NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the playoffs in 2014 if…

And: The Pittsburgh defense rediscovers its penchant for the big play.

From 2008-10, the Steelers were a combined 33-15 and made two Super Bowl appearances, defeating the Arizona Cardinals (XLIII) and losing to the Green Bay Packers (XLV). Over that span, Dick LeBeau’s defenders made their presence felt on a weekly basis.

In 48 regular-season games over that span, Pittsburgh totaled 146 sacks and came away with 86 takeaways. Playmakers such as strong safety Troy Polamalu, outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley and others turned the tide of games in Pittsburgh’s favor. Since 2011, Tomlin’s club has forced only 55 turnovers and totaled just 106 sacks.

Harrison is long gone and Woodley was released this offseason, latching on with the Oakland Raiders. Polamalu remains and is now the clear leader of a unit that will feature a lot of new faces, most notably rookies such as inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and defensive end Stephon Tuitt. Second-year outside linebacker Jarvis Jones hopes to make a bigger impact this season and fellow outside linebacker Jason Worilds hopes to build on his team-high eight sacks in 2013.

Polamalu will also now team with free safety Mike Mitchell, signed as a free agent from the Carolina Panthers this offseason.