Carter's Classroom: D-line could provide key boost in pressure

During the Steelers' most successful defensive seasons, the team has benefited from league-leading pressure on the quarterback. That pressure typically comes from the outside linebackers in their 3-4 scheme.

Over the years the Steelers have seen James Harrison, Joey Porter, Jason Gildon and others lead defenses in sacks and take over games by sacking superstar quarterbacks in key situations.

That's still the plan under Keith Butler with the Steelers having two first-round draft picks at outside linebacker in Bud Dupree and rookie T.J. Watt, but the team has also looked to draft players who could create pressure from other positions.



Namely, defensive linemen Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave.

The last three seasons when the Steelers have made the Super Bowl have featured at least one double-digit sack producer. They had two in each of the last two appearances. All of those performances came from outside linebackers.

While Dupree is expected to have a big year as he enters his third NFL season after recording 4.5 sacks in just four starts last season, Harrison has only notched five sacks in each of the three seasons since he returned to the team after his brief stint with the Bengals and Watt is not a proven commodity.

That means that for the defensive front to be a top-tier pass rushing unit, the production may have to come from elsewhere.

In those three most recent Super Bowl seasons, sacks from defensive linemen have not been a resource to depend on. The most production any of those teams got from a defensive lineman was when Aaron Smith recorded 5.5 sacks in 2008.

However in the most recent seasons, Heyward has managed to record at least seven sacks twice and Tuitt posted 6.5 sacks in 2015.

While the Steelers missed Heyward for more than half of last season, he still managed to get three sacks and was on pace to match his seven sacks-per-season pace. Tuitt recorded four sacks and Hargrave managed to nab two in his rookie year, with another on Tom Brady in the playoffs.

Together, if each of these players could play to a reasonable potential and stay healthy for the majority of the season, this could bolster the defense's efforts in the pass rush more than any defensive line group in recent seasons.

We take a look at how that can happen with the film, starting with Hargrave and his interior work:



Hargrave's best asset is his execution in hand techniques and staying low to establish and maintain leverage. Notice how he fires off the ball and splits the double team to chase down Scott Tolzien. 

That sack was a result of Hargrave eventually working through the line and collapsing the pocket after the outside rush forced Tolzien to move up. The Steelers will need more situations where Hargrave can win battles on his own to create pressure more quickly than the above example.

But that's something that Hargrave showed he was capable of when he sacked Brady in the AFC Championship game. Watch how he was able to cross the face of the left guard and then use his momentum to get to Brady:



What was very impressive about this play is that Hargrave didn't just win with his initial move, he followed it up to make sure he finished the job. Once Joe Thuney was beaten, he came back to stop Hargrave, but the rookie from South Carolina State kept his head up, saw it coming and simply tossed him aside to ensure the clear path to Brady.

Hargrave doubles as a defensive tackle in the Steelers' 3-4 scheme and an end in sub packages.

That allows him to team up with Tuitt, who is a rising star entering his fourth season with the team. Tuitt is a mauler who looks to gain leverage with power moves in his pass rush attempts.

Watch how he uses his interior hand as an anchor on this sack, ripping his arm under the shoulder pads of the right tackle and using the leverage to rush around the edge and sack Cody Kessler:



Tuitt's tape shows him to be less of a technician than Hargrave, but that's also because he has a lot more athletic prowess to rely upon for his moves. Watch how he explodes off the ball, crossing the right guard's face before John Miller can ever stop him:



Tuitt has established too much momentum to be stopped from sacking Tyrod Taylor by the time the guard has his hands on him.

Tuitt is a player who I've been excited to see break out for years. His tape shows solid improvement each season in execution and recognition of offensive schemes.

While a quick look at his stat sheet shows Tuitt dropped from 6.5 sacks in 2015 to only four sacks in 2016, the numbers don't necessarily show how he was still a force to be respected on the defensive line.

But the key to this unit being a dynamic part of the pass rush is in its leader, Heyward. His experience combined with his strength and athleticism make him a consistent threat.

Heyward's recognition of what opponents are trying to do gives him an advantage that he's utilized on several occasions.

A perfect example was when he completely shut down a quarterback rollout play because he realized where the line was leading to, used his hands to get inside of the guard and shoved his way into the backfield:



By the time Alex Smith got to his launch point, Heyward was in his path and had every advantage he would need.

Heyward is the most known commodity of the three because of his years of production and leadership. Combining their production for an entire season as they continue to build chemistry could lead to an entirely new style of pass-rush threats for opponents to scheme against.

An example of how this can work in a sense of numbers could be seen in comparison to other seasons.

In 2008 the Steelers totaled 51 sacks, 13 more than what the 2016 team managed with their total of 38. Over half of those 51 came from outside linebackers in Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, both of whom recorded double-digit sacks.

Dupree should not be expected to be able to duplicate Harrison's 16-sack season, but achieving Woodley's 11.5 from that season could be doable considering the rate at which Dupree gained sacks in his limited starting time in 2016.

Meanwhile, making up for Harrison's sack totals is something the defensive line could do on their own. If Heyward is able to play a full season, there would be no reason not to expect him to regain his rate of seven sacks per season. Tuitt adding five sacks and Hargrave continuing his progression to reach four sacks are both reasonable levels to expect.

Combining those numbers would bring this group to 16 total sacks, a number that would be higher than any of the starting defensive lines in the Steelers' most recent Super Bowl seasons. It would also force teams to draw their schemes and focus their attention more on the defensive line, opening more advantageous opportunities for other pass rushers.

Combining those numbers with Harrison's average of five, Dupree's being on the verge of possibly a breakout season and the smaller sack totals from other players like Ryan Shazier, Arthur Moats and company could lead to the most sacks the Steelers have seen in many years.

Doing so would return the defense to its legacy of a strong pass rush and ease the pressure on defensive backs to guard receivers for longer periods of time. Hand-in-hand, the success of the defensive front could lead to more turnovers both in sacks and interceptions, as the secondary can be more aggressive when quarterbacks don't have the chance to pick them apart.