did, the Steelers still open every practice with a drill Tomlin calls "Seven Shots." The play puts the offense on the field at the 2 against a defense in an 11-on-11 matchup.
The last two days, the first-team offense, triggered by Roethlisberger, has scored on four of its six opportunities, something that is a carry over from the spring OTA, minicamp and early training camp practices. And that's working against a defense that is considered one of the best in the NFL.
The dynamic that Harris brings, in particular, makes the Steelers especially dangerous down close.
The rookie running back is 230 pounds and is certainly capable of scoring touchdowns on the ground, something he did 26 times on 251 carries last season at Alabama.
But he's also an accomplished receiver, just like Bell. Harris scored 11 receiving touchdowns in his final two seasons for the Crimson Tide. And he's capable of doing the same thing in the NFL.
Don't think so? Witness what happened at Wednesday's practice, the first for the Steelers in full pads.
After cornerback Cam Sutton made a nice play on the ball to break up a pass to the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Claypool on the offense's first attempt, Roethlisberger sent Harris in motion from the backfield on their second chance, sending him out beyond the two receivers on the left side of the formation.
He even waived twice for Harris to get even wider, pulling outside linebacker Devin Bush with him. Seeing Bush go wide tipped Roethlisberger to the fact the defense was in man coverage.
At the snap, Harris, who has shown good skills in catching fades, jabbed to the outside, then broke inside, right behind the two receivers, who formed a natural pick on their own men. That left Harris one-on-one with Bush, who runs a 4.43 40-yard dash.
But his speed wouldn't help him here. Roethlisberger hit Harris on a quick slant as Bush arrived just after the ball. Touchdown.
"We could have been a little closer to him initially. It's hard when you play linebacker to not line up three or four yards away from somebody," inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky said. "Down there in that situation, we try to work on getting as close to the line of scrimmage (as you can). If you watched it again like we did, it was like, 'Hey Dev, just move up another yard and when you intersect the route, you'll be in a little better position." He was in good position. But his alignment would have made a better result for us."
But that's the kind of pressure having a player such as Harris puts on a defense. If he slides outside like that and the defense is in man-to-man, he's drawing a linebacker with him out to the boundary, where they aren't accustomed to having to cover. If the defense is in a zone, as happened in a rep of the same drill Thursday, it matched Claypool up on a linebacker, leading to an easy score on the inside.
With Johnson, whose ability to win off the snap is reminiscent of Brown, Smith-Schuster, one of the more physical slot receivers in the league, and the massive Claypool, the Steelers were already a matchup issue. Now, they might be even more dangerous.
And that doesn't even take into account Ebron's skillset. Ebron earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2018 with the Colts when he caught 13 touchdown passes working with Andrew Luck before his sudden retirement.
This is a team with weapons that can challenge opponents. And Harris might be the icing on the cake.
His predecessor at the position, James Conner, was a good receiver for a running back, most of whom simply catch dump off passes. Harris, like Bell, is more than just an outlet receiver. He actually runs routes and can get open.
And that could lead to more conversion attempts for the Steelers with the stress he puts on opponents.
"He's a weapon. He's definitely a weapon," Olsavsky said. "You know, you expect Devin to nullify that. We're talking about a foot in alignment, which is something you can easily take care of. It was a nice play to see. You've got two well-conditioned, mentally strong players going at it. I'm glad to see it happen."
Plenty of opponents in 2021 might not be so happy to get that same matchup.
