While post-game chatter blamed broad execution for the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive stumbles, former offensive lineman Trai Essex provided a far more granular diagnosis on his “Snap Count” podcast.
He told his co-host, former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, that film breakdown reveals that opposing defenses have uncovered a specific, repeatable vulnerability along Pittsburgh’s interior protection; double-A gap mug looks paired with pick-and-twist stunts.
The core issue stems from pre-snap communication overloads placed on third-year guard Mason McCormick. When quarterback Aaron Rodgers operates from shotgun, McCormick must constantly look back at the quarterback to receive and relay silent-count snap taps. That duty takes his eyes off subtle
pre-snap alignment shifts happening right in front of him.
When opposing defenses show double-A gap mug looks, placing two linebackers directly over the center, McCormick must quickly pivot from receiving the silent snap signal to passing off twist stunts with center Zach Frazier and tackle Troy Fautanu.
"Mason McCormick is looking at A-Rod [Aaron Rodgers] the entire time and missing the communication and what's going on in front of him," Essex explained. "Zach has to now control both sides of the line of scrimmage, but when Mason turns around after taps ready for the ball to be snapped, he misses his assignment because he doesn't fan out."
This split-second communication delay leaves the interior line susceptible to games upfront, causing defenders to come free right down the middle into Rodgers' lap.
"Whenever you have any kind of mug linebacker, you have to set back as O-line. You have to get space and let the stuff happen in front of you," Essex noted. "They're being too aggressive and getting on different levels and therefore getting picked, and that's where the pressure is coming from."
Until Pittsburgh cleans up these pre-snap mechanics, opponents will continue targeting the double-A gap to collapse Rodgers' pocket.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: How opposing defenses are using gap stunts to beat Mason McCormick
