Pressure is supposed to lead to turnovers. At least that's the thinking in NFL circles, and has been for years.
So how to explain the 2018 Steelers?
They led the NFL in sacks for the second consecutive season, tying the Chiefs for that honor, yet somehow forced just 15 turnovers. Only the Lions (14) and 49ers (7) had fewer in 2018.
That was a seven-turnover decline for the Steelers from 2017, when they went 8-2 in one-score games. In 2018, that record in one-score games fell to 6-5. As much as Chris Boswell struggled last season putting the ball through the uprights on a regular basis, that decrease in turnovers was equally as much to blame for the team's 9-6-1 record.
Just a couple more turnovers in the right game could have changed the team's entire season.
Forcing more turnovers has been the team's main focus throughout the offseason program and will continue to be so as the team heads to training camp next Thursday at Saint Vincent College.
Related: Does Ben still have 'it?'
Related: Is the defense fixed?
Related: How to replace AB?
Related: How do rookies fit in?
"Last year, we didn’t do what we wanted to or what we were capable of," Terrell Edmunds said. "We want to come out here and catch more interceptions, have the ball in our hands. When the ball is on the ground, we’ve got to scoop it up. It’s going after the ball. We have to keep on having that mentality that we’ve got to have the ball when it is in the air."
How the Steelers go about doing that is the question. They've drilled. They've stressed it in the classroom. They've made it a point of emphasis with everything they do. But will it work?
Often times, there is good fortune involved in forcing turnovers. After all, the football is oblong, not round. It takes strange bounces.
That's what makes recovering fumbles a 50-50 proposition.
But interceptions? There's some skill and a mindset involved there.
The Steelers had just eight of those, their fewest as a team since 1940.
That's why the Steelers went out and signed cornerback Steven Nelson in free agency to a three-year, $25.5-million deal. It's why they traded their top two draft picks this year and a third-rounder next to move up and get inside linebacker Devin Bush.
Nelson had four interceptions last season for the Chiefs. Bush had just one interception in the past two seasons at Michigan, but got his hands on 11 passes.
The Steelers haven't had an individual intercept more than four passes in a season since Troy Polamalu had seven in his NFL Defensive Player of the Year season in 2010. Last season, Joe Haden led the team with two.
"We've got to catch the ones that hit us in the face," Haden said. "We dropped at least six or seven. We had a lot of opportunities that we left out there on the field."
That means being in better position and then making the play.
It sounds simple. But if it was simple, the team would have fixed it last season.
The pass rush is there, as it is expected to be again this season.
"We have the guys here to do it," Nelson said. "It's just a matter of making the plays that are there for you to make. Don't try to do too much. Our pass rush is great. It's going to create pressure. It's just on us to take advantage of what they help create."
Related: What's up with Haden's contract?
