One of the biggest problems with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 has been the tendency for the entire team to get off to a slow start. This has been especially true of the offense. Some of this is easily attributed to the revolving door at both quarterback and running back this season. This was something acknowledged by head coach Mike Tomlin in his press conference after the Steelers win over the Indianapolis Colts.
A reporter asked about the slow starts with Rudolph and Tomlin jokingly said: “Rudolph needs to help Rudolph start faster.” He then amended his comment by noting the team would implement some things in hopes of getting the offense off to a faster start.
But don’t misunderstand, this is more than a Rudolph problem. No doubt his quick trigger to the checkdown is brutal and does nothing for the offense in the big picture. However, there are fixes with things like play design to get the football into the hands of the team’s other playmakers beyond running back Jaylen Samuels.
This week the Steelers will wrap up a three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams passing offense makes it such that if the Steelers start slow, they might not have time to catch up.
