LATROBE, Pa. -- James Harrison goes into his move, the one he has executed thousands of times. The Steeler in front of him knows it's coming. Both Steelers do, actually. The coaches implemented a double team a few plays earlier.
Harrison bends the edge with a swift first step, getting to the phantom quarterback without much resistance. "That's what he's gonna do," defensive line coach John Mitchell blurts out.
Harrison, 38, still has a fastball, and he's using it more than he did at this time last year. Harrison told Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin he wanted to take fewer rest days this camp in part to shed weight quicker.
He typically gets to camp around 275 pounds but prefers a playing weight between 255-265, Harrison said. He's choosing to hit that number in camp instead of Weeks 1-4 of the regular season. Harrison has been in street clothes a few times, but much less frequently than before.
Yes, Harrison is embracing the urgency in his 14th and potentially last NFL season.
"It was more of a choice of being able to still do what I can do and get back to the level I wanted to be at," Harrison said about his return as his walked off the practice field Sunday.
That level was good enough in 2015, when Pro Football Focus graded Harrison the seventh-best 3-4 outside linebacker last season despite him playing about half the defense's snaps.
Harrison recently declined comment on the NFL's attempts to interview him over an Al-Jazeera America report linking him to performance-enhancing drugs. (He has denied the claims on multiple occasions.)
But his presence in camp has been hard to ignore. Harrison has logged significant reps with the first- or second-team defense. On Sunday, he flexed his muscles toward his offensive teammates after winning a run-blocking matchup with tight end Jesse James.
Steelers pass-rushers Bud Dupree and Anthony Chickillo are 15 years younger than Harrison, who led all Pittsburgh outside linebackers with five sacks in 2016.
"You see a guy like that who takes care of himself on and off the field, you have no reason to be complaining," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "If a guy can do it at that age, you should be able to do it at 22."
Harrison's presence also deepens the intrigue in the Steelers' chase for sacks. The Steelers were No. 3 league-wide with 48 sacks, but no player had more than seven (Heyward).
Keith Butler's defensive scheme contributes to some of the wealth-spreading. Blitz-heavy packages created the classic trade-off: more pressure for more passing yards, essentially. And as safety Robert Golden said, this is a "selfless" defense where sometimes a player will set a pick to clear a path for a teammate.
Having a double-digit sack guy off the edge would provide stability. Dupree, after losing nearly 20 pounds from his rookie year, said getting double digits is "a goal."
Unless Harrison beats him to it.
"Everybody in our room is shooting for [10 or more]," Dupree said.
The Steelers will still use a heavy dose of veterans Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones, the 2013 first-round pick who enters a contract year.
But a vintage "Deebo" will be difficult to keep off the field, just like last year.
"He's still a guy who can contribute. If not, Kevin Colbert and Mike T. wouldn't keep him around," cornerback William Gay said. "You always want a guy of his caliber on the field."
