Carter's Classroom: Surge in defensive talent boosts schematics, too

It's no secret the Steelers have been trying to get younger, faster and more aggressive on defense through the draft and free agency. T.J. Watt represents the fifth consecutive first-round draft pick on a defensive player.

So it makes sense that those players and others who have worked their way into the fold are bringing dynamics to the defense that had been absent in recent seasons.

We take a look at the elements the different players are bringing and how they worked into Keith Butler's game plan Sunday in the 21-18 victory at Cleveland:



Our preview of the Browns focused on their rookie quarterback, DeShone Kizer, and how his skill set could pose a threat. His mobility and powerful arm could have been a combination that frustrated the defense, in the same way that mobile quarterbacks like Dak Prescott had gotten the best of the Steelers in recent seasons.

Some of the primary aspects of beating Kizer that we talked about were keeping him in the pocket, taking away his primary reads and closing any clear running lanes he could see directly in front of him.

Early in the game, the Steelers showed that was exactly what they came to do. Here's the first of Anthony Chickillo's two sacks in the game, but it wasn't just his effort that got the job done. The Steelers rushed five players who each had different jobs in creating pressure and containing Kizer.

Keep an eye on Vince Williams, highlighted in yellow, as he attacks Joe Thomas, keeps his head up and his outside arm free, and disengages immediately as he sees Kizer trying to escape the pocket:



Because Williams is able to bounce outside of Thomas, Kizer is forced back into the pocket and has no read on what receiver might be open. By the time he gathers himself and is looking to create something after the play has broken down, Chickillo is wrapping up his legs and finishing the sack.

Chickillo and Williams are both in their mid-twenties and have worked their way through the Steelers' depth chart for multiple seasons to know the system and earn the trust of the coaching staff.

However, a newcomer like Joe Haden hasn't had that advantage, but still was entrusted with major responsibilities in his first game with the organization. Haden was covering receivers short, long, outside the numbers or coming across the middle of the field. But he was also involved in the blitz game the Steelers designed to confuse Kizer.

Here he is, highlighted in yellow, as he bumps down from covering the flanker so that he can blitz off the edge and twist behind Chickillo to win a one-on-one matchup with the running back:



These are some of the last-second switches that the Steelers' talent allows them to call. Watch how Sean Davis, highlighted in red, is able to come from his position and take Haden's man with a smooth transition. On the other side of the formation you see Watt go from a blitzing position to bumping into the slot and blanketing the receiver who never creates separation.

Watt seems to have the coaches convinced that he can be an effective cover linebacker as well as an edge blitzer, and his play on Sunday did nothing to shake that confidence.

Here's another example of the Steelers using a similar late adjustment, with Watt bouncing away from the line of scrimmage after Kizer has finished making his pre-snap adjustments and begun his snap cadence. The timing is crucial because if the quarterback fails to check back over on Watt after he's retreated into a better place to cover, the linebacker could be free to lurk underneath deeper routes and jump a bullet pass that Kizer throws without knowing where Watt is located.

That's exactly what happened when Watt intercepted his first NFL pass with him skying into the air to pull down the ball:



This also brings back our initial analysis of how Kizer would be expected to make decisions in his NFL debut. The Steelers lined up with two safeties lined up close to each other and with Watt as part of the front seven that would bring pressure on Kizer.

Because of this combination of looks, Kizer's pre-snap read is that the go route by the receiver in the slot will be covered by the deep safety and the back-shoulder comeback pattern to the split end will have the best chance of being open.

When Kizer snaps the ball he executes the play-action fake and immediately looks for where his split end is so he can fire the pass to his back shoulder. Artie Burns does a great job running with the receiver, making Kizer's passing window extremely tight.

Such a tight window requires a lot of zip on the ball, lowering the trajectory of the pass and forcing Kizer to fire a bullet. Because Kizer is coming out of his fake handoff and is looking at his primary read, he doesn't see Watt until it's far too late to pull up on his throw.

That's what speed and athleticism does when it's mixed with a coordinated defense. Those are the kind of switches that truly test the mettle of quarterbacks and provide opportunities for turnovers. It's created from the athleticism of both Watt being able to get out to his spot so quickly and by Burns, who is able to press the receiver and never look out of step to force a tighter pass.

But athleticism on defense is not just limited to speed, it's also been a big part of the defensive line's revitalization. Javon Hargrave came off a strong rookie season and absolutely bullied the Browns' center, J.C. Tretter.

Mind you, Tretter is a newly-added offensive lineman who had a solid reputation with the Packers and is on a three-year deal for $11.5 million. So that's something when a second-year player drafted in the third round is getting the best of a player the Browns went out and paid solid money to add to their line.

Watch how Hargrave gets his hands inside of Tretter's pads, gets his shoulders lower and just treats him like an old sled in a drill as he walks him six yards into the pocket and gets the sack:



Having a defensive tackle winning these kind of one-on-one battles poses a problem to offenses. Especially when it comes on plays where the Steelers only rush three players. The offensive line is preoccupied with making sure the defensive ends can't get around the edge and expects their center to handle his business, but instead, he gets handled.

Though Stephon Tuitt comes with years of experience on the team, his age of 24 puts him right at the center of the current youth movement on defense. Tuitt's size, burst, skills and awareness have made him a feared player whenever he's on the line.

Watch how he swiftly dodges the tight end who is cracking down on him in an effort to open up a running lane for Isaiah Crowell. Tuitt keeps his head up and is able to shed the tight end while still being fully aware of the rest of the play:



Showing the ability to stay focused even when you're the target of a trap block is one of the fastest ways to take away a run scheme. Often there are key points of attack where the offensive line will use trap blocks or attempts to block someone like the Browns did with their tight end here.

But even the other members of the defensive line were getting into the act. Watch the below play as Cam Heyward blows up his man and forces the cutback right where Tuitt's replacement, Tyson Alualu, is waiting to tackle Crowell:



Alualu is in his late twenties and not technically part of the youth movement, but he's one of the offseason free agent acquisitions whom the Steelers signed to help with depth. The tenth pick of the 2010 NFL draft, Alualu did a great job avoiding the cut block from Shon Coleman.

When an offensive lineman tries to cut your legs out with a low block, hence the term "cut block," your goal is to keep your feet moving away from the low block and use your hands to shove the opponent to the ground just as Alualu did here.

Once that was done, the Steelers' two most interior linemen in this formation shut down this run.

The defense has slowly improved over the past few years as players like Ryan Shazier and Heyward have worked their way into the fold.

And now as the defense continues its youth movement, the Steelers are seeing the benefits of having young blood on the field and the coordination of athletes in their prime to execute the complexities of Butler's defense while being aggressive.

Keep an eye out for how this group continues to develop and whether they can continue to gel, even as they learn new places they can be aggressive in their schemes.