1)Offense-As long as the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger under center, they should never be counted out of playoff contention. Last season, Big Ben played all 16 games for the black-n-gold. Will the offensive line help him stay healthy again this season? New offensive line coach Mike Munchak was brought on board to see to it that they do. He also needs to help the O-Line re-establish a running attack that has been dormant for the past several seasons. That is also why the Steelers signed LeGarrette Blount, to shore up the running game with second year man Le'Veon Bell. Unfortunately, the Bell & Blount tandem did not get off to a good start in the preseason as they were busted for marijuana en route to the airport for the Eagles preseason game in Philly. Coach Tomlin choose not to reprimand the Steelers version of Cheech and Chong, preferring to let the repercussions come from the league office. In the meantime, that Philly game was a mess, all the way around. OC Todd Haley is expected to unleash the no-huddle more this season. Ben may need it if he doesn't have a running game or many receiving weapons. The receivers look like this: Pro Bowl WR Antonio Brown, ever-reliable TE Heath Miller and a whole lot of question marks.
2)Defense-The Steelers continued to try to get younger on the defensive side of the ball. 1st round draft pick, ILB Ryan Shazier, is expected to be the first rookie to start at linebacker since Kendrell Bell. Can Shazam win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors like Bell? The pressure will be on the rookie to see what he can do. Speaking of pressure, the front 7 need to get after the quarterback and force some much-needed turnovers, something this defense has sorely been lacking these last few years. The Steelers went young with the linebackers, the defensive line and at safety. What's strange is they choose not to do so with the cornerbacks. They brought back Ike Taylor at a less expensive rate (he'll be the first to tell you about it as he's spent the better part of the offseason complaining about it), will trot out William Gay on the other side and use Cortez Allen in the nickel. Not very impressive, especially considering the penalty flags this group racked up in the preseason. Luckily, baring injury, S Troy Polamalu should be free to roam about the defense and do what he does best. Unlike last season when #43 was forced into action at LB much of the time.
3)Special Teams-The Steelers signed K Shaun Suisham to an extension in the offseason and made him a captain, too. Good thing. He may be called upon to be a big offensive weapon this season. There's more good news for special teams: long-time long snapper Greg Warren has been cleared to play in the opener. It could be bad news for the Steelers if he gets injured again. Remember a few years back when James Harrison was forced into service? Get someone up in the bullpen now, in case another injury occurs. The punting situation is still a mess, though. Brad Wing? Really? That's the best the Steelers can do? I hope we aren't forced to punt a lot this season.
Looking at the Steelers in the preseason, Mrs. Black-N-Gold sees pretty much the same scenario as the last 2, playoff-less years: Lack of depth, no tackling ability and many, many penalties. They continue to play sloppy, unfocused football but still expect to come out smelling like a rose. I certainly hope I'm wrong. One good note is that no team looks to take hold of the AFC North and run away with it. I see the Steelers going 10-6 this season, getting a wildcard playoff birth. That may be generous on my part but I still do and always will bleed black-n-gold. Here's hoping the Steelers make me look completely foolish and run away with it. All the way to Super Bowl #7. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
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