From Neal Coolong, Behind The Steel Curtain:
Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward appears more nimble than the 8-bit Ralph from the animated film “Wreck It Ralph.”
Both are no doubt destructive, though.
While Ralph was in the process of being phased out by newer, fancier games, Heyward is starting to build some rep behind his validity in the NFL through an old school approach – just whup the guy across the line. Before, during and presumably after the return of veteran DE Brett Keisel, Heyward has taken the reins of the best playmaker among the down linemen, and it seems he gets better each game.
Since taking over as a starter – initially at left end, but moved to right end in Keisel’s absence the last two games – Heyward has 20 quarterback hurries, eight hits and four sacks. His pass rushing productivity (a formula developed by Pro Football Focus that measures each category, weighing more on sacks, and dividing the sum by the number of pass rushing opportunities) is 7.2, making him the 11th highest rated 3-4 defensive end in the NFL.
Read Mr. Coolong’s entire article, and check out the other great articles at BTSC HERE.
Thank you to the awesome crew over at BTSC for allowing us to share their article.
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