The role of the DE in a 3-4 defense

This

 

they can get sacks if they're good enough to do it. they don't tell them not to.

in some of our better years the DE's sack totals were up. it's pretty simple good DE play leads to LB sacks and good LB play leads to more DL sacks. we had niether last year.

just 10 years ago we ran the 3-4 and smith,casey,bailey and KVO had 16 on the season.

seals with k.greene,chad brown and the like had 8.5 alone that year. the LB'ers still got theirs.

the sack numbers are down amongst the DE's and yes they can get sacks if they're able. and no it's not job 1 for them, but it helps.

 

Mac I think you have a typo there, but I was pretty surprised when I looked it up that Kimo had 8 sacks in 2003!

It's a little of everything, but I think often the DE's job is to seal the edge, more than rush the passer. We don't want our DL getting too far up the field and over running the play... However, the same can be said for our OLB's. Their assignments change from play to play, and you'd like guys to get pressure when it's called for. Kiesel is our only DE currently that is able to do it pretty well. Heyward looks like there's potential but haven't seen enough yet.

 

what typo?

 

16 sacks for KVO?

 

i said smith,casey,bailey and KVO had 16.

 

Ah ok, my bad.

 

no problem SBD. anyway our DL as a whole had a better year last year then the previous couple of years sack wise.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the year the sacks were up for our DE's (A. Smith, and Kemo) didn't we have a bad year that year and miss the playoffs?

 

they've been up more then 1 year.

 

I think it was the 2003 season where KVO had 8 sacks and we finished 6-10.

 

People overrate sacks. Pressure and the perception of pressure is more important then the number of sacks.

 

the chance of getting sacks if they are getting good pressure goes hand in hand. it's all a matter of getting off blocks.

 

As I wrote, people overrate sacks. I am not sure if sacks and pressure/perceived pressure goes hand in hand. Offenses know that the Steelers will bring pressure. Whether that pressure results in sacks is another story. It's more difficult for the Dline to win one on one because their primary responsibly or they may have to beat two Olinemen and don't have the advantage of using the angles or space that the LB's use to get to the QB. Regardless of the sack numbers, the Steelers had one of the better defenses at keeping teams out of the end zone last season.

 

maybe i should have said getting off blocks at the right time. 5 rushers,5 o-linemen and usually a rb. they are not all tied up with double teams all the time. we miss that force in the middle, that i will say.