Tag: Stephon Tuitt

3 Steelers contract extensions that went down to the wire

T.J. Watt’s contract extension isn’t the first in recent Steelers history to come down to the wire.

T.J. Watt and the Steelers seem to be at a crossroads — Watt is without future stability in Pittsburgh. The defensive star is seeking a long-term contract, a pressing matter that has kept him from practicing with his team all offseason, but still finds himself without.

We’re less than a week away from Steelers versus Bills and a sudden sense of urgency is in the air. If the two parties don’t come to an agreement this week, we could be looking at a T.J. Watt holdout.

But Watt’s isn’t the first Steelers contract extension that has come down to the wire in recent history.

After death of brother, Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt’s timetable for return is unknown

After Stephon Tuitt’s brother’s tragic, sudden death, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is uncertain when Tuitt will rejoin the team.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt faced insurmountable loss this offseason when his younger brother died suddenly.

Richard Bartlett III was tragically killed in a hit-and-run in Georgia in June. Since then, Tuitt has been in and out of training camp practice, most recently not participating.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t know when he’s expected to return and hasn’t asked about it. “I know that he’s had good days. I know progress has been made,” Tomlin told reporters in a press conference.

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“I know that he’ll be excited to get back out there with his teammates, but really, I’ve been focused on the guys that are participating.”

Guys that are participating, rookie Isaiahh Loudermilk, Henry Mondeaux, Chris Wormley, have all gotten increased reps at training camp.

“Whenever someone misses time, I always say one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity,” said Tomlin. “[Stephon] has missed some time and it’s provided a lot of reps for a lot of men.”

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The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen

Modern interior defensive linemen are asked to do more than ever. Who are the NFL’s best interior disruptors today?

As is the case with most other defensive positions in the modern NFL, interior defensive linemen are generally asked to play more positions more adeptly than at any time in the history of pro football. It’s not often that you’ll see a defensive tackle playing just defensive tackle throughout a full season — the old-school difference between run-stopping behemoths and quicker 3-tech quarterback killers just doesn’t exist anymore. Whether you’re tipping the scales at 350 pounds like Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea, or terrorizing enemy signal-callers with an unholy combination of strength and quickness like the 6-foot-1, 280-pound Aaron Donald is able to do, you’d better be able to do it from just about everywhere along the line if you want to make it anywhere near any list of the league’s best Big Guys Who Disrupt.

We’ve called this list “The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen,” but in truth, interior defensive linemen also play the edge, and they also stunt pressure from just about every gap.

When these guys do play inside, their ability to disrupt from the inside is more important than it’s been in previous generations. With the NFL moving to more of a quick (zero- to three-step drop passing game), edge guys don’t always have time to get home before the quarterback gets rid of the ball. So, the inside guys, who don’t have edges to bend, had better get there more often. Oh, and you still have to be a dominant run-stopper. Just a few things to keep together!

With that in mind, here are the top 11 interior (and often outside) defensive linemen in the NFL today.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions. PFF counts half-sacks as full sacks, and that is often reflected in our pressure totals).

The NFL’s best pass-rushers from every gap

Who are the NFL’s best pass-rushers from every gap and with every technique?

In modern NFL defenses, it’s exceedingly rare for a defensive lineman to spend his time in one gap, playing one particular technique. Actually, in modern NFL defenses, it’s pretty unusual for a defensive lineman to spend his time in one gap, playing one particular technique, for more than a few plays in a row. Never has the need been more great for linemen — especially pass-rushers — to get to the quarterback in different ways. It’s why you’ll often find that the best pass-rushers are getting to the quarterback with not only different techniques, but from different gaps.

That said, and in an era of gap diversity, there’s still a need for players to dominate from specific gaps and with different techniques. With that in mind, and using the Sports Info Solutions database to narrow it down, here are the most productive pass-rushers from every gap from the 2020 season.

(All metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions)

Stephon Tuitt remembers Louis Nix

Tuitt, now seven years into his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, remembered his teammate on Saturday night:

There aren’t many defensive lines Notre Dame fans can recall being a whole lot better than the 2012 defensive line was as it was key in the Irish going 12-0 in the regular season.

