The names have changed. Heck, the scheme has changed.
The Steelers are no longer Blitzburgh, as they were in 1994 or 2001 when the team sack record of 55 was set and matched, but it might not matter if Pittsburgh can record six more sacks Sunday when it hosts Cleveland in its regular season finale.
In the Blitzburgh days, the Steelers often sent five or more rushers after the passer.
Keith Butler has been a little more magician-like with his scheme. Opposing quarterbacks can try to guess who is coming, but the end result is that no matter what Butler shows, more often than not, the Steelers are only bringing four pass rushers. Guessing which four are coming remains the trick most quarterbacks haven't been able to solve.
"We’ve been doing it for a while and everybody in the league started doing it. A lot of people call in false blitzes and stuff like that," Butler said. "You do not know what four are coming. All of those guys are talented enough to rush the quarterback and fortunately they do a good job for us."
The Steelers (12-3) likely will face the Browns (0-15) Sunday at Heinz Field without their best pass rusher, defensive end Cameron Heyward. Heyward, who leads the Steelers with 12 sacks, could be among several Steelers held out of Sunday's game along with Le'Veon Bell, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.
Breaking the team record for sacks might seem like a big deal, but the Steelers have other plans.
"We really don't care about that," said Vince Williams, who has a career-high seven sacks. "Honestly, we just want to win. We don't care how we do it. We have bigger things we're thinking of, bigger goals."
Still, breaking the team record would be a nice feather in the cap for this defense that has been maligned in recent years as being too soft against the run and too porous against the pass.
The key, according to Butler, has been the team's improved secondary. Corner Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis are in their second seasons in the system. Former Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden was added after being released by Cleveland before the season began. And nickel corner Mike Hilton emerged from nowhere.
"I think coverage helps a lot. If you can get them to hold the ball a little bit and make them second-guess themselves, change up the coverages, change up the blitzes, give false blitzes, give real blitzes, and all that stuff," Butler said. "Change-up helps us."
Cleveland could offer plenty of opportunities for the Steelers' pass rush. The Browns have given up 44 sacks this season, including seven to the Steelers in a 21-18 Pittsburgh victory in Week 1.
But the Steelers know they have to be wary of Cleveland's running game, as well. In Week 17 last season, the Steelers hosted the Browns and sat several starters. Cleveland ran for 231 yards, but the Steelers prevailed in overtime, 27-24.
"We have to stop the run first," Stephon Tuitt told DKPittsburghSports.com. "We know what Cleveland came in here last year and did. We can't let that happen again, especially after allowing Houston to run on us last week. We want to stop the run, and then we'll worry about the sack record. If it happens, it happens."
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 1:02 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM Channel 225 (Internet 826)
• Forecast: 17, snow flurries
• Lots open: 9 a.m.
• Will call open: 11 a.m.
• Gates open: 11 a.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: WR Antonio Brown (calf, out), C Maurkice Pouncey (hip, questionable)
Browns: FB Dan Vitale (groin, out), DB Brien Boddy-Calhoun (knee, questionable), RB Matthew Dayes (knee, questionable), DB Derron Smith (hip, questionable), CB Jamar Taylor (foot, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
Typically in this spot, we highlight a key matchup for the Steelers or the opponent. But in this case, let's take a look at exactly how the Browns have gotten to 0-15.
• The Browns rank dead last in turnover ratio at minus-28. They have turned the ball over 39 times; only one other team (Denver, 31) has more than 30. Fifteen teams, nearly half the league, have fewer than 20.
• Cleveland also ranks last in takeaways with 11. Nine teams have that many or more fumble recoveries. Twenty teams have 11 or more interceptions, including the Steelers, who have 15.
• The Browns average an NFL-low 14 points per game.
• Rookie quarterback Deshone Kizer ranks dead last in the NFL in passer rating at 58.0. In 446 pass attempts, he has thrown nine touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions. By comparison, Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz, who the Browns passed on in last year's draft, threw 33 touchdown passes on 440 attempts this season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
• Cleveland's leading receiver is running back Duke Johnson, who has 68 catches for 618 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns' second-leading receiver, tight end Seth DeValve, has 33 receptions for 395 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers have five players with more than 33 receptions.
