Carter's Classroom: Young linebackers deliver

The Steelers' defense has seen a resurgence led by a youth movement, especially in the secondary with rookies Artie Burns and Sean Davis. But two other first-round draft picks, Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree, have emerged as producers, including each coming off a big game Sunday against the Bills.

Shazier has suffered from growing pains, learning from mistakes in assignments, but has rounded into a reliable player the past several weeks. Dupree was unavailable for half the season due to injury, but he has come on strong.

Let's look at how both were key in shutting down the run and in making plays in the pass rush:



SHAZIER

I will preach the importance of gap integrity in any defensive article that involves the front seven, and the Steelers have excelled in maintaining their gap assignments during their four-game win streak.

Watch below how Shazier and William Gay team up in the hole to stop LeSean McCoy:



Shazier reads this play and is so fast to react. He sees Richie Incognito (64) and is able to cut inside of Incognito's pull block and put a big hit on McCoy. Notice how Shazier attacks Incognito's inside shoulder to address his gap while Gay comes from covering the slot to close down on Incognito's outside shoulder to address his gap.

This is brilliant defense and exciting for the Steelers to see Shazier's elite speed matching with his ability to recognize plays. Also it should be noted how well the Steelers account for each possibility, being ready for Taylor to keep the ball and the potential reverse with the receiver coming deep into the backfield.

The same sort of play was made below by Shazier, when Jerome Felton was the lead blocker for McCoy:



Watch how Dupree crashes down on the edge on the left side of the screen. He recognizes that he is being set up to be trapped, like we said he should in our preview last week, and crashes down to the inside, preventing the pulling guard from getting to the outside and contributing to creating the hole for McCoy.

Shazier again reads the play and attacks the inside shoulder in order to force McCoy to where the help is in the defense. But he does more than just force McCoy to the outside, he breaks through the block of Felton and makes the tackle.

While these aren't plays that will show up on a highlight reel, these are of the caliber that the Steelers were looking for when they selected Shazier in the first round. He's not only playing to Keith Butler's scheme but also doing so with his incredible speed and natural football skills.

Watch how that speeds comes into play when he sacks Tyrod Taylor:



Shazier drops back on the play initially with his eyes on the tight end, but when he realizes his zone isn't being attacked, he starts to spy Taylor. He takes away Taylor's interior gap to escape, then changes direction to close down on Taylor and finishes the play.

He's helped by Lawrence Timmons, whose edge rush was more to contain Taylor than to bring pressure, forcing Taylor to step up right into Shazier's gap and giving him the best shot to bring him down.

This is the result of good players following great coaching. The Steelers have been working on this type of defense all year and have been seeing their young defenders fit into the scheme in only Butler's second season as coordinator.

DUPREE

The Steelers have desperately needed a player to emerge at the outside linebacker position to work with Shazier and Timmons, and Dupree certainly did that against the Bills.

Watch the sack below. Dupree works from covering the edge, to forcing Taylor from the pocket, only to spin out and chase down Taylor:


Dupree manages to start the play keeping his outside shoulder free in order to keep Taylor from slipping outside to extend the play. Then he crosses the face of the right tackle, only to put on a great spin move and use his speed to track down Taylor and finish the play.

Also helping on the play is Davis, who takes away McCoy from being an easy passing option, and Ross Cockrell, who takes away the only other receiver Taylor could see as he rolls to the right.

Dupree brings the pass rush, but the Steelers also need an outside linebacker to play the run; something that they didn't have in Jason Worilds years ago. Watch the below play as Dupree and the defense sniff out the Bills' triple-option play:



On an option play, the defense must be prepared for play both the ball carrier and his pitch man. Dupree and Stephon Tuitt both are free and responsible for Taylor on this play and finish him off.

Part of what the Steelers really like about Dupree is his athleticism and versatility. Dupree lines up behind Tuitt in more of a form of a 4-3 linebacker than a 3-4 edge rusher. He then is fast enough to get to the outside while initially looking to cover the inside gap in case of a simple hand-off.

The pitch man for Taylor is taken away by Cockrell, who beats Sammy Watkins to own the outside edge and to take away any other option for Taylor other than to concede the play.

Dupree and Shazier each are playing like first-round picks who can make the unsung solid plays that help make for a great defense, but they are also joined by a disciplined defensive unit. If they stay healthy, the Steelers' defense could become a unit that leads this team in the playoffs rather than the offense.

Carter’s Classroom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday on DKPittsburghSports.com.