AFC North Help Steelers Prepare for Quarterbacks Like Drew Lock
PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers aren't a team hidden from the changing landscape of NFL quarterbacks.
As the league gets faster, so do those throwing the football. Pittsburgh handles two - now three - quarterbacks with legs as talented as their arms, which has prepared them for the morphing dynamic of game-planning for a player like Drew Lock.
Lock, the Denver Broncos' second-year quarterback, doesn't have the rushing stats a player like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson does. In six games, Lock has accumulated 21 rushes for 77 yards but has only been sacked five times.
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt will have the task of containing Lock during Sunday's Week 2 game against the Broncos.
"He definitely looks to pass as he's rolling out, but he's very effective with his legs and his arm," Watt said on Friday. "We have to be very discipline."
Watt credits the AFC North for the team's lack of change needed to scheme for Lock's mobility. The Steelers have held Jackson and Mayfield to 73 combined rushing yards (70 from Jackson) in 2019.
"That's the great thing about being in our conference is that we have all quarterbacks that can get out of the pocket and run," Watt said. "We have a decent amount of exposure to that over the last few years with Lamar Jackson, Bakey Mayfield, and now, Joe Burrow. Continuing to practice being discipline on rush lanes to contain the quarterback and make life easier for us is going to be effective for us."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
