2005 NFL Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

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Last Year

Typically, an injury hurts a team, but in Pittsburgh's case last season, it allowed them to tryout their rookie quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. All he did after stepped in Week 2 and was re-write all sorts of records and lead the Steelers to a 15-1 record. He was shielded with a confident running game and a stout defense, but come playoff time, those rookie symptoms surfaced against the champions-to-be in the AFC Championship game. While a strong core remains, don't expect the same results.

What We Learned From Last Year

Head coach Bill Cowher's philosophy has always been the same: run the ball and stop the run. It may sound vanilla, but his style of physical football simply pounds teams into the ground.

After Ben Roethlisberger was forced into the lineup, Cowher shielded his young quarterback by putting an even stronger emphasis on the running game. No team attempted as many runs per game and the Steelers averaged more than five more per game than the second closest team.

You're not going to run the ball this well unless you have the offensive line and running backs to do it.

Tackle Marvel Smith, guard Alan Faneca, and center Jeff Hartings led the way and all were recognized for their efforts and received Pro Bowl selections.

Running back Duce Staley was signed to become the feature running back in Pittsburgh and ease the burden of off the aging Jerome Bettis, but the Bus did not fade out. Staley started off strong, racking up 707 rushing yards in the first seven games, but Bettis was sucking up all the goal line carries. He had seven touchdowns in his first 40 carries. When Staley stepped out of the lineup for a few games, Bettis proved that his tank was far from empty, averaging nearly 31 carries per game in the six outings that Staley missed.

While some dubbed the Steelers a temporary flash in the pan, they asserted themselves in Weeks 8-9 when they became the first team to defeat both the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. Granted, they hosted both contests, not only did they blemish the undefeated records of the Patriots and the Eagles, they blew them out of the water.

On defense, their bully-like swagger stemmed from the play of their linebackers. The Steelers have been a linebacker factory for years and last year, Larry Foote and James Harrison emerged. Joey Porter and James Farrior were the regular stalwarts and with a horde of agile linebackers around them, the Steelers entailed the stingiest rush defense.

What was so impressive about the Steelers run was that they did it without one of their key players. Nose tackle Casey Hampton tore his ACL in Week 5, but the Steelers didn't miss a beat.

With such a fluid running game and a solid run defense, a large part of the Steelers' success was their ability to dictate the style of play and to control the clock. Their offense spent more time than any other offense on the field and their defense spent the least.

But with such a reliance on the run, their passing game seemingly lagged behind. The trio of wide receivers, Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, and Antwan Randel El were excellent targets, but were underused. Roethlisberger looked fine in the regular season when he only average 21 pass attempts per game, but he looked like a rookie in the playoffs when he was forced to throw more.

The Steelers have only had three losing seasons during Bill Cowher's tenure, but have yet to win any Super Bowls. Expect more of the same this year.

This Year

The first notable difference will be on the offensive side of the ball as Plaxico Burress has departed via free agency.

He was not a large part of what the Steelers ran on offense, but he did have a big hand in keeping teams honest. If opponents loaded extra defenders in the box, throwing to him was an easy way to deter teams from focusing on the run.

Hines Ward is the best blocking receiver in the NFL and fits this offense perfectly from that standpoint, but he will deal with more coverage this year than ever before. Antwan Randel El is a quick shifty receiver, but is better suited for the slot where he can exploit linebackers or safeties. He will have to face more defensive backs and more jamming at the line of scrimmage as the second receiving option on this team, which is not ideal for him. Rookie tight end Heath Miller should turn out to be an outstanding target, but he does not have the same gears that Tony Gonzalez and Jeremy Shockey. He still has enough speed to exploit linebackers and is too big for defensive backs.

It's hard to imagine the Steelers running the ball with as much success as they did last year. Every team will force — or try to force — them to pass the ball.

Ward is always reliable in traffic, he plays with good size and he is a great route-runner. One thing he is not is a legitimate deep threat. The Steelers are not as much of a threat to stretch the field this year, which means more defenses can key in on the running game.

Roethlisberger will be called upon to throw more this year, but he should be up to the task. At the very least, he will be more prepared for it. He is a big quarterback with decent mobility, he has a very strong arm, and still has a rugged offensive line to protect him. The only thing that hindered him last year was his decision-making late in the season, but that can be expected from a rookie.

The line lost Oliver Ross and Keydrick Vincent, but Kendall Simmons and Max Starks are ready to play. Simmons was the starter last year until a knee injury ended his season.

Jerome Bettis contemplated retirement, but returned for one more year and might get a few early starts. Duce Staley had mid-August knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus and likely won't be ready for Week 1.

The Steelers wisely spent one of their top draft picks on a cornerback, drafting Bryant McFadden in the second round, as this is an area of concern. Veteran Chad Scott was released after an injury-riddled 2004 season, leaving Willie Williams, Deshea Townsend, and Ricardo Colclough as the team's top three cornerbacks. All three are decent but none are known as shutdown defensive backs.

Joey Porter, Clark Haggans, James Farrior, and Larry Foote return as the starting linebackers and are a very solid unit. Kendrell Bell left as a free agency and his explosiveness will be missed. Depth will be thinner than recent years and it will be tested early if Porter has not recovered from his arthroscopic knee surgery.

Safeties Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope are basically two extra linebackers. Polamalu plays with reckless abandon and is always around the ball. He is not someone wide receivers or quarterbacks look forward to playing against. But as a whole, this defense is not very strong in pass coverage. Teams who can spread them out, such as the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots, or possibly the Cincinnati Bengals will give them trouble.

It is critical for the Steelers to run the ball extremely well because that is how they control the game. If opposing offenses have several opportunities to pass against them, the elite teams will eventually find a way to mismatch a linebacker on a wide receiver.

On the other hand, running the ball against this unit will be a difficult task, especially with Casey Hampton returning to the starting lineup. The former Pro Bowler has looked good in training camp and is one of the best nose tackles in the game. Aaron Smith is perfect for the Steelers at defensive end. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau loves to help out the line and send blitzes from everywhere. He disguises his aggressiveness very well, which is very stressful for offensive lines.

The Steelers rode a very big high last year as confidence was at a peak level with Ben Roethlisberger leading the way. They will be good again this year, but they have downgraded their roster slightly, while their division rivals the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens have all improved. Nonetheless, they are among the teams that will battle for a playoff spot.

Over/Under: 9.5

Coming off the heels of a 15-1 season, their strength of schedule should stiffen up. The Steelers will lose more than one road game this season, but Heinz Field remains a tough visit for any opponent. The Steelers play: TEN, @HOU, @SD, JAX, @GB, @IND, CHI, @MIN, and DET. Along with the Baltimore Ravens, they should be considered the front-runners for the AFC North.

Fantasy Sleeper

Depending on how deep your fantasy pool is, rookie tight end Heath Miller may go undrafted. With Plaxico Burress out of town, although the Steelers love to pound the ball, Miller should become a vital red zone option. He is a big target who catches everything thrown his way — perfect for sophomore Ben Roethlisberger.

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