The nose tackle is fast becoming the dodo bird of professional football. If the World Wildlife Federation tracked it as a species, the nose tackle would fit somewhere between the Asian elephant and black rhino — endangered to critically so.
What once served as the fulcrum for the 3-4 defense, the big middle lineman, now sits on the bench for nearly three quarters of its plays. Not since Chuck Noll switched in 1983 from the 4-3 his 1970s Steel Curtain made famous has there been so little use for a nose tackle by the Steelers.
“It’s a shame isn’t it?