The Seattle Seahawks boasted an historically dominant defense during the 2013-2014 season. At the center of that defense was Brandon Mebane, the short-yet-stout defensive tackle who evidently was a key player in anchoring the defensive line. But what makes Mebane so good? His stats - 45 tackles, 0 sacks - aren't flashy in the least, but he has to be doing something right to start that many games on such a dominant and deep defensive line. Here's what I found:

Week 4, Seahawks @ Texans

2:06: Mebane avoids the cut block attempted by the left guard (74) and keeps his feet to make the tackle. Excellent balance displayed here—most defensive tackles as big as Mebane would have been taken out of this play by the cut block.

14:56: Mebane keeps his feet through another attempted cut block and makes the tackle of the ball carrier. More great balance.

26:57: Mebane maintains his balance enough to lunge and make the tackle on the running back. He doesn’t keep his feet, but he still keeps himself in the play enough to make an impact.

27:51: The left guard tries to reach block Mebane and even though he successfully gets across Mebane’s body, he is not able to successfully wall Mebane off from the play because Mebane is too strong and uses leverage to power through the left guard and get in on the play.

53:14: Mebane sheds center Chris Myers with seeming ease and then makes the solo tackle on Arian Foster in the backfield. Mebane is too strong for Myers to handle one-on-one.

1:03:01: Mebane doesn’t have big pass rushing numbers in part because the 1-technique in a 4-3 defense often draws double teams from the center and the guard.

1:07:38: When Mebane is able to penetrate by pushing the center (55) into the backfield, he essentially sets the edge on running plays like these and forces the running back to cut back. In this case, Foster cuts back into the waiting arms of Chris Clemons for the minimal gain.

Week 8, Seahawks @ Rams

1:53: Look how low Mebane gets as he fights through the double team to get in the way of the running back. Mebane’s relatively short frame allows him to play with this leverage, which is an advantage over taller players trying to block him.

23:12: The leverage Mebane plays with makes him a hard guy to move—in this case, it takes the full efforts of two Rams offensive linemen (63 and 65) to do so. While offensive linemen will often assist each other with double teams initially and then go on to block a linebacker later in the play, Mebane commands the double team throughout the entirety of the play here, therefore leaving the Seahawks linebackers at the top of the screen unblocked and free to make the play on the ball carrier.

50:40: Mebane plays the two gaps on either side of the center here. He attacks Scott Wells and controls him, using a quick swim move here to disengage and make the tackle on the running back.

Week 10, Seahawks @ Falcons

31:13: Mebane shows excellent leverage and hand use as he gets around the offensive lineman to pressure Matt Ryan.

53:17: Mebane gets a fantastic jump at the snap on this play, and ends up shooting the A gap on the center’s right side and making the tackle on the running back behind the line of scrimmage. This shot shows Mebane already engaging the offensive linemen when his fellow defensive linemen have barely even gotten out of their stances yet. Although Mebane isn’t the most athletic pass rusher, his explosive first step after the snap is something to marvel at.

1:08:36: Mebane commands the double team, eating up two blockers and keeping KJ Wright (50) free to make the tackle.

Week 15, Seahawks @ Giants

4:01: You can see the excellent jump Mebane gets at the snap here. He blows by the center and notches the quick pressure on Eli Manning, forcing him to throw the ball away.

4:46: Mebane (92) uses exceptional leverage here to get underneath the center Kevin Boothe and drive him back into the running lane of the running back and shutting down the play.

43:11: Notice how Mebane again gets lower than the center to force his way into the backfield to make the tackle on the running back. Pure domination.

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All in all, Mebane's short stature actually works to his benefit, as it allows him to out-leverage whichever opponent he faces. His hand technique is also excellent, and he is adept at using his arms to gain even further leverage. 

Additionally, Mebane's thick, strong legs give him great balance, and it is subsequently hard for offensive linemen to cut him to the ground when teams try to run zone on Seattle. The best way to combat Mebane's power is with less-athletic, stronger centers rather than smaller, athletic centers like (surprise) Chris Myers and Scott Wells, who Mebane has overpowered on a regular basis. 

READ MORE: See Through The Film: Dwayne Allen

Mebane's pass rushing stats aren't impressive at first glance, but upon looking at more in-depth stats like pressures and hurries, Mebane is actually a much better pass rusher than you may realize. Adding to the impressiveness is the fact that Mebane is often asked to "two-gap," meaning he plays the run more than the pass, and therefore rushing the passer is a much harder task than it is for those only asked to play one gap.

Mebane is a two-down player for Seattle, but that's perfectly okay--defensive linemen who play too many snaps run the high risk of wearing down and becoming less effective as the season wears on, whereas Mebane was kept fresh throughout last year.

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Mebane is unlike most nose tackles in the NFL, and plays the run game with great discipline that comes with experience and coaching--Seattle would have a tough time replacing him should he be unavailable at any point this coming year. Mebane might not have elite numbers, but he is an elite role player who has done everything asked of him on Seattle's dominant defense. 

Reach Staff Writer Andrew McKagan here or follow him here.