Steelers Inside Linebackers Take Huge Leap in One Area
The Steelers’ inside linebackers are becoming the most underrated unit on the team. Quietly over the last few weeks, the tape has shown that the unit is on the upswing, and their Week 5 performance against the Baltimore Ravens was their magnum opus.
People still rag on this team’s inside linebackers, but I think for what it is, the Steelers have received solid play from this group in the first block of their season. Cole Holcomb is on a heater right now. He had a terrible first game at San Francisco but has proven to be a solid starting inside linebacker in the past four games. Kwon Alexander still has his intensity and smarts. After the first quarter, they sniffed out the screen game at a high level and made some impact plays in that facet. Alexander was everywhere down the stretch. Elandon Roberts is limited, but his run defense is excellent. When he is asked to do what he does well, I like Roberts a lot.
But what the team is getting from the group is something they never got last year — splash plays. Alexander, Holcomb, and Roberts each have a penchant for the splash play. The Trib’s Chris Adamski first found this stat, but it speaks to the volumes the Steelers inside linebackers have made splash plays. Regarding sacks, forced fumbles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits, this unit already had 17 combined through five games. Last year, Pittsburgh’s linebackers had 15 such plays through 17 games. That’s a stunning stat, but it showcases how badly the team’s linebackers needed to be overturned.
“I feel like we’re jelling and more comfortable with each other,” Holcomb said. “The communication is there. We feel like we’re playing well. Just reading out keys and playing fast.”
Pittsburgh asks a lot of their inside linebackers. But this group has given them solid play when they have simplified it and catered to their strengths. It’s eons better than last year. Not perfect. For example, the group does not have a star like Fred Warner or Roquan Smith, but it has held its water and is giving the Steelers a solid level of play. It’s much appreciated and the best linebacker room they’ve had in years.
It’s reasonable to expect the team to get this type of linebacker play out of this group. They never paid for the star inside linebackers. That’s fine. There is no freak Ryan Shazier in this group that runs the Tampa 2 pole as he did during his days in Pittsburgh. But there also doesn’t need to be as long as the Steelers continue to put those guys in good spots to succeed.
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