The promise of 21-year veteran Aaron Rodgers was that he'd read the field and dispense the ball to the open receiver.
It's working. Mark down offensive guard Spencer Anderson as the latest to field a pass from Rodgers, the 12th different receiver in seven games this season.
Last season, the Steelers found only 14 different receivers in 17 games.
"The intent of the play, coverage could dictate it," said offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. "Or a guy doesn't win on his route, or whatever. You've got to have options on the back side. You can't just be one and done."
That's where Anderson – the reserve who found his way to left guard when Isaac Seumalo left with an injury and the jumbo-package tight end who's helped the resurgent run game – found himself on the first series Sunday night against the Packers, the back end.
Anderson reported for duty as the extra tackle/eligible receiver, but instead of a run, Rodgers dropped back to pass. He looked for his primary receiver, who wasn't open. He looked for a couple of others, but nothing was there. So, he flipped it to the back side, where Anderson, the 305-pounder, was open. He caught the pass – Rodgers' first completion of the game – and gained four yards.
"The catch by Spence was not easy," Smith said. "Full disclosure: A lot of people asked me if I was breaking a tendency. He was the fifth option on the play. It was Murphy's Law at work. He got the ball for a couple different reasons, but you gotta make that play. I did laugh a little bit when he realized. He came out and he was like, 'That thing was on me quick.' I said, 'Great job. Caught it. Ball security. We got four yards.'
"But Spence has done a really, really good job in all those different roles. In that game, you saw him, he went in there at guard. He prepares. I'm very impressed with everything we've asked him to do."
Rodgers had predicted weeks ago that Anderson would catch a pass with his soft, reliable hands. But it takes more than soft and reliable to make a pass connection work. It takes a quarterback with the ability to scan the field quickly, and that's Rodgers.
"Just think of the amount of reps Aaron has in this league," Smith said. "Those guys understand that just because you may not be the primary, coverage could dictate he gets right through it right now. Like, everything matters: your spacing in zone, your route craft vs. man, and the timing and the spacing of any passing concept. It's all important, those details, and the good teams, that's what you focus on.
"That's what we practice. And it helps to have somebody like Aaron. ... And he makes sure in practice sometimes. He'll pass up (an easy completion), which I appreciate. He knows that, 'Yeah, I can complete that right there, but to make sure, you got to work it.' And he does a phenomenal job of that and talking to those guys."
Getting out of defensive funk
It's been a roller coaster ride for the Steelers' defense this season. The unit allowed over 30 points in the first two games before allowing an average of only 15 points in the next three games. The unit allowed more than 30 points in each of the last two games again to bookend the first two.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was asked how he goes about rectifying the situation.
"I just kind of look at what we're doing, the process, what I'm telling them, how I'm telling them, trying to make sure that they're getting the right points, that I'm getting the right points across to them so we're all on the same page," said Austin. "I just continue to look at my process to make sure it's right, and try to help our guys, because that's my job, to try to help our guys play better.
"Playing well, playing bad; it's all the same. I think you always have to do that. We just happen to be in a bad stretch right now. The process for me doesn't change. It's just, how do I get all that across to the guys."
The important part – as Rodgers has been saying since the loss to the Packers – is to stay off the roller coaster, especially emotionally.
"You got to be steady," Austin said. "The game always has ebbs and flows, and what you can't do is ride the roller coaster of the game, as a coach and as a player. I think the one thing you do is you stay steady throughout so even when you're doing great, you're not over the moon. Because that way, when you're doing bad, you won't be under the mountain. And so we just have to be real steady in our approach, real business-like, and workmanlike in our approach and just keep grinding away."
The Steelers were seemingly both up and down in the Tale of Two Halves on Sunday night. The defense was tight in a 16-7 halftime advantage, but the Steelers ended up losing 35-25.
Can any solace be taken in the good half of play?
"The bottom line is wins and losses," Austin said. "It's what you do. You got to win or lose in this league. That's what it boils down to. But it's like anything. A lot of things aren't binary. You could find something to teach off, something to coach off in all these things, because what you don't want to do is go in there and just talk about how bad everything is, because that's not how it is. There were some good things that happened in that game. There were some guys that had a decent performance, and then there were others that didn't. Starting with me.
"And I'm the same way. I look at it, and I go, 'Hey, did I do the right things in the second half to help our guys get in the right positions?' Like I said, it's not binary. I just think there are always teachable, coachable moments, and you've got to use those. I think that's our job as coaches, to use those things to motivate our players, to get them going so they don't feel like the world's coming to an end."