• Cleveland's Zane Gonzalez ranks 29th in scoring among placekickers with 64 points. He's 14 of 19 on field goal attempts. Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell ranks third in the NFL with 138 points and is 35 of 38 on field goal attempts.
• The Browns have nine players on their 53-man roster who were with the team before 2016. They have one first-round draft pick, nose tackle Danny Shelton (2015) among those active players. They have no active players on their roster from their drafts from 2010, 2011 and 2013 and just one, receiver Josh Gordon, from 2012.
• The Browns have 15 rookies currently on their roster, but only four are starters: Kizer, defensive end Myles Garrett, and safeties Jabrill Peppers and Kai Nacua.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
When the Steelers defeated the Browns 21-18 Sept. 10 in Cleveland, it marked the first time in Haden's eight-year career that he had won a regular season opener.
The Steelers thought so much of it, they gave Haden a game ball following the contest. That Haden's first season-opening win came against the franchise that cut him loose after seven seasons just two weeks before made it that much more sweet.
Little did Haden know just how much of a favor the Browns were doing him rather than paying him the $11.1 million salary he was due to earn this season. Not only is Haden costing the Browns $4 million against their salary cap this season, he signed a three-year, $27-million contract to join the Steelers.
Oh, and he's headed to the playoffs for the first time while the Browns face the possibility of becoming just the second team in NFL history to go 0-16 in a season.
"It was always a lot of change, a lot of position coach change, coordinator change, head coaching changes," said Haden of his days in Cleveland. "By the time we got to the end of the season, 3-and-whatever or 0-and-whatever, we knew there was going to be a shakeup. You'd just be ready for a lot of changes."
Haden doesn't have to worry about that now. He can concern himself with other things, such as prepping for a playoff run. And perhaps covering his old teammate Josh Gordon, Cleveland's top receiver who wasn't available the first time the two teams met because he was suspended from the NFL.
Gordon has been back for the Browns the past four games. And while he hasn't regained the form that helped him lead the NFL in receiving yards in 2013, when he caught 82 passes for 1,636 yards despite appearing in just 14 games, he has averaged nearly 10 targets per game since his return.
But with Kizer struggling in his rookie season, Gordon has just 14 receptions for 220 yards and one touchdown.
Gordon looks forward to facing his former teammate, whom he credits for helping him as a young player.
"My first couple of years when I was here, he helped bring me along and we helped each other grow as players more than anything just on the practice field,'' Gordon said of Haden. "(Me) figuring out as a younger player how to develop myself when it came to the practice field, the amount of effort it's going to take to get open on a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback, he gave me the best look at practice that I've ever seen ... so huge thanks to him."
Now, the two will face each other on the football field for the first time. Haden won't back down from his 6-3, 225-pound former teammate, just as he didn't back down when given the task of following Houston's DeAndre Hopkins all over the field last week.
"Joe Haden is a competitor," said Butler. "Him being a competitor, he wants the best guy. He wants to match up against the best guy and that probably gets his juices going as much as anything. He enjoys the competitor, he enjoys the challenges, and we enjoy it, too, when he is successful especially."
The Steelers might not have Haden follow Gordon as he did with Hopkins last week, but he is intent on getting a win.
Last week, he said the Browns had better win their Week 16 game against the Bears -- a game they lost 20-3 -- because they weren't going to avoid going 0-16 by beating the Steelers. He didn't back away from that statement this week.
"They're coming in here trying to get a win and we're trying to keep momentum going into the playoffs, so we'll see," Haden said.
Either way, Haden is just happy he's not in Cleveland any longer.
"I'm just excited this isn't my last game of the year," he said.
THE QUOTES
"Early on there were people on us a little bit, feeling like we didn’t reach our potential. We knew we were a play here, a play there, away from playing at a high level. In the second half of the season we did that. We knew we weren’t far off. The guys have done a very good job sticking together, sticking with the plan. Week-in and week-out we have a different game plan we are following. They have done a good job adjusting. We have gotten better every week, and that is the name of the game. If you stay the same, you are probably not going anywhere. We have continued to evolve and getting better in each and every spot.” -- Todd Haley
“The last two, three games, I wore the eye black with his name and number on it. I do it for him and his family.” -- Duke Johnson on Ryan Shazier
"He’s a tough little nut. When we saw him in training camp he was real quick and aggressive. Not afraid to play the game and not worried about his size compared to other people’s size. He hasn’t let that be a factor. I think watching him play and seeing him do the things he did in training camp convinced us that he can help us." -- Keith Butler on nickel cornerback Mike Hilton
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Steelers have an NFL-best 30 playoff appearances and 36 wins. Dallas is second with 28 and 33.
