Can Steeler's Rush Defense Get Back Into Top 10?

[GBMelBlount]

McCLendon may be the x-factor...

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Scenario: The Pittsburgh Steelers will finish the 2014 season among the top 10 teams in fewest rushing yards allowed.

Why it will happen: It rarely does not happen. The results of 2013 (1,849 yards allowed, 21st in the NFL) are an aberration from the typical Steelers' defensive success. It was also the first time the Steelers' run defense finished out of the top 10 since Mike Tomlin became the head coach in 2007, and it was the most yards they allowed on the ground since 2003, the last time they finished out of the top 10.

Certainly, history alone doesn't tackle ball carriers. The commitment the team has made over the years to stopping the run has always resulted in an average of less than 100 yards per game. Rest assured, that will be an emphasis in training camp this July.

A reassertion of that philosophy is needed, but the team also brought in new horses to pull that sled. Cam Thomas, a free agent acquisition this offseason, looks to fill in the role of Al Woods, who signed with Tennessee this offseason, and second-round draft pick Stephon Tuitt already shows, at a young age, the kind of strength and technique necessary to anchor the right defensive end position. The return of Sean Spence and the first round selection of Ryan Shazier can succeed behind a stronger defensive line, leveraging their vision and speed to flow to the ball carrier.

http://www.chatsports.com/pittsburgh...nse-2-10058504

[jb500ex]

Shazier and Timmons are both weak at the point of attack so no they can't

[fansince'76]

Shazier and Timmons are both weak at the point of attack so no they can't

[Jaucer]

Shazier and Timmons are both weak at the point of attack so no they can't

Anyone that has watched the Steelers knows Timmons in not weak at the point of attack. And anyone that has watched even a couple Buckeye games know Shazier is all about the point of attack, he is where the attack starts.

[X-Terminator]

Anyone that has watched the Steelers knows Timmons in not weak at the point of attack. And anyone that has watched even a couple Buckeye games know Shazier is all about the point of attack, he is where the attack starts.

Ignore him. Other than the occasional "blind squirrel" comment once in a blue moon, he's nothing but a troll.