The Steelers have less than three weeks remaining before they open the regular season Sept. 14 at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.
Typically, that would mean the coaching staff would have begun the process of working on a game plan for that opening opponent, installing bits and pieces of that over the final few weeks of training camp -- though they might not announce to the players that is their intention.
However, given the brevity involved with their preparation time for the 2020 season -- the team has been with the coaching staff for three weeks and has just under three weeks remaining before the first game -- the Steelers, like most teams, are still working on the overall installation of their offensive and defensive packages.
The Steelers largely have their starters in place, but continue to look for some depth pieces, particularly on defense. That doesn't mean, however, the coaching staff hasn't begun the process of breaking down the Giants, even if they haven't devoted practice time specifically to that cause.
The problem, at least defensively, for the Steelers will be figuring out what the Giants will do offensively without any preseason games with which to judge things.
New head coach Joe Judge has never been an offensive or defensive play caller, spending his eight years in the NFL as a special teams coach or coordinator with the Patriots. New offensive coordinator Jason Garrett comes over after 10 seasons as the head coach of the Cowboys. And though Garrett has an offensive background, he gave up calling the plays for the Cowboys after the 2012 season.
It makes getting a bead on the Giants' offensive plan difficult.
"A little bit," Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler admitted Tuesday. "But you kind of get an idea of what they want to do because they've got similar people as they did in Dallas. Maybe it's not the quarterback that Jason had in Dallas, but he's got a running back (Saquon Barkley) that's a hoss. They're going to do what a lot of people do in the league now. They're going to run the football and they're going to play-action on first down. When they go play-action, they're going to run deeper routes and get over the top of the linebackers if you're playing zone, trying to get between the linebackers and the secondary. They're still going to do that."
At least that's what the Steelers are thinking right now. The problem is that they just don't know.
Unlike the Steelers, who essentially return all 11 starters -- or at least 11 players who have started a lot of games -- in the league, the Giants are a little more of a blind draw. Their left tackle, Nate Solder, opted out of playing this season, meaning they will likely start first-round pick Andrew Thomas in his place. The right tackle position remains up for grabs between third-round pick Matt Peart and journeyman Cameron Fleming.
Obviously, as Butler said, Barkley will be a handful. He's averaged nearly 120 total yards from scrimmage per game in his two NFL seasons.
It makes this game like playing a game of poker in which you have all of your cards showing, while the opponent only has a couple turned over.
But, if your cards are better, you'll win -- unless you fall for a bluff.
With the Giants breaking in two new offensive tackles, Butler's defensive plan could be a simple one. He can simply use outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, who combined for 26 sacks and 30 tackles for a loss last season, to disrupt the game.
They are his two aces showing, though he certainly has some others on a defense that led the NFL in sacks for a third consecutive season -- the first time in NFL history that has been done -- while also topping the league in turnovers a year ago.
But the Giants obviously will know that will be an issue and will try to adjust accordingly -- if they have the proper time to prepare for the Steelers. The Steelers, however, still think Watt and Dupree are getting better and have some tricks up their sleeves they didn't show last season.
"T.J. is still advancing in his pass rush and he's a problem for a lot of people because he uses his hands well," Butler said. "He does a good job of recognizing the difference in pass and run, play-action and stuff like that. So has Bud. Bud is a big, strong guy. He's going to be hard to handle. Both of those guys are going to be a big part of our defense. They're going to be a major force to deal with when offenses line up to play against us."
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