Brian Angelichio isn't the Steelers' offensive play-caller, but he is their offensive coordinator.
And this looks like a well-coordinated offense coming out of a 27-6 dismantling of the Browns in Week 8.
"We're trying to find that balance and consistency, and I think the big thing is just continuing to home in on the concepts that we do well, and just getting everybody understanding where we need to be within the concept," Angelichio said Monday.
For the season, the Steelers have just four false starts, two illegal shifts, one illegal formation penalty and one ineligible man downfield flag, which highlights attention to detail and execution from the group. The Steelers have become dominant in the run game lately, finding a ruthless efficiency on the ground. They rank third in the NFL with 4.9 yards per carry, tied for seventh with 58 rushing first downs and top 10 in both yards before and after contact.
But the Steelers have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, DK Metcalf at wide receiver and arguably the NFL's best tight end tandem, so they aren't about to become your local high school that runs the Wing-T formation. That's part of the reason why they're 14th in rushing yards per game. While the passing game might be lagging behind to an extent thus far, the work for the coaches continues even as the bye week arrives.
"A lot of it is within the time clock of the quarterback's feet," Angelichio said. "Those are areas we're certainly going to dive into the next two days and see where we can improve."
Head coach Mike McCarthy is dialing up the plays game in and game out, but with the staff he put together on offense, there's no shortage of collaboration. Quarterbacks coach Tom Arth is heavily involved, as is offensive line coach James Campen, who's a longtime McCarthy lieutenant.
Angelichio helps to pull it all together, from the pass-game scheme to the run-game scheme. Arth has a direct line to the quarterbacks, while Campen spends the most time with the big guys up front, who let him know what they're feeling for a given game plan.
"We talk about that as a staff," Angelichio said. "Certainly, Campy's got input on stuff he likes, but you try to [identify] what runs are good versus this front? You try to hunt that, and how are they playing it, that's something we always look at. Campy's certainly involved in that."
Rodgers, too, is like having an extra coach given his 22 seasons of NFL experience. Plus, so many of those seasons came in McCarthy's offense back in their Green Bay days.
And third-year center Zach Frazier is becoming an extension of the coaching staff on the field in his own right. That goes a long way for a reshaped offensive line that has had six games to develop in their current configuration.
"I think they're starting to get a feel of the concepts and how the combination blocks are going to hit, and they're doing a really good job of owning it," Angelichio said. "Those guys spend a lot of time watching tape. I think Fraz does a phenomenal job of setting the IDs for the line and the targeting. … Fraz does as phenomenal a job as anyone I've ever been around of being able to shut it down, climb to the second level, and not get ear-holed where he's off-balance."
Angelichio doesn't need to do too much self-scouting to see why the offense is clicking. Jaylen Warren is the NFL leader in yards per touch among running backs with at least 35 rushes and receptions combined.
Sure, a lot of that is Warren's individual excellence, but Rico Dowdle is starting to make some hay, as well. That points to how the offensive line is jelling.
"You could see that from that group from the jump, honestly, when I first got here. You could see that O-line was close," Angelichio said. "They're always hanging out together. They're always talking football. Their communication — they know the game, and they're smart players. You see that with a lot of O-lines, but this group is up there with any of them as far as the connectivity that they have."
