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Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp Preview: Defensive Line

July 1, 2010   ·     ·   Jump to comments

The foundation of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense is stopping the run, which begins with their defensive line, and the Steelers have one of the best defensive lines in the league.
Since Brett Keisel joined fellow defensive end Aaron Smith and nose tackle Casey Hampton in the lineup in 2006, the Steelers have fared no worse than third in rush defense.
These players are a model of consistency for the Steelers, but are not without concern. Since 2006, Keisel and Smith have only started all 16 games only twice, while Hampton did so only once.
The health of the starters will once again be of concern entering the 2010 season, as they are all over the age of 30—Smith, 34, Hampton, 32, and Keisel, 31. Of particular concern will be Smith, who is coming off a shoulder injury which caused him to miss 11 games last season.
Top nose tackle backup, Chris Hoke, is 34, and defensive end reserve, Nick Eason, is 30.
Pittsburgh will have to rely on several young players to ...

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