The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense in the 2000s had all kinds of legends on it. You had Troy Polamalu being a psychic in the defensive backfield, while James Harrison tortured offensive tackles all game long. There were even lesser-known guys, like Ryan Clark patrolling the secondary, or Ike Taylor locking down whoever was in front of him. They were led by the legendary defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau, as well as both Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin as head coaches. There was so much on that defense that some people forgot many of the other high-end players of the team.
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Former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle, Aaron Donald seen here during his collegiate days at the University of Pittsburgh.
If anyone knows a thing or two about high-end defensive linemen, it would be Aaron Donald. The former St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams star was the best defensive lineman of his generation. Most guys in the NFL had an NFL player that they looked up to and idolized, and for Donald, it was one of the lesser-known members of that elite 2000s defense, as he talked about on The Pivot.
"You got Big Casey Hampton, one of the biggest guys, super quick though, you know what I'm saying... he was so quick. Nobody did it better. Nobody, and I don't understand why people don't talk about this guy enough, but that's different for me because I got to watch him a lot in person. He played his role. I seen him do some stuff where he would twist that stance a little bit, hit that quick swimmer, get in the backfield like that, and make a tackle for loss."
At nose tackle, the 6'1, 325-lb "Big Snack" Casey Hampton was a true force in the middle of the Steelers' defensive line for 12 years. While nose tackles don't rack up stats like they used to, especially in the Steel Curtain days, Hampton was still able to plug up the middle of the trenches, forcing the running back to bounce it outside and get tackled by another big threat.
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Steelers' Casey Hampton anchored the Pittsburgh defense for 12 years.
Donald was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and he always reminisces on his roots. He grew up watching the Steelers, especially focusing on Hampton, since he would be playing a much similar position. He played for the Pittsburgh Panthers as well before being drafted by the Rams. He had been following the Steelers his whole life, and Hampton was the one that got extra attention from him.
In many cases, coaches don't care too much about stats, as long as the player does what he's asked to do. Hampton was that kind of guy. He had 398 total tackles and nine sacks over his long career, but he was always causing some sort of havoc in the trenches to help blow a play up. That deadly swim move was also always an option if he needed to get into the backfield, like Donald mentioned.
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Former Steelers defensive linemen, Aaron Smith (91), Casey Hampton (98) and Brett Keisel (99).
Steelers' Hampton Made Plays When They Mattered Most
The two-time Super Bowl champion nose tackle may not be a Hall of Famer, or even the fifth name you would remember from that loaded defense, but Hampton still made his presence known on the field and on the game film. If a team just ignored him in favor of focusing on Polamalu or Harrison, he would make them pay, like in Super Bowl XL when he had a key sack and four tackles, including one for a loss in the Steelers' 21-10 victory.
Whether or not Hampton made it on to the stat sheet often, he was doing his part to help the team win. Donald watched him do that throughout his childhood; he played with that same level of intensity, and he was able to use his talent to dominate the league for a decade.
What do you think about Donald singing Hampton's praises? How much of an impact do you think he had on that defense, especially during their Super Bowl runs? Let us know in the comments below.
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