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As I’ve stated before Mike Wagner Jersey , my father was a wish man. He was a great teacher, even if I wasn't always an exemplary student. He believed happiness was a mindset. The ability to focus on the positive rather than the negative. The decision to count one's blessings instead of the daily struggles. He believed it was important to know your place in the world and be content therein. For me, that was always easier said than done.My dad was an exceptional valve mechanic. Customers would send him work from all parts of the country. He loved what he was doing for a living. He repeatedly turned down promotions, usually management positions that would have meant more money and prestige, to remain a valve mechanic. I was shocked when I learned he had turned down multiple opportunities for advancement, and I asked him why. He said "It wasn't worth the cost to me. I am happy and content where I am." I had just received another valuable lesson.Word out of Cleveland this week suggests the Browns are considering offering Mike Munchak an interview at season's end for their next head-coaching position. That’s understandable considering Munchak has proven to be an outstanding coach with an impressive pedigree. Furthermore he’s an upstanding human being who would bring character and credibility to any coaching staff. There are a couple of problems with this development, if accurate. The first issue is that the Steelers need Professor Munchak desperately. The Steelers actually won their last couple of Super Bowls in spite of their offensive lines. Ben Roethlisberger was often running for his life back then, and he took a pounding those early years. To be fair Rocky Bleier Jersey , the Steelers O-line always had a standout player or two through those years, but those lines were never considered elite by any stretch of the imagination. That all changed with the acquisition of Mr. Munchak.Munchak routinely takes lemons and makes lemonade. He has two outstanding first-round talents at his disposal in Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro, but the rest of the line is mix-and-match. He regularly takes an undrafted piece of clay and carefully molds his next masterpiece. Matt Feiler's performance this past Sunday is the latest example of his work in action.Munchak is the rare exception to the rule — a great player who also turns out to be a great teacher. Usually great players prove incapable of finding a connection with their less-talented pupils. Munchak was an all-time great player, as evidenced by his Hall of Fame credentials. But he also excels at teaching blocking fundamentals to his group of eager students, and with exemplary results. His players love him and want to perform well for him. They sing his praises and acknowledge his impact on their development.The second issue I have with Munchak being considered for the Browns’ head-coaching position is that I feel it would be a terrible decision for Munchak and his family. Mike has already turned down at least one interview for a head-coaching position because he and his family are happy in Pittsburgh — his words, not mine.I have no idea if Munchak ever wants to be a head coach again. He’s the best offensive line coach in the business. But in his first opportunity as a head coach — not so much. All I know for sure is that the Steelers need him. He loves the Steelers and we love him right back.Remember that it’s better to be content and happy, and no matter the question, Cleveland is never the answer. After Week 4 of the season Joe Gilliam Jersey , I was beginning to grow tired of the lack of creativity on offense and the attempts to do the same thing over and over on defense. After attending the Falcons game, I felt much better with how everything was going. In fact, I feel Randy Fichtner is really coming into his own as a first year offensive coordinator. As an example, I’m going to break down one play in particular from Week 6 which shows that Coach Fichtner is coming up with some great schemes.The particular play that I would like to look at occurred with 11:56 left in the third quarter in Cincinnati. At the time, the game was tied 14–14. The Steelers had the ball on their own 19 yard line and were facing a 3rd & 3, which is an interesting distance with there still being the option to either run or pass.The Steelers deployed a 22-personnel package. What this means is the Steelers have two running backs (one of which was a fallback) and two tight ends on the field. With a quarterback and five offense of lineman, the last position was a wide receiver. The Bengals countered with a run–heavy defense the consisted of four defensive linemen, four linebackers Terry Bradshaw Jersey , and three defensive backs (two corners and a safety).The specific players on the field for the Steelers were RB James Conner, FB Roosevelt Nix, TE’s Jesse James and Xavier Grimble, and WR Antonio Brown. Instead of lining up in “I” formation and a run heavy alignment, the Steelers went shotgun with an empty set. Conner, Nix, and Jesse James were in a bunch to the left side of the formation while Grimble and Brown were in a tight twins-right alignment.The Bengals defensive alignment was a standard four–four alignment with the corners in tight lining up on the outside receivers. The initial look had the Bengals in a cover–3 defense with the three defensive backs each covering 1/3 of the field.In order to get a better read of what the defense was going to play, Antonio Brown motioned to the left just outside of Roosevelt Nix to give four receivers in a bunch to the left with Grimble alone on the right.The defense reacted with the corner (who was lined up on Antonio Brown) flowing across the field as Brown went in motion. This player basically replaced where the other CB was as he came closer to the line of scrimmage to help in case the Steelers ran a quick screen. Additionally Alejandro Villanueva Jersey , the two LB‘s shifted to their right as Brown motioned across. With the lone safety having to hold position in order to take away anything over the middle, Xavier Grimble was left with only a linebacker lined up well to his inside.The Bengals appeared to be somewhat confused as to who exactly was going to take each receiver from the bunch to the Steelers left. There is a good chance either a screen or a quick pass to any one of those receivers based on their route could have netted the first down. Instead, Ben Roethlisberger saw no defenders outside of Grimble on the right. Ben called for a quick snap and tossed the ball out to Grimble towards the sideline for an easy completion.The first defender to get to Grimble was the safety, and it was already after a 12 yard gain. Grimble was able to make the safety miss the tackle as he ran down the sidelines. Although giving a stiff arm to the pursuing linebacker freed him up for a longer gain, Grimble stepped out of bounds at the 41 yard line. Regardless, it was a gain of 22 yards and a first down.This was a very pivotal play in an important spot of the game. If the Steelers failed to convert, they would have gone three and out on their first drive of the second-half. Instead, they continued the drive which ended in a field goal after the apparent touchdown by James Conner.The combination of personal package and creative alignments based on those players is a great way to catch a defense in the wrong personnel. If Coach Fichtner continues to improve on the schemes such as this Jordan Berry Jersey , the offense is only going to get better. I am personally a big fan of passing out of what is typically run personnel packages, and rushing from pass-heavy packages. These give a great matchup against the opposition’s defense.The other advantage of running this pass play out of the 22 personnel is if teams decide to counter with nickel (five DB’s) or dime (six DB’s) defense, the Steelers can simply shift into a new power-running formation and run the ball right at their opponents. The key to the success of these types of plays are having versatile players at given positions. This play is just one example where having TE’s and an FB that can both block and catch gives the Steelers the choice of how to attack the defense for increased success.
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