Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

Pass rushing will be at a premium when Broncos, Steelers meet

DENVER -- When cornerback William Gay was drafted by Pittsburgh three years ago, he took one look at Steelers pass-rusher James "Deebo" Harrison and had flashbacks to his college days playing alongside Elvis Dumervil.

"When I first came in, I saw Deebo, I was like, 'You know, we had a guy just like that in Louisville. He's quick, strong, you can't really block him, you've got to send people at him.' And that reminded me of Dumervil," Gay said.

Harrison and Dumervil, two of the NFL's premier pass-rushers, will be on dual display tonight when the Steelers (5-2) visit the Broncos (6-1) in a matchup of two of the AFC's top teams.

The two outside linebackers are similar in stature, strength and statistics, but they're totally different players in terms of style - Harrison relying more on power and Dumervil employing his quickness.

Entering the weekend, Dumervil led the AFC with 10 sacks and Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was right behind him with eight.

Both are short, stocky players who have long arms and instant leverage, yet Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says the parallels end there.

"Other than the stature, I don't see any striking similarity other than they have the same jersey number (92)," Tomlin said.

"They're both accomplished rushers, of course, but I think they are accomplished in their own right. I think they have physical skills that are unique to them," Tomlin said.

Harrison, 31, is generously listed at 6-foot and 242 pounds. Dumervil, 25, is 5-11 and 248 pounds, although he has the wingspan of a man who's 6-foot-6, drawing good-natured barbs in the locker room about being able to scratch his toes without bending.

"Obviously, they are guys that are lower to the ground already ... and that gives them an advantage," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. "It really does because there are not too many 6-7 guys that are going to be able to get down, get lower than them to get the leverage back. They are going to play the game most of the time with the leverage already in their favor."