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How the Steelers can fix their goal line running game

Saying that the Steelers' run game has been bad is putting it mildly. James Conner has been unable to stay healthy, and the offensive line just isn't built to be a good run-blocking unit. One of the bright spots up front has been rookie Kevin Dotson, but he is now sidelined with an injury that could keep him out a couple weeks.

Not all of the Steelers running game issues can be fixed based off of what the Steelers have to work with, but they can solve one issue with their current personnel: goal line situations.

For those of you that follow college football, you will know that Clemson has used this JUMBO package the past few seasons. It all started several years ago when Clemson was struggling to punch it in on the goal line. Dabo Swinney loves getting his big guys involved, so he decided to put 320 pound Christian Wilkins and 350 pound Dexter Lawrence in the backfield. The offensive line had been inconsistent, and the younger players on the line were struggling to bring physicality as run-blockers.

Sometimes the holes were there, but that wasn't always the case. It did not matter, however, as nobody could bring down Lawrence or Wilkins when the ball was handed off to one of them. Even when there were two defenders in the backfield before one of them touched the ball, whoever was the lead blocker would take one of them out, and the other easily overpowered the other. It worked nearly 100% of the time, because it is nearly impossible to stop two 300+ pound linemen from being able to struggle forward for one tough yard. Ever since then, Dabo Swinney has employed that package on the goal line occasionally, using multiple different defensive and offensive linemen.

No matter who has been in the backfield for us this season, we have struggled to punch it in when we are inside our own two or three yard line, resulting in Ben Roethlisberger being forced to throw it two or three times on the goal line. Derek Watt has been underwhelming when healthy, although we haven't seen Fichtner try to give it to him on a fullback dive.

While it may sound like an odd idea, I really think that the Steelers need to try to install a JUMBO package into their system for short yardage situations. Henry Mondeaux lined up at fullback earlier this year, so he could be one of the guys in the backfield. Isaiah Buggs could be the other. If the Steelers wanted to get really serious about it, we could run out of the wishbone and throw Derwin Gray in the backfield as a 3rd option.

As long as the lineman knows how to hold on to the ball, there is very little risk in implementing this package. Who is going to be able to stop a backfield of Derwin Gray, Isaiah Buggs, and Henry Mondeaux from gaining one or two yards with three chances to get it in (that is, in a 1st and goal situation)?

This is a simple way of ensuring that we don't have to throw it three times on the goal line or settle for a field goal when it should have been an easy touchdown. What do you think, BTSC? Let me know in the comment section.

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