Steelers lineman gets ‘run blocking’ flowers from Mina Kimes

Though the Pittsburgh Steelers have a Hall of Fame quaterback running the show under center, the ground game has been Mike McCarthy’s bread and butter in the Steel City.

Raking 14th in total rushing yards but third in yards per attempt at 4.9, Mina Kimes took some time on ESPN’s NFL Live to give Pittsburgh some love especially to their center, Zach Frazier, who is her pick for the All-Pro list if the season ended today.

“Yeah, we have to start talking about the Steelers when we talk about the Lions, the Bears, the Chiefs, the Bills as one of the most dominant run games in football. Statistically, they’re second in EPA per carry. They’re right up there. They’re second in first-down rate on the ground behind only Buffalo. There’s a litany of reasons for that. Dan, you spoke to this, the diversity of runs, game to game, week to week, jumps out to me. The backs, both of them running with great vision, I think, feeling it really well. And then the blocking,” Kimes said.

“I said this to Dan yesterday. I don’t know if there’s another team in the NFL where when they’re in their 12 Personnel, every single player on the field is a plus blocker. Metcalf and Bernard, both excellent blocking, obviously Washington and Freiermuth. And then that line, I mean, across the board, the way they have revamped them is something to be, it’s just really special. And I want to say this, going back and watching the runs yesterday, 54, the center, Frazier. I think he’s the best run blocking center in football. He’s got my All-Pro vote right now. Every single play is like a highlight for him. I swear to God. So they deserve a ton of love for what they’re doing in terms of blocking. And it is something to be reckoned with.”

After rushing for just 58 yards in Week 1, the Steelers hae been on a tear from Week 2 on, rushing for at least 0 yards in all but one game, an OT win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where they only logged 89. If the Steelers can continue to build their offense around a strong ground game, who knows, maybe McCarthy will finally lead his team to a playoff run that doesn’t end in a Wildcard exit, a feat Pittsburgh hasn’t seen since 2016.