Between The Lines: Steelers Use Blunt Force to Beat Browns

Every week I take a look at the line play in one NFL game. Check back every week for a new Between The Lines.

The NFL loves to make its game seem extremely complex, and sometimes it is. We hear about 300-page playbooks, 22-word play calls and marathon film sessions.

But then you watch a game like the Browns-Steelers game on Sunday night, and you get reminded that at times football is simply a matter of lining up and seeing who can win the man-on-man battle.

Admittedly, the Steelers-Browns game wasn't one that set offensive records, but if you focused on the line play, it was clear that the Steelers came into the game with the belief that their offensive line, as maligned as it has been, was better than the Browns' front seven. Then they went out to try to prove it.At first glance, that seems like a crazy concept. By bringing in Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, the Browns did an outstanding job of fixing one of the team's biggest problems. Rogers gives the team a mountain of a nose tackle who is not only big enough to demand double teams, but also quick enough to get into the backfield. And while Williams doesn't get as much publicity, he's a very solid 3-4 defensive end, with enough strength to hold his ground, and the hands to often get free and help make tackles.

But the Browns still have the same set of linebackers that they had last year, and it was clear from the start that the Steelers believed that was the team's weak link.

Pittsburgh tailback Willie Parker had rushed for over 100 yards in his last three games against the Browns, including a 223-yard Steelers record in their last meeting in 2006. Many of those yards came as he followed behind a pulling Alan Faneca, who would pull out from his left guard spot, amble down the line and then lead Parker through some gaping holes.

But Fancea is now playing in New York, so it was fair to wonder if Chris Kemoeatu, his replacement, would be able to do the same thing. On Sunday night we saw that Kemoeatu is also quite comfortable getting up a full head of steam and blowing up linebackers in the hole.

The Steelers ran 31 running plays, one of those was a reverse to Santonio Holmes, and one was a QB sneak by Ben Roethlisberger. Of the 29 running plays where the Steelers handed off to a running back, 13 of them were a variation of one simple play--Willie Parker follows a pulling guard through the tackle/guard gap while a tight end kicks out the outside linebacker. On the 18 other running plays, the Steelers gained 50 yards (2.78 yards per carry). On the plays where Parker followed a pulling guard, they gained 67 yards (5.15 yards per carry). This wasn't a case of Parker having a long run that bulked up the stats--his longest run was only 19 yards. But whenever the Steelers needed some key yardage, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians had the play in his back pocket, ready to use.

That was abundantly clear at the end of the game, as the Steelers tried to run out the clock. On a second-and-six with 2:42 to go, Arians called the pull play for the 11th time.

The Steelers lined up with three tight ends, all to the left side of the line. This would seem to indicate that the Steelers were going to run left, but by this point in the game it was clear that the Steelers were a much more righthanded team tonight--so that formation shouldn't be too much of a tip. Cleveland brought nine men into the box, leaving only a cornerback on wide receiver Nate Washington and a free safety as a defense of last resort.

At the snap, the Steelers did what they had done 10 times before. A guard (Chris Kemoeatu) pulled out and flowed down the line with tight end Heath Miller following right behind. At the same time, right tackle Willie Colon started to turn and get a push on defensive end Corey Williams, while Kendall Simmons and Justin Hartwig struggled to move Shaun Rogers.

Then as Parker got the ball, Colon handed Williams off to Simmons, and flowed downfield to block a linebacker. As he did all night, Willie McGinnest drove into the backfield to try to ensure he turned the play back inside. He did do that, but Chris Kemoeatu locked him up and erased him from the play. Miller, now Parker's lead blocker, slipped and almost fell, but he gathered himself in time to help out Simmons on blocking Williams, who by this point was threatening to drive into the backfield to tackle Parker. Williams at different points in the play has been blocked by three different men--he's truly done his job of absorbing blockers, letting the Browns' linebackers make the play.

But that's where the problem comes in. Neither Browns inside linebacker is within five yards of Parker. Colon has taken D'Quell Jackson and driven him three yards out of the hole. By the time Jackson gets free, Parker is already through the line. Marvel Smith has driven Andra Davis four yards back. Davis does eventually shed Smith, but by that point, Miller has come free from helping out on Williams to block both him and strong safety Mike Adams, who has taken a bad angle and gets caught up in the Miller-Davis block. McGinnest gets a good view of all of this, as Kemoeatu has gotten leverage on him, lifted him off the ground and drives him back eight yards before they both give up on the play--Parker is already running to the sideline downfield by this point. Free safety Brodney Pool tried to tackle Parker high and fails, which allows Parker to get an extra five yards on his 19-yard gain that effectively iced the game.

It may be one play, but it demonstrates what happened all night. The Browns knew it was coming, but they were unable to do anything about it.

So why was the play so effective? Largely because the Browns linebackers were ineffective. In a 3-4 defense, the linemen are expected to soak up blockers. If they can make a tackle, it's a bonus, but the linebackers are the stars of the show. You wouldn't know it by watching the Browns on Sunday. As expected, Rogers was a beast. He had five tackles, one assist and one sack to go with two quarterback hurries. And on the plays that he made the tackle, he generally destroyed the play. Four of his tackles came for no gain or behind the line of scrimmage, while the other one came on a one-yard gain. While Justin Hartwig and the Steelers guards did a reasonable job on Rogers, he was a factor throughout the game, showing he had the quickness to chase down plays from behind while also stopping them at the point of attack.

And Williams was also a factor. He finished with four tackles, four assists and half of a sack. While he's not as strong at the point of attack as Rogers, he was very active and was a nuisance to the Steelers running game.

But the Browns linebackers barely showed up. Outside linebackers McGinnest and Kamerion Wimberly combined for only two solo tackles and two assists. Wimberly can be somewhat excused, as the Steelers ran away from him most of the night, but 12 of those 13 runs with the pulling guard were run right at McGinnest, and he failed to make one tackle on a running play--his only tackle came on a screen play.

The Browns inside linebackers Jackson and Davis were no better. With Kemoeatu pulling through the hole, it was the job of the Browns' linebackers to either slip past Kemoeatu to make the tackle or at least force a stalemate, blocking the hole and allowing reinforcements to come up. Neither were up to the job. Jackson especially was easily shoved out of the hole and often driven way out of the play. Jackson finished with four tackles and three assists, but of his four tackles on running plays, three of them occurred five yards or more downfield. Two of Davis' stops held Willie Parker to no gain, but then he only made three tackles all night.

The one bright spot for the Browns' linebacking corps was backup inside linebacker Leon Williams. Despite playing significantly less than the starters, Williams seemed more effective. There were a couple of plays where Williams held up at the point of attack, stuffing his block and allowing the play to be bottled up. If the Browns continue to struggle to stop running games, Williams may be showing he deserves more playing time because of his size and ability to hold his ground and shed blocks.

It's a discouraging sign for the Browns, but a very good sign for the Steelers. Pittsburgh may regret not locking up Chris Kemoeatu to a long-term deal--from the first two games it looks like Kemoeatu is already the team's best run blocker and he's been adequate in pass blocking. Center Justin Hartwig has given the team solid play at center--he's not spectacular, but compared to Sean Mahan solid is good enough. And Willie Colon still has some troubles in pass blocking, but his run blocking has been solid--as he showed on Sunday night.