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  1. #11
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    By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

    [url]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-outside-linebackers-eye-return-to-top-form-661434/[/url]


    James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, once the most productive sack tandem in the NFL, have fallen on hard times.


    The duo that terrorized opposing quarterbacks from opposite sides of the Steelers' 3-4 defense is hoping to regain some of the power and might that produced 89 1/2 sacks the past four seasons.


    And that total might have been higher if the two outside linebackers had not missed a total of 10 games in 2011.


    But injuries have conspired to slow their production, beginning last season and carrying through to this year. The result is that Harrison and Woodley have combined for four sacks -- three by Woodley-- heading into the game Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.


    "We still feel like they're the best in the business," said defensive end Brett Keisel. "When those two guys are in there, you know you have two Pro Bowl-type players that are known around the league for getting after quarterbacks and standing up against the run."


    And the Steelers still believe the sacks will come from their bookend linebackers.


    Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau certainly believes so. So does Harrison, even though he said his troublesome knee injury never will be 100 percent this season.


    "Not to make excuses, but we had a lot of guys who hadn't played any offseason football at all -- no coaching sessions, no training camp," LeBeau said. "And those guys are starting to get their football conditioning going and their football muscles going, and that's definitely a factor in our improvement. LaMarr and James Harrison are two big factors in that equation."


    The Steelers had 35 sacks last season, their fewest since 1990, and the main reason was because Woodley missed six games because of a severe hamstring injury and Harrison missed four -- three with a fractured orbital bone and another because of a suspension.


    This year, with 14 sacks after eight games, they are on pace to have fewer. And that's because Woodley missed one game with a different hamstring injury and Harrison has been slow to come around after missing all of training camp and the first three games of the regular season with a knee injury that has bothered him since the offseason.


    But Harrison said he is starting to feel better and be in better football shape after playing the past five games at outside right linebacker. Nonetheless, his knee, which required arthroscopic surgery in training camp, has kept him from performing at his accustomed level.


    "I'd say it's getting a lot closer to what would be fully conditioned, but it's obviously not going to be all the way there for the simple fact my knee isn't going to be all the way there till probably the end of the season," Harrison said. "I've accepted that. Until you're able to go and rehab things correctly and properly, you're not going to be able to get back to 100 percent.


    "I want to be able to go out there and run 100 yards every play for 15 plays straight. Obviously, that isn't the case right now. I'm good. It's not anything that's affecting my level of play. If anything, the knee affects that more than anything else."


    Harrison said he can't bend his knee as much as he would like, restricting his ability to get underneath offensive tackles when he uses leverage to rush the quarterback. Harrison has used that technique to compile 45 1/2 sacks the past four seasons.


    "I don't have the same strength in it as I do the other leg," Harrison said.


    "It took a year, year-and-a-half-plus to get where I had to have surgery. It's not something that's going to come back over the course of a few weeks."


    And, yet, despite that, the Steelers have managed to rise to No. 1 in the league in total defense and pass defense.


    "We try to adjust our defense to what were seeing and the guys we got out there sometimes," LeBeau said. "We're not going to sit there if we're having trouble. We're going to try a different combination of defenses. Nothing radical or anything, but the players have to deliver, and they've done that."


    Don't forget Adams' role
    Rookie Mike Adams, the team's No. 2 draft choice, has started the past three games at right tackle, and it might be more than just coincidence the running game has come to life the past three games.


    While everyone has noticed the aggression and improved play of left guard Willie Colon, the reality is that the Steelers are primarily a right-handed running team that runs most of its plays to Adams' side.


    Granted, Adams has struggled in pass protection -- he gave up two more sacks in the victory last week against the New york Giants -- but he has been very impressive in run-blocking, using his long arms and leverage to move defensive lineman and linebackers off the line of scrimmage.


    "He knows how to extend his arms and keep his feet moving," left tackle Max Starks said.


    "If you can get into position with your hands and keep moving your feet, you're always going to be successful."


    Adams has played so well that Marcus Gilbert, who had a nasty ankle injury in Week 5 in Tennessee, might not get his job back. Gilbert had the tendon that protects the muscle tear away from the bone and needed to see an ankle specialist in Charlotte, N.C.


    He has resumed practicing lightly this week with the hope he can return next week for the game against the Baltimore Ravens

    Molon labe

    People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

    ?We're not going to apologize for winning.?
    Mike Tomlin

    American metal pimped by asiansteel
    Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

  2. #12
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    Steelers’ defensive backs look for respect

    Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012.
    [URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2904892-85/steelers-chiefs-mccluster-run-clark-defense-dexter-pass-respect-yards[/URL]
    Pittsburgh Tribune-Review





    By Ralph N. Paulk


    Published: Friday, November 9, 2012, 8:06 p.m.
    Updated 20 hours ago


    Outspoken free safety Ryan Clark isn’t annoyed that the Steelers’ top-ranked pass defense isn’t getting its due. But he’s not happy about it, either.


    “We’ve always been known as a run defense even when we’re not stopping the run,” Clark said. “What gets overlooked is the pass defense. We’ve been No. 1 lately more than we’ve been No. 1 against the run.


    “They don’t talk about the way our corners (Ike Taylor and Keenan Lewis) have been playing. For me, it’s no big deal because I have to insert myself in both the run and pass.”


    The Steelers, who held the Giants’ Eli Manning to his lowest total (125 yards) in four seasons, are allowing 174 passing yards per game. They were No. 1 last season, surrendering 156.


    “It’s frustrating because I want them to get the kind of respect they deserve,” Clark said.


    EYES ON MCCLUSTER


    The Steelers respect Kansas City receiver Dwayne Bowe, who leads the Chiefs with 45 receptions for 571 yards. But slot receiver Dexter McCluster got their attention in the film room.


    McCluster, a 2010 second-round draft pick, has 29 catches. Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel has been frustrated because his quarterbacks have been unable to get McCluster more touches.


    “I think Dexter’s done a good job of developing in the slot,” Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel said. “He worked hard this offseason learning the ins and outs of the position and reading the different coverages.


    “Dexter has tremendous ability with his quickness and his ability to uncover. There’s also a second side of that where he’s a little bit smaller, so sometimes it’s challenging from a physical standpoint for him.”


    — Ralph N. Paulk

    Molon labe

    People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

    ?We're not going to apologize for winning.?
    Mike Tomlin

    American metal pimped by asiansteel
    Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

  3. #13
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    The Steeler D sees Chris Rainey every day in practice, so they should know what to expect out of a guy like McCluster.
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

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