The fire has been out of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense for a few seasons now, and the ashes are stone cold.
We watch it unfold with every snap they take. From the center-to-quarterback exchange to the passes to lazy receivers to aspects of the ground game that once looked promising, the Steelers continue to get worse.
Former Steelers running back Merril Hoge has never been one to hold back on criticism of his former team. Most times he’s spot-on, and sometimes even hilarious while doing it.
There’s so much blame to go around, and Hoge highlighted a few instances that only amplified why. For starters, blocking has been abysmal.
“It is the only term I can think of,” Hoge said in a Dec. 13 interview on 102.5 DVE. “But our tight ends look like two turtles humping when you’re blocking; you’re not blocking anybody.”
I take that back. It’s not funny. It’s sad. The Steelers offensive players look like a bunch of bumbling high-schoolers who don’t know what’s going on.
Receivers were criticized for their lack of follow-through.
“It might be the worst group of route runners in the NFL,” Hoge said. “Half the time, they quit on routes.”
According to Hoge, Mitch Trubisky’s intercepted pass targeting Pat Freiermuth at the start of the second quarter in Week 14 was more on the receiver than the sender.
“The pick that Trubisky threw … Freiermuth makes a move and just quits. He’s supposed to break it inside and he just quits. … He stopped and backpedaled. I’ve never seen a route like that. And there would be no reason to do that based on the coverage that they were playing. He should have been where the ball was. I’m just telling you that.”
Jabrill Peppers returned the interception to the Steelers’ 11-yard line. The Patriots found paydirt two plays later, upping their lead to 14-3.
“It’s not just Freiermuth, it’s all of them. … There’s no sense of urgency, there’s no, there’s passion in it, there’s no purpose in it, and it shows up and eventually it catches you.”
Kyle Dugger pressures Mitch Trubisky and he forces an errant pass!
PEPPERS WITH THE INTERCEPTION 🌶️pic.twitter.com/f5YGO6N6I8
— Carlos (@LosTalksPats) December 8, 2023
