Last Year
Following an unexpected 15-1 run in Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season, the Steelers were once again high on the NFL totem poll heading in to 2005. The start was lively, the middle was sluggish, but a regular season-ending four-game win streak propelled the Steelers into the playoffs as a wildcard. There, they simply out-executed Indianapolis, Denver, and Seattle en route to an emotional Super Win. For a second straight offseason, the Steelers will try to stay strong after losing a couple of key pieces and will try to make one more run for — what some say is — Bill Cowher's last season in Pittsburgh.
What We Learned From Last Year
After a surprising season which saw the Steelers advance all the way to the AFC Championship Game, the biggest question last season was how much would Ben Roethlisberger progress in his second season?
Although his statistics looked very similar to his rookie season, Roethlisberger was much more mature and much more in command in his second year in the NFL.
He received a lot of help, not only from a veteran offensive line that played cohesively, but from a fellow sophomore, running back Willie Parker.
Parker was an aberration from the typical Steeler running backs we were used to seeing. His lightning quick speed was definitely a change of pace from the bruising style of runners they had used in the past.
But the thumping presence was still there as Jerome Bettis delayed his retirement to return for one more season. All things considered, it was pretty clear that Bettis' skills were weakening, but he was still the knight in shining armor, particularly in a season-saving performance against the smashmouth Chicago Bears.
It was well-documented, but just to reiterate, Bettis was invaluable in the locker room. He had well-timed motivational speeches and was an important voice that helped guide the Steelers along.
A brief holdout by stalwart wideout Hines Ward raised some concerns about the wide receiving corps in the preseason, but the Rooney's got the deal done with a player who was critical to the team's success.
With all the attention that wideouts like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens get, Hines Ward needs to get a bigger piece of the spotlight. He may be quiet off the field, but he is such a well-rounded receiver. He does everything very well and doesn't complain — something the latter two will never learn.
Ward only pulled in 975 yards on 69 receptions, which is mild by standards nowadays, but Bill Cowher's Steelers were quite obviously run-oriented.
Although Plaxico Burress had departed via free agency, there was still an assortment of targets for Roethlisberger to pick out. Antwaan Randle El was extremely effective out of the slot and on gadget plays, first-round pick Heath Miller was a reliable red zone threat and Cedrick Wilson even found a role in this offense.
The mindset was run-first and conservative, but they executed their game plans extremely well.
On defense, the Steelers were an intimidating unit.
The biggest addition was the return of nose tackle Casey Hampton, who was limited to only six games the previous season. He is quite simply one of the best nose tackles in the business and was one of the main reasons why the inside linebackers dominating the field so much.
James Farrior and Larry Foote cleaned up anything that came to the second level, ringing up over 210 combined tackles. They are a sure-handed duo.
On the outside, Joey Porter and Clark Haggans wreaked havoc on quarterbacks and basically lived in the opponent's backfield. Believe it or not, but the 19.5 sacks this tandem combined for still doesn't do justice to how much trouble they caused.
A young secondary that was picked on in the 2005 AFC Championship Game looked far more seasoned last year. Ike Taylor emerged as a solid starter at cornerback while Bryant McFadden and Ricardo Colclough looked like up-and-comers. Factor in an excellent safety tag team of Chris Hope and Troy Polamalu and the secondary made big plays against the run and pass throughout the year.
The Steelers had solid team chemistry and leadership, and their young players really hit their stride last year. Although it is tough to expect the same to happen again this year, the Steelers return a solid core that will be competing for the AFC North crown.
This Year
The Steelers didn't have many free agents this season, but they seemingly lost all of them. Safety Chris Hope, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, and defensive linemen Kimo Von Oelhoffen are gone.
But they return 19 starters from a championship team, as well as the coaching staff, so there should be a high level of consistency.
Von Oelhoffen wasn't worth the money, considering the 35-year-old doesn't have a lot left in the tank, and the Steelers have an in-house fix in Brett Keisel. Alongside Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith, Keisel will be fine.
Aside from the loss of Chris Hope, the defense is intact.
The four linebackers in Porter, Haggans, Foote, and Farrior return and can rival any 3-4 foursome for the top spot. They don't miss much ground from sideline to sideline and they have depth with James Harrison as a back up.
The free safety spot looks like it might be a concern. Ryan Clark was brought over from Washington, but he has not been able to assert himself as the starter. He is more used to run defense, coming from an aggressive Redskins defense, but alongside Polamalu, who spends a lot of time in the box, the Steelers expect their free safety to excel in coverage. Tyrone Carter, whom Clark is competing with for the job, also hasn't done much to impress.
While the defense may drop down just a notch, the offense has potential to be stronger this season.
For starters, there are no more questions about Ben Roehtlisberger's ability to win games with his arm, as he proved his critics wrong in the playoffs. In his third year in this offense, expect the playbook to open up. He is using more no-huddle and looks more comfortable as a passer than ever before.
Willie Parker also should experience some more growth in his second season. He'll have to prove that he can handle the wear and tear of 250+ carries and help the Steelers be the ball control team they are used to being.
The wide receivers take another free agency hit for the second straight season, as Randle El is now with the Redskins, but they used a first-round pick on Santonio Holmes in an attempt to replace him. Holmes has been lost so far and it shouldn't be expected for him to contribute a lot in his rookie season. Receivers typically take a while to develop.
But even so, the Steelers have some budding prospects in Nate Washington and Willie Reid to go with veterans Hines Ward and Cedrick Wilson. Heath Miller is also a year older, which means he will likely top last year's 39 receptions.
The Steelers will still need to find a running back to share some of the carries with Parker simply because they are so run-oriented. At this point, if he was to get injured, they would be in serious trouble because Duce Staley and Verron Hanes have not looked more than modest contributors in the offseason.
The Steelers are now an experienced team and know how to execute very well every week. Their schedule is a little bit lighter than the Bengals and as long as they can get a split with the striped kitties, they should be in line to win the division.
Over/Under: 10.5
The Steelers won four games in their division last season and they should expect to do the same this year. They need a split with Baltimore and Cincinnati to stay in the thick of things and they are a very tough match up for Cleveland, which means they should get a sweep. They play: MIA, @JAC, CIN, @SD, KC, @ATL, @OAK, DEN, NO, @CLE, @BAL, TB, CLE, @CAR, BAL, and @CIN.
Fantasy Sleeper
Since the Steelers are more run-oriented than other teams, the receivers on this team tend to get overlooked. Tight end Heath Miller should be a valuable starter this season, particularly if the Steelers have to pass the ball a bit more because of either a weakened defense or if Willie Parker wears down. With six touchdowns last season, Miller proved he was a favorite of Ben Roethlisberger and he should continue to be in his second season.
This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].
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