Nov 30, 2016 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – The NFL has become so specialized in recent years that between plays, it often looks like teams are doing hockey-like line changes.

But under first-year head coach Ben McAdoo, the New York Giants have gone away from mass substitutions – at least on offense – instead keeping the same personnel on the field play after play.

“The good thing is that you know who is going to be on the field,” said Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell. “The bad thing is that you know who is going to be on the field.”

That would include quarterback Eli Manning and receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and rookie Sterling Shephard, perhaps the best quarterback and receiver trio in the NFL. Manning, a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, has 20 TD passes this season and all three of his starting receivers have at least 450 receiving yards, with Beckham leading the way with 915 yards.

The Steelers (6-5) will be tasked with slowing down that passing attack when they face the red-hot Giants (8-3) – winners of six consecutive games – Sunday at Heinz Field.

Plenty of football teams, including the Steelers, use a no-huddle attack on offense in an effort to get the matchups they like.

But there aren’t many NFL teams that run the no-huddle the way the New York Giants do, keeping the same 11 offensive players on the field at all times.

“The key part is that they don’t substitute,” said Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt. “If they were to substitute a guy, we’d get a chance to match (the substitution). But because they don’t do that, I think that’s why it affects a lot of teams they play. They come out with the same guys and move the ball down the field. We’ve got the goods, the players to be able to match them to be able to do what we need to do defensively.”

The key for the Steelers could be inside linebacker Ryan Shazier. Not only is Shazier the fastest of the Pittsburgh linebackers, giving them the ability to use him in coverage, he’s also the team’s defensive play caller.

He’ll be counted on to quickly relay what defense coordinator Keith Butler wants on each play and make sure everyone is correctly aligned before the Giants snap the ball.

It won’t be an easy task.

“We definitely have to get things in quickly because they can hurry up, they can run plays whenever they want or slow down the pace,” said Shazier. “We’ve got to get the call in and make sure we’re in position so we’re ready to play.”

Shazier won’t be able to get everyone in place on his own and make the calls. He’ll need plenty of help from his teammates.

“As a defense the thing to do to help (Shazier) is to make sure we’re ready,” said Tuitt. “You know for a fact that they’re running a no-huddle offense and they don’t trade any players off. That special break you get, that’s out the window. We need to make sure we get back on the line and are ready to go so that when he makes the calls, we’re ready to be lined up.”

That was an issue in the opening game of the 2015 season, when New England’s Tom Brady caught the Steelers a couple of times by snapping the ball before their defense was set. The Steelers did a better job of handling that when they played the Patriots in a rematch earlier this season, though they still lost that game, 27-16.

But that doesn’t mean anything this week.

“I don’t think anyone runs their offense like this,” said Cockrell of the Giants.

The Giants run their style of offense to cover the fact they struggle running the football. New York is 31st in the NFL, averaging 79.5 yards on the ground per game, and leading rusher Rashad Jennings has just 395 yards.

The Steelers believe if they can continue New York’s troubles running the ball, they can be effective on defense against the Giants, despite the presence of Beckham and company.

“The key against a team like this is just slowing them down,” said Tuitt. “And slowing them down is getting tackles for losses or making them drop a pass or an interception. We just need to make some plays and get off the field. We can’t allow them to have long drives.”

Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) and running back DeAngelo Williams (knee) missed practice Wednesday. … Receiver Antonio Brown was excused from practice. … The NFL will allow players to wear personalized cleats to honor a personal cause or charity this weekend and several Steelers will take advantage of the offer. Brown was fined twice earlier this season for wearing personalized cleats.