2009 Record: 9-7, Third in Division
2009 Playoff Record: Did Not Qualify
Key Losses: Willie Parker, Joey Galloway, Willie Colon
Key Additions: Larry Foote, Flozell Adams, Antwaan Randle El
The Steelers have been the team to beat for the past decade in the AFC North. They've won two Superbowls under two different coaches and took the division title in five of the last ten years. They've been especially dominant in recent years as the Bengals battled injuries and the Ravens struggled to rebuild after success early in the decade. The Steelers have always gotten by despite some glaring holes at certain positions. They've fallen off in key areas while the Bengals and Ravens have gotten far better. It's not that the Steelers have gotten much worse, but the improvements that their opponents have made are too much for Pittsburgh to keep pace with. The Bengals swept them last season, and Baltimore came a touchdown away from doing the same. Pittsburgh is struggling with injuries and suspensions already, and they will be fighting all season to get back to the top.
One thing that has always been accepted in Pittsburgh is that the quarterback protection will be horrible. Losing tackle Willie Colon would seem like a deathblow to an already vulnerable area, but it could prove to be a blessing in disguise. Though he was an anchor on the line, his injury prompted management to go out and get star free agent tackle Flozell Adams. I believe this will be one of the more important free agent signings in the offseason, and he will definitely upgrade the protection that has been so poor in the past. There will still be some pressure on right side starter Max Starks to improve, as Flozell isn't a fix-all on a line that has been constantly maligned for its protection and little else has been done to upgrade the position, but at least the protection should be better than last year.
The other aspect of the line has come under some scrutiny recently as well. The Steelers have had some disappointment in the run game since their Superbowl win in 2005. They thought they had solved the problem by getting rid of aging veteran Willie Parker and replacing him with Rashard Mendenhall, but still ranked just in the bottom half of the league in the run game. Pittsburgh has built its team on having a dominant run game, and with uncertainty at the quarterback and receiver positions they will want to see better production, which starts with the line. Pittsburgh notices this as well, as they made a significant effort to sign and draft guards during the offseason. It looks to be an area coach Tomlin is dedicated to improving.
The good news on offense is that Mendenhall had a tremendous season in his first as a starter, in only twelve games starting he had 1,100 yards and a 4.6 average. If the line improves he should have at least as good a season and could take some of the pressure off the quarterback. Those sack numbers might start to go down, and more defenders in the box means an easier time for the receivers. The receiver situation has good and bad news as well. The good news comes in the form of the projected starters Mike Wallace and Hines Ward, and tight end Heath Miller. All three are considerable talents at the position and possess unique skills, they should provide a boost to whoever is behind center. The bad news comes in the form of uncertainty. Backing them up are a rookie and two veterans who have had their ups and downs. Arnaz Battle and Antwaan Randle El have seen their production drop off in recent years, the Steelers are probably hoping to see those numbers rebound this year for at least one of them.
The Big concern going in, though, is quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger will be coming back after week 4 instead of week 6, but those four games are still fairly tough. The Falcons, Titans, and Ravens are all very tough teams, and the Bucs could surprise the Steelers with their star QB riding the bench. It's not even the ability of the rest of the Steelers team or the backup quarterbacks I'm questioning, but against teams with talent in the secondary and who can score enough points to outplay a backup they could be in for dire straights. I'd say they'd be lucky to go 2-2 through those four. After Big Ben gets back things will be different. They'll look like a much better team, the question will be how they can play against Cincinnati. As I said, the Bengals swept them last year and I'm doubtful that the Steelers have improved enough to overtake them, although another sweep seems unlikely.
The defense is a bright spot for this team, they finished fifth in total defense last year. They're also getting star safety Troy Polamalu back, who should help them improve from 16th in the league against the pass and 25th in interceptions. They were again in the top five in the league in sacks and run defense, so that shouldn't be an area for much concern. Despite all that, they still managed to finish third in their division and miss the playoffs last year, and the defense won't be able to carry them all the way this year. They will be a tough team to face, but they're going to need their offense to win games when their defense gives them that chance.
I believe this is one team whose schedule really favors them. They should be the favorites going up against NFC East teams, though the Giants could give them some problems. They also have an advantage against the Raiders, but the Titans could pose a problem in the early season. What will make or break this season for them is division play. I still believe the Ravens are the favorites in this division, but the competition between he Steelers and Bengals could be fierce. The Steelers are going to have to play them hard, and if they get swept again they could be watching the playoffs from home once again.
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