Steelers' gameplan for Browns rookie DeShone Kizer: 'Hit him often, hit him early'

Sounds like the rookie QB will be in for a rough Sunday unless his offensive line can step up

DeShone Kizer hasn't even played in a real NFL game and he already has something in common with arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady: opposing defenses use the same gameplan against both of them. 

In the lead up to the Steelers' Week 1 contest against the Browns, Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward explained their gameplan for the Browns' rookie quarterback. It's rather simple, actually.

"Hit him often, hit him early," Heyward said, per ESPN. "Doesn't really work if you don't hit him. You can sell all these different things, but if you don't hit the quarterback, he'll have time to dissect the defense."

If that sounds familiar, that's because it's the exact formula that's required to beat Brady.

"The way to beat Tom Brady is to hit him," DeMarcus Ware wrote in The Players' Tribune in June. "As many times as you can, hit him. And even then, it might not be enough."

OK, let's state the obvious: hitting any quarterback is a surefire way to limit his production. Even Aaron Rodgers loses his superhuman ability when he's under duress. So, this isn't a strategy that's unique to Kizer and Brady. Being able to generate pressure is arguably the most important quality a defense can have.

And it makes sense that the Steelers would try to put Kizer under pressure considering it's his first ever NFL game. If anything, it's predictable.

"I am not sure what they are thinking," Browns left tackle Joe Thomas said Thursday, via NFL.com, "but certainly, every coach I have been around when you face a rookie quarterback it's, 'Let's try to rattle him. Let's throw a bunch of different looks at him. Let's throw a bunch of blitzes at him and see if he can handle it.'

"I wouldn't expect anything differently in this game because they want to test him. They want to see what he knows and what he can handle and try to find a weakness in his game and go at it because that is what the NFL is all about. You try to find your opponent's weakness and you go at it until they fix it."

Kizer, a second-round pick, won the starting job over the very tall, but very bad Brock Osweiler, who now finds himself on the Broncos' roster. In the preseason, Kizer went 25 of 49 (51 percent) for 351 yards (7.2 YPA), one touchdown, one pick, and a 72.7 passer rating. He added a score on the ground. So no, he wasn't perfect by any means, but he flashed enough potential for the Browns to be optimistic about his long-term future.

Don't expect Kizer to light up the Steelers though. For one, the Browns are going to be severely outmatched from a talent standpoint. And according to ESPN, the Steelers are 19-4 against rookie quarterbacks since 2004. 

The good news for Kizer is that Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree is questionable for the game with a shoulder injury. Still, the Steelers will be well equipped to get after Kizer with rookie T.J. Watt, the 39-year-old James Harrison, and Stephon Tuitt, who reportedly inked a five-year extension on Saturday.