PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Steelers offense is searching for running plays that work, passing plays that work. The right combination of plays that work with the right personnel. In short, they are trying to figure out who they are.
"I think we do have to have an identity and I think that's part of our issue right now," said Steelers center Mason Cole. "I don't know what our identity is exactly right now. We need to find that as a group, whatever that is. I think it's huge for us to try to find an identity."
It's a great point. What is it the Steelers do well? Can they build on the 1,200 yards from Najee Harris last year and be a dominant run team? Can they perfect the short passing game? With Chase Claypool and George Pickens, can they be a quick-strike offense?
"Whatever we make it," Cole said. "We have to establish a run first of all. Whatever our run game schematically is going to be, we have to establish it and get Najee some yards and just be efficient. That will help with time of possession, and those long possessions will help our defense."
"If we get back and go three and out and run the ball once and throw it twice. We are not eating up any clock. We are not giving our defense any sort of break."
He knows how much it hurts a defense that is playing good football right now. It's not just possessing the ball either. Cole said they need to take some pressure off them and finish drives with touchdowns and not settling for field goals.
Alex Highsmith and Larry Ogunjobi saying on Monday there is no blame for the offense. Ogunjobi said you deal with it and play complimentary football and at times the offense will have to pick the defense up. He's confident they will.
Cole doesn't believe the issue is with offensive coordinator Matt Canada and the plays that are called. Rather the players need to establish that identity and Cole said with a little bit of patience, but still a sense of urgency.
"At the end of the day, Canada has to call the plays and we need to block it," Cole said. "It is what it is. Schematically, I don't think there is one thing that we do really good or really bad. I just think we have to find something that works for everybody and will be our go-to when it's third-and-short or when it's a four-minute situation and we have to run the ball. We have to find that thing we can be successful in all the time."
What it is, they aren't sure. But they need to find it and quickly with a second AFC North game coming up on Thursday.
"That's one of the best parts of this game is to play in a game like this," Cole said. "Divisional game on the road, at night, it's cool, it's the fun part of this league. To go there and get a win in that environment; winning on the road in this league is hard, but winning on the road in prime-time, it's a special thing."
"Going in there and get a win would be huge for us. It would set us up for a good, long weekend and come back and get back at it."
Maybe along the way they'll find what it is the offense does best.
