2006 Pittsburgh Steelers Season Preview

that they begin the year as the defending champs. But has anyone stopped to ponder just how amazing that is?

Think about it. What if someone told you that the defending Super Bowl champions would be a team that was 7-5 heading into December last year? And that they made the playoffs as a sixth seed and went on the road and defeated the No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals, the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts, and the second-seeded Denver Broncos. In the Super Bowl they beat the NFC's top- seeded Seattle Seahawks. There could not have possibly been a more challenging playoff schedule - literally; they faced the toughest competition at every turn. If this were any other team in the NFL, this postseason run would still be extolled with disbelief for how improbable it was. Sure, people have mentioned Ben Roethlisberger's miraculous season-saving tackle on Indianapolis' Nick Harper in the divisional round (that is, before they talked about a certain motorcycle accident) and, of course, many plays from the Super Bowl have been rehashed. And it has been mentioned that Pittsburgh is the only No. 6 seed to ever win a title. But all in all, no one is thinking of the 2005 Steelers as the Cinderella team that they were.

The reason that is, is we inherently expect greatness from this franchise. The Pittsburgh Steelers epitomize the NFL - or at least, what we'd all love the NFL to be. They are a smaller-market team, but their avid fan base (which is by far the largest in the league - the Steelers blew the doors off the other 31 teams in apparel sales last season) gives them a steady flow of revenue. (You may have noticed that fan base also travels well - a few NFL clubs have even stopped selling tickets to individuals with western Pennsylvania area codes.)

The team has been a family-run business since lifelong Pittsburgh resident Art Rooney Sr. established the franchise in 1933 after paying the $2,500 league entrance fee (which was money he won at the Saratoga Race Course). Rooney managed the team through its first 39 years of existence, before handing it down to one of his five sons, Dan.

The gracious Dan Rooney has not made himself bigger than the franchise - he hired Pittsburgh native Bill Cowher in 1992 to be the head coach and has since left Cowher alone and simply let him do his job. In Cowher's 15 years at the helm (think about that: 15 years; during Cowher's tenure four new franchises have entered the league and there have been 95 head coaching changes) the Steelers have won an NFL-high eight division titles and posted the best regular season record over that time (141-82-1).

However, it wasn't until this past year that Cowher (who some have speculated could be done in Pittsburgh after this year) could feel completely vindicated. For as great a coach as he is, the 49-year-old was an unimpressive 1-4 in AFC Championship games and his appearance in Super Bowl XXX was a loss at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Rooney, of course, never batted an eye during any of it. And he didn't bat an eye when Cowher was finally able to present him with the Lombardi Trophy on that Sunday night back in Detroit, either. Of course, a franchise as rock solid as Pittsburgh is not going to live in the past. Just like they didn't get hung up with all the championship game losses, they're not going to get hung up with the Super Bowl win. They can't - the 2006 Steelers are not as complete as the 2005 Steelers. Sure, they had minimal roster turnover and all but two starters are under contract with the team through 2007, but the losses they did suffer were critical.

Jerome Bettis was the heart and soul of this franchise. Inspiration is an immeasurable factor, but it is fair to say that this club would not have reached the Super Bowl if not for the motivation provided by The Bus. Bettis was also their power runner, which, for a grind-it-out team like Pittsburgh, is the equivalent of, say, Mariano Rivera for the Yankees.

Antwaan Randle El was the Steelers' prime playmaking resource on offense; he was the only player who was a threat to score every time he had the ball in his hands. Perhaps they found a similar product in rookie Santonio Holmes, but who's to say for sure?

Yes, these are only two figures and, true, every team in the NFL undergoes personnel change. But we just illustrated how the Steelers success is derived from the solidity in the foundation of the franchise. With Bettis gone (and Randle El, too) a large part of that foundation has been displaced.

The question now would be, "Is the foundation strong enough to support the weight of its own success?" If not, then how will part of it be rebuilt - and will it be enough for this organization to claim its record sixth Super Bowl title in 2006?

