RealGM Football: Feature Article - The Steelers Secret Weapons

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The Steelers Secret Weapons

Authored by Stephen Varcardipone - 31st January, 2006 - 11:27 pm

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If you watched a Pittsburgh Steelers game this season you probably noticed the flowing locks of Troy Polamalu running all over the field. You might have thought that even you could run through one of the holes that those massive offensive lineman opened up.

And while you watch all the Super Bowl hype you will hear about "Big Ben" and "The Bus". You might even hear Joey Porter mouth off about someone on the Seahawks. But if you really want to know why the Steelers are in the Super Bowl, look to the three big fellas that anchor the defense. Their names are Casey Hampton, Kimo von Oelhoffen, and Aaron Smith, and they are the 3, in the 3-4 defense that the Steelers run. Remember those names because you can be sure that Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks offensive line know them well.

In Pittsburgh's 3-4 scheme, the linebackers get all the credit for the success, but if Smith, Hampton, and von Oelhoffen don't eat up the other teams line, a 250-pound linebacker doesn't have a chance against a 300-pound offensive lineman. Kimo von Oelhoffen might have single handedly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals when on the second offensive play of the game, he hit MVP candidate Carson Palmer in the leg and tore multiple ligaments in his knee. Whether you think the hit was cheap or not, the Bengals were lost without their leader(see Chad Johnson's halftime outburst).

All three lineman harassed Peyton Manning throughout the game not allowing him to get into his usual rhythm. And Denver's vaunted running game was non existent because the big three dominated a smaller offensive line.

The country may not know the names, but the other
31 NFL teams sure do. And if you ask any of the Steelers about them, they will all praise their work every week. Casey Hampton was named Defensive Player of the Year by his teammates for the second time and will be representing the AFC in the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, HI. Hampton, von Oelhoffen, and Smith may be less publicized then their flashy counterparts on defense, but their importance in the SuperBowl is immeasureable.

So when your friends are dropping names like Bettis and Roethlisberger around the water cooler, and telling you that Polamalu is a USC alumni destined to win a championship. You tell them that Kimo von Oelhoffen is a Boise State Bronco and that Hampton and Smith will be the reason why Shaun Alexander will wish he stayed in the great Northwest!

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