Tuesday, August 26, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The Steelers already have one rookie in their dime defense. They might soon be getting another.

	Alonzo Jackson goes through a drill at the Steelers' South Side complex. (Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette) Click photo for larger image.

Especially if linebacker Alonzo Jackson, their No. 2 draft choice, keeps doing what he did last week against the Dallas Cowboys -- force fumbles with each of his two quarterback sacks.

The Steelers are hoping to generate more pressure on the quarterback from their four rush lineman in the dime, one of the reasons they drafted Jackson, a converted defensive end, from Florida State.

But they're also hoping to create more turnovers in 2003, anything that will help their defense to get off the field.

Jackson provided both in the 15-14 preseason victory Thursday against the Cowboys, and the Steelers' coaches are taking notice.

When the Steelers play the Carolina Panthers in their final preseason game Friday night, Jackson could see even more time as the right rush end in the No. 1 dime defense, a role that is scheduled to be filled by inside linebacker Kendrell Bell.

"He's getting more comfortable in the dime package," Coach Bill Cowher said yesterday at the Steelers' first practice at their South Side facility since breaking training camp. "Here's a guy who I think can be a contributor for us as he continues to grow."

	More Steelers Coverage: Game: Steelers (1-2) at Carolina Panthers (3-0) When: Friday, 8 p.m. Where: Ericksson Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. TV: KDKA Notable: Final preseason game for both teams. Steelers Notebook: Cowher not in favor of shorter preseason ... a word from our columnist Chuck Finder: Steelers' defensive backs need to help themselves, too

Jackson, 6 feet 4 and 266 pounds, has made tremendous strides in three weeks. He appeared to be lost and was ineffective in his first preseason game in Detroit, but was a disruptive force against the Cowboys.

To be sure, he got pushed around a couple times by left tackle Flozell Adams, who is 6-7 and 357 pounds. But he looked solid against the run, a little more comfortable dropping into pass coverage and registered two sacks -- doubling the team's total from the first two preseason games.

The latter, of course, is why the Steelers drafted him. His long arms and speed make him difficult to contain coming off the edge.

And the Steelers, who had an AFC-high 50 sacks in 2002, are trying to identify their best pass rushers so they don't have to rely solely on blitz packages to pressure the quarterback.

"I think I'm playing pretty good right now," Jackson said. "I still have room for improvement. But the thing I'm excited about it is I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the smoke is kind of clearing. Hopefully, I can go out and clear some more gray area and next day do the same thing and play even a little bit better come Friday.

"I still have a ways to go in the base [3-4 defense]. That's my main focus, seeing where I'm supposed to fit. God knows Coach [Tim] Lewis is not going to put anyone out there who's not dependable, play in and play out. I got to do it consistently enough to have him trust me so he can put me out there in the season."

The Steelers have established a history of switching collegiate defensive ends to outside linebackers in their 3-4 defense. Jason Gildon, who is closing in on the team's all-time sack record, did it. So did Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, who played the right rush end spot last season when Bell's ankle was injured.

The Steelers want Bell to be the rusher from the right side in the dime because they don't want him coming out of the game on third down. But Bell has been slow to make the transition, and appears more effective blitzing up the middle.

"It's a different position coming from college, but a lot of people have done it before me, so I'm just trying to get better day by day," Jackson said. "Every practice, the more reps I get, the better. We run a complex defense. I'm just trying to get a grasp on it to see what I'm doing and see what I need to fix."

Jackson gave more than a flash of his skills against the Cowboys.

In the fourth quarter, he raced around rookie tackle Torrin Tucker and used his long arms to swat the ball from quarterback Chad Hutchinson, who recovered the fumble.

	Steelers Coach Bill Cowher doesn't want to reduce the number of pre-season games. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) Click photo for larger image.

Later, he beat Tucker to the outside again and swatted the ball from No. 3 quarterback Clint Stoerner. The Steelers recovered -- their first takeaway of the preseason -- to preserve their first victory.

"They're a real good weapon for me," Jackson said of his long arms. "First of all, it helps me reach in there to the ball. If my arms were shorter, I wouldn't have gotten the ball the first time. But it helps me keep the blocker at bay, keep him away from me as much as I can. But still I'm learning how to use them to my advantage.

"Just being able to not think on some plays and just go, that's what I did [against the Cowboys]. But you can't do that fully until you get a good grasp on it. That's still going to be a while because I still got more stuff to learn."

With Porter and Gildon ahead of him at outside linebacker, Jackson has no designs on becoming a starter. But Gildon is 32 and his sacks declined last season for the first time in three years.

Still Jackson's role will be in the dime defense, and it could be more significant, and come quicker, than he expected.

"He's getting acclimated to the speed of the game," Cowher said. "He's come up here and some of the things, rushing wise, you do in college you're not going to be able to do at this level. I think he's starting to get a feel for it."

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