It all sounds so simple, yet it’s often extremely hard to execute at the highest level of football, that being assignment sound football, especially defensively.
Leading up to the bye week in Week 9 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing assignment sound football, especially against the run, was often a challenge.
Too often, guys were in the wrong gap, slow to get off blocks, or just got beat, opening rushing lanes for running backs to exploit. Oftentimes, teams were able to run the football at will, closing out games in a physical style that was demoralizing for the Steelers.