Breakdowns on Robert Spillane

[pczach]

Spillane more than held his own. The best thing you can say is the Steelers didn't miss Bush during the Titans game. Henry would have ran over Bush, Spillane meet Henry in the hole and stopped him cold.

Looking ahead Spillane could replace Vince Williams, who has a very high 2021 cap number While Spillane isn't big or fast, he is an alert player who tackles well with fair speed. We can win with him playing in the defense.

Spillane is a good fit when playing against a power run game. Against a more sophisticated offense with more coverage responsibilities, he may not fare so well.

This weeks matchup with the Ravens will be interesting. I think it's important that the edge players set the edge to contain the running game and allow Spillane to stay between the tackles and meet runners in the hole. His game is not running sideline to sideline. He is a very sturdy player that hits with bad intentions. I want to see more of him in coverage and moving laterally and through traffic to see how he maneuvers, gets off of blocks, and how he holds up in space. I just don't think we've seen enough for a definitive read on what he's capable of, but he certainly has the toughness and attitude that you are looking for.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Spillane is a good fit when playing against a power run game. Against a more sophisticated offense with more coverage responsibilities, he may not fare so well.

This weeks matchup with the Ravens will be interesting. I think it's important that the edge players set the edge to contain the running game and allow Spillane to stay between the tackles and meet runners in the hole. His game is not running sideline to sideline. He is a very sturdy player that hits with bad intentions. I want to see more of him in coverage and moving laterally and through traffic to see how he maneuvers, gets off of blocks, and how he holds up in space. I just don't think we've seen enough for a definitive read on what he's capable of, but he certainly has the toughness and attitude that you are looking for.

This is the tough part. If neither Spillane nor Williams can get off their blocks and get to the edges to make plays in the run game, then outside zone runs with the likes of Dobbins can hurt them. Then it sets up play action or read option with Jackson. IMO, not having the athletic ILB like Bush can really put Steelers run defense at a disadvantage.