It's that time of year again as we head to the battleground of the trenches. The game is won or lost, most often, in the confines of the area between the tackles, where the bloody-knuckle battleground is waged by some of the largest human beings walking the planet. And this week is no different.
There is largely an info "blackout" coming out of the confines of Atlanta, primarily due to neither head coach wanting to show his hand before they have to do so. The Steelers ran a lot of 11 and 12 personnel in the preseason, and clearly with Arthur Smith as the new OC, that won't be the case when the Steelers kick off the season in Atlanta.
Likewise, new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris ran 11 personnel nearly exclusively in the preseason, but very few starters got playing time. And I believe nobody can be sure that Morris' offense will be of the three-wide personnel displayed so heavily in the preseason, because Arthur Smith was the head coach in Atlanta last year. He was a power-package, multi-TE personnel guy.
Therefore the "CLASSIC JURRASSIC MEAT-EATER MATCHUP" kicks off this season focusing on a young gun, the "Morgantown Mauler," rookie center Zach Frazier, doing battle with nose tackle David Onyemata.
As a rookie second-round pick, Frazier comes from a heralded wrestling background, and his prowess on the mat and physical attributes are on display with each and every snap of the ball. Establishing himself early, Frazier got his first start after Nate Herbig injured his shoulder and went on the IR for the year. And his preseason reps did nothing but confirm what the scouts already knew. Frazier is ready to take the big stage.
Blessed with what I call goofy wrestler strength, which is strength leverages he can apply in 360 degrees, Frazier is quick and powerful in every plane of motion. Most players, due to years of lifting weights throughout their competitive careers, gain strength in various planes of motion. They can be strong bench pressers, or squatting enormous amounts of weight. Wrestlers have all of that, plus all the in between degrees of strength that only a total body sport with contact and resistance applied, such as wrestling, can develop.