The two biggest stars on that unit were Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt as the two made life incredibly hard on opposing offenses.

Nix was found dead on Saturday night at just 29 years of age.

Tuitt, now seven years into his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, remembered his teammate on Saturday night:

 

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A post shared by Stephon Tuitt (@stuitt)

Nix was just 29 years old.

Related:

Louis Nix Photo Memorial

Stephon Tuitt wants to make Baker Mayfield ‘uneasy in that pocket’

In the regular-season finale, Tuitt gave Mayfield a glimpse of what’s to come this week.

Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt got a head start harassing Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in Week 17. Tuitt took him down once, and, in all, Pittsburgh sacked Mayfield four times in the regular-season finale — just a taste of what’s to come when it really counts.

In a press conference on Friday, Tuitt said the Steelers want Mayfield to be uncomfortable in the pocket. “He’s able to escape the pocket. And when he escapes the pocket, he’s able to make big some big plays, even if it’s with his legs or his arm. We definitely want to make sure we keep him in the pocket. We’re big defensive linemen, so we want to make sure we corral him and put our hands up. We want to make sure his day is uneasy in that pocket — let him do something that he’s uncomfortable to do.”

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Just imagine what the defense will do with NFL sack leader T.J. Watt and defensive end Cam Heyward back in the game. Watt nor Heyward has had a sack on Mayfield this season, and neither played last week. They’ll be chomping at the bit to get a piece of Cleveland quarterback.

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Notre Dame in the NFL: Week 17 photos and highlights

A recap of the best performances from Notre Dame football alumni in the NFL’s last week of regular season play.

The final week of the NFL regular season once again saw plenty of Notre Dame football alumni perform at an extremely high level. Let’s take a look back at week 17 action with photos and video highlights of the best former Irish players.

Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt hits career milestone vs. Colts

Tuitt is quietly making his mark as part of the Steelers dominant defense.

You never know what you have until it’s gone. The Steelers knew exactly how this felt when defensive end Stephon Tuitt went down for the 2019 season in Week 6 with a torn pectoral.

It didn’t take long for Tuitt to make his presence felt this season. From the moment he registered his first sack of the season in Week 1 versus the Giants, he was back.

In Week 8, Tuitt was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his harassment of Lamar Jackson. He finished the game with two sacks, nine total tackles (three for loss) and three quarterback hits.

Tuitt has recorded at least a half-sack in each game but six this season and added another on Sunday versus the Colts. And with that, Tuitt hit the first double-digit sack season of his career.

The Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams (DT Aaron Donald, OLB Leonard Floyd) are the only two teams that have two players who rank Top 10 in sacks.

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Steelers’ T.J. Watt explains what a difference-maker DE Stephon Tuitt is

Tuitt missed the Ravens game after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list but is expected to play Monday versus Washington.

It’s been a tough week for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense after linebacker Bud Dupree was lost for the season with a torn ACL. But the unit got some good news on Saturday when defensive end Stephon Tuitt was activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

“It’ll be huge to have him back,” T.J. Watt said in a press conference on Saturday. “Tuitt is a phenomenal player in both the run and the pass. He makes the defensive front go. We’re getting a key player back, and I’m excited to play alongside him this week.”

Third on the team in sacks with a career-high seven, Tuitt is enjoying a stellar season. He’s also logged 31 tackles (seven for loss), two forced fumbles and two batted passes.

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Steelers’ Stephon Tuitt is a go for Monday vs. Washington

Tuitt was placed on the list prior to kickoff on Wednesday and missed the Baltimore Ravens game. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers activated defensive end Stephon Tuitt from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday.

Tuitt was placed on the list prior to kickoff on Wednesday and missed the Baltimore Ravens game.

An integral part of the Steelers dominant defense, Tuitt has 31 tackles (seven for loss) and a career-high seven sacks in 10 games. He’s also logged two forced fumbles and two pass defenses.

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Center Maurkice Pouncey, running back James Conner and offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins remain on the list.

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