| Jeff Risdon. 15th August, 2006 - 10:19 pm
 Last season: 11-5, Won Super Bowl
Coming: S Ryan Clark
Going: WR/KR Antwaan Randle El, RB Jerome Bettis, DE Kimo von Oelhoffen, S Chris Hope
Rookies of note: WR Santonio Holmes, KR Willie Reid
What I like: Defending Super Bowl champs are going to have a lot to like. Most people will point to QB Ben Roethlisberger and his 27-4 record as a starter, or the attacking defensive style of coordinator Dick Lebeau. Some will bring up All Pro S Troy Polamalu, who changes gameplans with his LB-like hitting and underrated coverage. Fantasy geeks no doubt love RB Willie Parker’s gamebreaking speed, or TE Heath Miller’s great hands and route running. Many pundits will rave about their LBs, who have at least 2 Pro Bowlers and enough depth that their top 2 reserves would start for 20+ other teams. Despite losing Randle El, they still have a cadre of decent, reliable playmakers in Hines Ward, Quincy Morgan, new addition Holmes, and 3rd down back Verron Haynes. But what I love most about the Steelers, and what I believe is the ultimate key to their success, is their offensive line. G Alan Faneca, C Jeff Hartings, and LT Marvel Smith are all outstanding, and there is good depth, young but experienced. The OL always opens running lanes and keeps Big Ben comfortable, they read blitzes and stunts better than anyone, and almost never get called for holding or false starts. That kind of efficient, reliable quality is what makes the Steelers a threat to win every game from Week 1 to the Super Bowl.
What I dislike: They lost their team heart in the retirement of Bettis, and he was also still an amazingly effective short yardage back. The WR corps has a lot of unproven or seemingly underwhelming talent playing key roles. As great a football player as Hines Ward may be, he’s not an ideal #1 wideout in 2006. Roethlisberger’s offseason motorcycle crash exposed how dangerously thin the Steelers are at QB. Remember last season when Big Ben missed 4 games and the offense sputtered? It would only be worse this season if he misses any time. The secondary is thin and lacks a true #1 CB, though the Steelers do play a lot of zone coverage to minimize the deficiency. People think back to their playoff run and tend to forget the Steelers only made the playoffs because KC and San Diego both choked down the stretch. The Steelers are better constructed to win playoff-style football: clock management, making few mistakes, winning field position battles and pounding out long drives. Their schedule is littered with potent offenses that can score quickly and from anywhere: Cincy (twice), Kansas City, Denver, Carolina, Atlanta, San Diego. Getting more than a couple of those games to transform into Steeler football is a tall order. The bottom of their division, Baltimore and Cleveland, are both improved and, more significantly, addressed the weaknesses the Steelers kept exploiting.
Best case: It’s hard to top the Super Bowl, but Big Ben playing 16 effective games and edging out the Bengals for the AFC North title and getting a playoff game or two at home would be very welcome. They have few weaknesses and play as a team better than anyone, so it’s not inconceivable they repeat the 15-1 of 2004.
Worst case: Roethlisberger isn’t his old self, and the loss of Bettis hurts team unity. The WRs don’t meet the challenge, and Parker proves a one-year wonder at RB, something with which the Steelers have experience (Bam Morris, Barry Foster, Walter Abercrombie). Complacency after winning is always a threat, particularly for a team (and coaching staff) that waited so long to win a title.
Prediction: They are wearing a giant bulls-eye with a difficult schedule, and they’ll have to play better than they did in the 2005 season to make the playoffs again. They have the capability to do just that, but I still see this team as no better than 5th in the AFC over a 16-game schedule. A 10-6 finish, and their playoff fate is decided in Week 2 with their game against Jacksonville. Win and they’re in, lose and it’s a very long, cold winter in Pittsburgh. But as I said about them last season, if they do make it in, they should be considered the favorites in every playoff game.
Jeff Risdon's other 2006 Team Previews
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Rams |