• Fullback Roosevelt Nix has touched the ball twice this season, gaining two yards. He has two touchdowns.
• Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro has played every offensive snap for the Steelers this season. He is the only player to do so. DeCastro has started 71 consecutive games, the longest streak among active guards.
• The Steelers are looking to sweep all six of their AFC North games for the first time since 2008.
• If Landry Jones starts at quarterback, as expected, he will try to improve his career record as a starter to 3-2. Each of his previous two wins as a starter have come against Cleveland.
• Pittsburgh ranks third in the NFL in total offense (379.9 yards) and seventh in scoring offense (25.2 points) per game. The Steelers defense ranks fourth in the NFL in yards against (302.4) and fifth in scoring defense (18.9).
• Ryan Shazier currently leads the Steelers in tackles with 89 but doesn't seem likely to finish on top. Safety Sean Davis is second with 87, while inside linebacker Vince Williams has 84.
• The Steelers have allowed 21 sacks this season, third-fewest in the NFL. Only the Chargers (17) and Saints (18) have allowed fewer.
• The Steelers lead the all-time series against the Browns and have won the past five meetings. Pittsburgh is 32-6 against the Browns since they returned to the NFL in 1999.
• Boswell, who has already set a team record with 35 field goals, will break Norm Johnson's team record for points in a season of 140 in 1995 with four more points.
THE SNEAKY FANTASY PLAY
After hitting on Vance McDonald last week, I'm feeling pretty good about this one, as well. With Bell out, Cleveland's Duke Johnson will be the fantasy back who is getting played the most in this game. We're going even a little more sneaky than that. Look for Stevan Ridley to get 15 to 20 carries this week. And in Week 17, all you're looking for is volume plays. Ridley should get plenty of that. The Steelers want to get him as many carries as possible in this game and then, hopefully, not play him again in the postseason. That's the idea, anyway. So Ridley is the pick this week.
THE STAFF PICKS
Our football coverage team offers predictions:
Dale Lolley: No Roethlisberger, Brown or Bell in this game. No Heyward, either. But the Steelers sat players in the regular season finale against Cleveland last season and still found a way to win. There's not a lot to say here. The Browns are one loss away from becoming the second team in NFL history to go 0-16. Their average margin of loss on the road this season has been nearly 12 1/2 points. They'll keep this one closer than that because of who the Steelers aren't playing. But the Steelers will still find a way to win. Steelers, 20-16
Christopher Carter: This time last year I was writing about how this was Jones' last chance to prove himself as a quarterback. While he did lead a comeback that had an overtime touchdown pass for the win, he only did so after an interception he threw went from being returned for a touchdown to being a fumble forced by Darrius Heyward-Bey that kept the Steelers alive. But this time around he will have JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant to throw to, which is a significant upgrade over Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers and Demarcus Ayers. The Steelers still have the tools to win this game and they will. Steelers, 23-14
Matt Sunday: I've felt since the beginning of the season that the Steelers were either good enough to go undefeated against the division or that the division wasn't strong enough to get a win against the Steelers. Either way, I still think that's the case with guys missing due to injury and getting the week off. But, the Browns have already locked up the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and they are a historically bad team this season. If ever a time, it's probably now. The slight hope of home field that the Jets provide should motivate this team enough to end 2017 the right way, though. Steelers, 27-17
Dejan Kovacevic: I'm OK with Landry against Cleveland. Really. He's got the contract, he's got the job, and he needs to earn it. But the other side of the ball will be more relevant. With the defensive linemen out there for at least part of the game, there should be no issue getting 5-6 sacks on Kizer, and there aren't many teams that can overcome that, let alone the Browns. Steelers 24-13