Madden Monday on Steelers offense: 'I’m asking it to be daring'

It was just one drive for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team offense in the club’s preseason debut Friday night. But it went for a touchdown and laid the groundwork for a 27-17 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9 The X sees some real value in what the Steelers did offensively to open up the preseason behind quarterback Kenny Pickett.

“That was a pretty good drive. Tampa had a lot of guys sitting out. The Steelers had their share sitting out as well. But there’s no denying Pickett looked sharp. He was throwing and making plays on the run pretty well,” Madden said. “There was a lot to like about that first drive, albeit only being one drive.”

Madden says the most eye-catching part of that opening march downfield was the play design that resulted in George Pickens’ 33-yard touchdown catch and run.

The throw
The catch

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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 11, 2023

“I liked getting a 33-yard catch-and-run touchdown to Pickens in the middle. In the middle! Which they so rarely used last year — not just with Pickens but pretty much with anybody,” Madden said.

Indeed. Pickens wasn’t often used over the middle or on in-breaking routes last year. But he was on that play. It resulted in 22 yards after the catch. Pickens only had 104 yards after the catch all of last year.

Now Madden says the biggest thing the Steelers have to be willing to do is simply stick with that mentality of attacking on offense, even in games where the unit might be struggling.

In other words, don’t just revert back to the ultra-conservative nature of their offense a season ago, just because Pickett may throw an interception or two along the way.

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“That 33-yard play from Pickett to Pickens would have been their longest touchdown last year. That’s the stuff they’ve got to do more of,” Madden said. “But here’s the problem. The minute they try that and they throw a pick or make a mistake, then they’ll dumb it way back. They’ll dial it way back. They’re going to play safe, safer, safest unless they really have a radical shift in their approach.”

Madden says head coach Mike Tomlin and his Steelers offensive coaches have to better embrace the concept of risk-reward than what they did in 2022.

“I’m asking it to be daring,” Madden said of the offensive approach. “That’s all I want. Whatever happens if they dare and they fail, then at least they dared.”

Also in the podcast, Madden and I discuss Kwon Alexander at inside linebacker, residue of the Penguins acquiring Erik Karlsson, the Baltimore Orioles broadcasting fiasco, the battle against lantern flies and the upcoming Guns N’ Roses concert at PNC Park.