Can the Pittsburgh Steelers do the seemingly impossible by following the blueprint of another team that accomplished the same nearly two decades ago? They may have to try if the Kansas City Chiefs continue heating up en route to a perfect season. With their acquisition of edge rusher Preston Smith, Mike Garafolo can’t help being reminded of the mid-2000s New York Giants. That overachieving Giants team used a relentless, deep pass rush to take down an undefeated New England Patriots team and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Steelers can’t beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl since they’re in the same conference. But chances are high they would need to go through them in the playoffs at some point. Either way, the two teams will play on Christmas Day, and that will be a key test for this defense.
The Steelers entered this season believing in their three-headed monster with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. After weathering injuries to Highsmith and Herbig, they now add Preston Smith as further insulation. This could be the deepest pass-rush unit the Steelers have had in some time.
And a deep pass rush was the hallmark of the Giants’ 2007 Super Bowl team. Already boasting Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, they added Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka in consecutive drafts. During the 2007 season, the quartet produced 36.5 sacks, plus another six in the postseason. The Steelers have 12 sacks this season through eight games from their outside linebackers.
“I covered the Giants back in 2006, 2007 when they drafted Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck”, Garafolo recalled on yesterday’s NFL Network Insiders Special, discussing the Steelers’ acquisition of Preston Smith. “I remember [Giants GM] Ernie Accorsi saying at the time, ‘You can never have enough pass rushers’. They had four of them. The Steelers [are] adding another one right now”.
While Accorsi was not a part of the 2007 Giants team, that was because he retired following the 2006 season after drafting Kiwanuka. The Giants honored Accorsi with a ring for their 2007 Super Bowl victory in spite of that, understanding how integral his roster building, particularly along the defensive line, was to their success. And the Steelers also believe their pass rush is key to their success.
More and more in recent years, the Steelers have placed an emphasis on quality depth at this position. I mentioned in a previous post Melvin Ingram and Markus Golden, now Herbig becoming that third player. Smith gives them the most practical four they have had in recent memory, now that Herbig is fully integrated.
The Steelers will still need interior defensive pressure, however, from the likes of Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton. And they may have to get creative by using three edge rushers on the field at the same time. Opposing teams are trying to minimize their pass rush by getting the ball out quickly. One way to try to alleviate that is to make sure you keep your rushers fresh, and Smith is a step in that direction.
