Is NT really a dying position?

I was listening to the Steeler Depot guys the other day.

They were saying Steelers are still in base 3-4 roughly 40% of the time.

And, as I was watching the Tampa Bay Bucs advance to the the Superbowl ... they have Vita Vea, McClendon, and Suh on their team, and they all have significant playing time. Two are definitely NT's, and Suh is a big enough body, who plays on the inside, could be considered a psuedo NT. How can NT be a dead position?

Is 40% really not high enough to have 1 Casey Hampton on your roster?

Alualu has been great, but he is also getting up there in age. Should Steelers be looking into getting one of those old school NT's back on their roster?

 

I've been thinking this for years...and I don't know the right answer, but I would like one ....that is ...real NT...hell we didn't use Hampton on 3rd downs , most the time, but he was hell on the 1st 2 downs

 

It's not a dying position if you can get a really special one

 

If you run Tomlin's Tampa-2, it is.

 

Hey Da Stellars.

I have been barking for a "True" Big Body Nose Tackle for years now but some here (more like most) stated it is not justifiable. Just like anything else with football today, play calling becomes "Situational" as to when a Casey Hampton "type" would be on the field versus a Steve McClendon "type".

Your Question: "Should Steelers be looking into getting one of those old school NT's back on their roster?"

My Answer: "Yes."

Example: Start out the game (Score 0-0) on Defense with Casey Type. Depending on what happens on first down keep him on or bring in the McClendon Type. If first play leads to minimal, or no gain, now bring in McClendon type. Most likely pass is coming next and we need a faster more mobile NT now. If the first play gains 3-4 yards I say keep Casey Type in. Of course there is no particular "Rule of Thumb" but there has to be some form of outline to dictate which type of NT is utilized per situation ("Situational").

Obviously, there are many variables that have to be accounted for. However, to totally dismiss the idea of a Casey Hampton Type of NT is being short-sighted. Also, because the Casey Hampton "Prototype" seems to be out of favor per se, you do not have to break the bank to find one either. You can find a big body, run stuffing, gap clogging NT in the later rounds if a team is intent on getting "That Guy". The pickings should be fairly decent and cheap.

We now finally have a Pass Defense. We use to be terrific against the run but struggled against the pass. We can have the best of both Worlds with a solid Big Body Nose Tackle IMO.



STEELWINDS The East Side Kid

 

People say every position is dying the past few years, nt, running back, wide receiver, basically everything except qb lol. As we saw this year we need a play maker at rb, go back to more traditional ball.

 

I would question their 40%. I believe it was 40% at the end of the season.

When healthy I would think that number is significantly higher.

 

No, you still need a good one to stop the run.