This week's Classic Jurassic Meat-Eater Matchup pits the Patriots rookie OG Sidy Sow, against another pure predator, captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the most decorated man in the trenches, Cam Heyward.
A fourth-round draft pick, Sow is about to make his eighth start in the NFL. Sow is huge, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 320 pounds. Sow plays with a wide base that makes him extremely difficult to disengage from. However the wide base also makes Sow susceptible to getting snatched or pulled forward to the ground.
When he pulls on a search-and-destroy mission, Sow runs well and usually finds a body to hit. Sow keeps his feet under him while drive blocking and stays engaged until the whistle.
He also is competent in pass blocking and uses his hands fairly well to offset an opponent's pass rush. And he's going to need all that and more, because he's about to have a go with another apex predator and a headache waiting to happen.
Locking horns with the likes of Heyward is, to be sure, a daunting experience. The senior slam master of the trenches is, though advancing in age, still as fierce and competitive as ever. Though he may not have the statistics he's enjoyed in years past because he spent some time on the injured reserve, the statistics don't tell the whole story of what Cam's value is to his teammates.
A two-time first-team All-Pro selection (and one-time second-team), Heyward has a bull rush technique that is straight out of the sport of Sumo. Using a one-arm stab technique that could uproot any Yokozuna (Sumo grand Champion), Heyward plays with a low pad level and strong upper body supported by lower body strength strong enough to push semi's like Mini Coopers.
In every locker room I've ever been in, there's always adders, subtractors, multipliers and dividers. Cam is a multiplier of the men around him. And he leads from the front. He's learned from the best in former Steelers assistant head coach and defensive line coach, John Mitchell. And he has continued his superb play since Mitch retired under d-line coach Karl Dunbar.
The Patriots gave up five sacks last week in a 6-0 loss to the LA Chargers. OLB Khalil Mack had six pressures alone. The Steelers have the edge rushers who can handle business and who are responsible for the width of the pocket. But the depth of the pocket is the responsibility of the defensive tackles. The combination of the two come together to squeeze a quarterback. If that happens, the Patriots will have trouble keeping their quarterback clean.
If the Steelers are to defeat the New England Patriots, defensively speaking, it all starts up front. And the front begins with Captain Heyward — Meat-Eater extraordinaire.
