Seven Shots Proves Patience Remains Key For Steeler Offense
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
If you’re interested in seeing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team offense go up against their first-team defense in training camp, there is no better opportunity than the 7 Shots Drill. The wildly popular practice segment pits the two units against one another on seven consecutive plays from the two-yard line. Players get amped, fans and media excitedly gather, and coaches learn about their schemes and players.
“I’ve never been part of a system that just starts off practice at such a high intensity and so much on the line,” Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace said. “I appreciate 7 Shots each and every day.”
Expectations are growing for the young Steelers’ offense. George Pickens continues to break Twitter while looking like the best player in camp. Rookie Darnell Washington’s freak athleticism is making noise behind Pat Freiermuth. The O-line finally has an anchor in Isaac Seumalo to help free up Najee Harris. Hell, Pittsburgh’s even testing out Kendrick Green as a potential monster fullback option.
Kendrick Green becoming a fullback and making plays in training camp, including a catch and a huge hit on Toby Ndukwe pic.twitter.com/6Rp6xwMQgg
— Carson (@CAWafflez) August 5, 2023
There’s reason behind the sense of encouragement felt amongst the Black and Gold faithful. But the 7 Shots Drill is a reminder that the offense, although improving, is still a work in progress. Patience will be key.
Early Struggles
Through the first week or so of camp, the offensive performance in the ever-important drill was nothing to write home about. The run game had a certain degree of success, but the passing game was abysmal, going just 6/21.
The most telling aspect of the failure was the lack of pointed blame. There was no single reason the unit fell short.
On some plays, the offensive line got bullied. On others, the receivers dropped passes. Still on others, Kenny Pickett held the ball too long. It was an underwhelming performance with an overwhelming list of concerns.
Friday Night Success
After a week of struggles, Kenny Pickett and his boys flipped the script at the vaunted Friday Night Lights practice, and the offense won, 5-2.
Pickett went 3/4 with TDs to Allen Robinson and Diontae Johnson and a QB scramble to the pylon. Pickett’s only misfire was a great throw to George Pickens, but the receiver stepped out before completing the catch.
Meanwhile, Mitch Trubisky went 2/3 with TDs to Gunner Olszewski and Calvin Austin over the middle.
Back To Struggles
After another victory on Saturday, the struggles returned on Sunday. Pickett and Trubisky went a combined 2/7, as the unit once again looked not ready for prime time.
Now, is it silly to analyse every moment of every 7 Shots drill? Perhaps. But the point here is to take a departure from the social media hype. As each day passes and Twitter highlights continue to roll in, it’s important to understand the youth and inexperience that surrounds the unit. Harris, Johnson, and Freiermuth are certainly stars, but with a huge reliance on second-year players in Pickett and Pickens, patience is going to remain key.
There is obvious evidence to support an offensive uptick from the 2022 campaign, and all performances from camp should be viewed through the lens of Pittsburgh’s potentially elite defense. But this season will likely look a lot like 7 Shots has during camp. Some days the offense will be firing on all cylinders. Others it will sputter with infuriating mistakes. That is the nature of youth, and youth is something the Steelers offense has their fair share of. The more realistic goal here should not be putting together an elite unit, but putting together a unit that improves throughout the year.
The Steelers will have the distinct advantage of employing the only reasonably priced quarterback in the division for the next few years. If the front office and fanbase can exercise patience, the hype floating around this year’s training camp will likely eventually be warranted.
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