NFL Network once referred to Robert Spillane matching up against a slot wide receiver as “a sportscar versus a pickup truck.”
Spillane made it known Monday he strongly disagrees with that assessment. Furthermore, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ presumed starter at right inside linebacker said coach Mike Tomlin told him that pass coverage is Spillane’s strength.
“In our postseason meeting, (Tomlin said) underneath coverage and hug-blitzing (entering the backfield while being responsible for the running back) were two of my best attributes as a player,” Spillane said Monday during a video conference call with media. “So (Tomlin) said that instead of just focusing on maybe run game — getting better in the run game — he said, ‘I want you to excel even stronger in your best abilities (including covering receivers).’”
That assessment of Spillane’s game from Tomlin (and Spillane himself) seems to run counter to what many Steelers fans were saying, particularly after the January wild-card loss to the Cleveland Browns in which Spillane drew ire for his pass coverage.
But according to Pro Football Focus, among the 99 inside/middle linebackers who played at least 228 defensive snaps last season, Spillane ranked 13th in pass coverage. He ranked 56th in run-stopping.
PFF’s data says opposing quarterbacks had the third-worst passer rating (68.2) when targeting a receiver covered by Spillane than of any of the 99 qualifying off-ball linebackers.
Spillane appeared to be exposed in coverage, though, during the Browns playoff game. According to PFF, Baker Mayfield completed all six of his attempted passes for 67 yards to receivers covered by Spillane. Slot wide receiver Jarvis Landry had two catches for 34 yards.
One of those was broken down on NFL Network, which termed the Spillane-Landry matchup as “a sportscar versus a pickup truck” and “not a fair fight.” Former NFL defensive back Darius Butler also made a video breaking down the play that went viral on social media. In it, Butler said having Spillane assigned to Landry “makes no sense” and that Landry would win that matchup “10 times out of 10.”
I STILL don’t understand this play-call in this situation. 4 DBs on the field, 1 WR and somehow J. Landry gets a 1 on 1 matchup on Spillane on 3rd and 2. @Everything_DB @TheManToManPod #NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/pC9GltVYBK
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) January 11, 2021
Spillane, though, bristled Monday when that play was brought up to him. Appearing irked at the insinuation, Spillane clearly showed he takes pride in being able to handle coverage duties against slot wide receivers. And he maintains that the Steelers coaches do, too.
“That’s a matchup that we’ve won throughout the season many times,” Spillane said. “People want to look at one play and say that’s the reason that we lost or that is a mismatch – and it’s not. I had poor technique where I could have put my hands on a receiver but I didn’t, and there’s nothing more to it. It’s not a crazy athleticism (mismatch). He doesn’t have a mismatch on size. There’s nothing there.
“It’s a minus for me on that play, and I know I need to be better. But it’s nothing that I can’t get done on a week-to-week basis, so I am looking forward to coming back and showing that underneath coverages are one of my best abilities. And like Tomlin said, ‘You’ve got to win when you’re put in those positions.’ So I am looking forward to coming back to prove people that I can cover receivers all over the field.”
Steelers ILB Robert Spillane on starting next to Devin Bush in 2021 pic.twitter.com/g7HARtXopw
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) March 29, 2021
The release of longtime starter Vince Williams earlier this month leaves the Steelers with Devin Bush and Spillane as starting inside linebackers heading into the draft. Undrafted and unemployed as recently as September 2019, Spillane worked his way from the Steelers’ practice squad to their 53-man roster and was their top backup ILB when Bush suffered a torn ACL during the fifth game of last season.
Spillane stepped into that role — when healthy — the remainder of 2021 and showed enough that the Steelers not only felt comfortable releasing Williams but also let Avery Williamson go and have not signed any reinforcements through two weeks of free agency.
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