Below we take a capsule look at the 2006 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2005 RECORD: 11-5 (t1st, AFC North)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2005, defeated Seattle, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL

COACH (RECORD): Bill Cowher (141-82-1 in 14 seasons with Steelers, 141-82-1 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ken Whisenhunt

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dick LeBeau

OFFENSIVE STAR: Ben Roethlisberger, QB (2385 passing yards, 17 TD, 9 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Joey Porter, OLB (56 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 INT)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 5th rushing, 24th passing, 9th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 3rd rushing, 16th passing, t3rd scoring

FIVE KEY GAMES: Cincinnati (9/24), Denver (11/5), at Cleveland (11/19), at Carolina (12/17), at Cincinnati (12/31)

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Omar Jacobs (5th Round, Bowling Green), WR Santonio Holmes, (1st Round, Ohio State), WR Willie Reid (3rd Round, Florida State), DE Rodney Bailey (from Seahawks), S Ryan Clark (from Redskins), FS Anthony Smith (3rd Round, Syracuse)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Tommy Maddox (released), RB Jerome Bettis (retired), WR Antwaan Randle El (to Redskins), DE Kimo von Oelhoffen (to Jets), CB Willie Williams (released), S Chris Hope (to Titans)

QB: Did anyone hear about Ben Roethlisberger (2385 passing yards, 17 TD, 9 INT) getting in a motorcycle accident this offseason? This is where we talk about how fortunate he is to be alive and how amazing it is that he is back on the field and playing. Oh yeah, and we can't forget to make a played-out joke about wearing a helmet. It's fortunate that Big Ben's offseason news has already become old news. But let's go back and evaluate Roethlisberger in terms of being a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. In 2005, the 6-5, 241-pounder from Miami (Ohio - not "The U" for once) sure quieted those critics who were still talking about his blunders in the AFC championship game during his rookie year.

It's almost no fun that the 24-year-old Roethlisberger has already won a ring. His down-to-earth demeanor and honest, outgoing personality make him a real star who, as we saw after that championship loss to New England in '05, would be a fun one to really dissect and pick apart, much like we have done with Peyton Manning. But Roethlisberger just went ahead and forever stamped success on his career. The old saying that winning a championship is something that can never be taken away is uncompromisingly true. Roethlisberger (who is 22-3 in the regular season as a starter) is a Super Bowl champion and even though we already anointed Tom Brady as our Wonder Boy, we have to look at Big Ben as a leading NFL idol.

As long as he is Pittsburgh's quarterback, the Steelers have a chance to win. They might operate a ball-control offense (league-high 549 rushing attempts in 2005, NFL's fifth-rated run attack with 138.9 yards per game) but that doesn't mean Roethlisberger isn't spectacular. He averaged an astounding 8.9 yards per pass attempt last season, which easily topped Peyton Manning's second-best mark of 8.27. And regardless of what the Steelers' third-down statistics are offensively, there isn't a better third-down quarterback in football than Big Ben, thanks to his surprising mobility and sheer strength when hanging in the pocket (last year, Monday Night Football found out that his quarterback rating is actually better on plays in which he gets contacted by a defender). Health has been an issue for No. 7, though. The Steelers have a reliable backup in Charlie Batch (63.9 completion percentage, 6.83 yards per attempt, 1 TD, 1 INT), who was 2-0 as a starter when Roethlisberger was out with a slight cartilage tear in his knee last year. They also drafted Omar Jacobs (Bowling Green). Jacobs's mechanics can be hideous at times, but he was insanely prolific in college (41 touchdowns and just four interceptions last year). One interesting note is that all three Steeler quarterbacks played in the Mid-American Conference (Batch went to Eastern Michigan).

RB: Willie Parker (1,202 rushing yards, 4.7 AVG, 4 TD) is the starting running back, and the world saw his big-play capability early in the second half of the Super Bowl against Seattle. Parker's 1,202 yards last season were an impressive feat for a player who was originally undrafted out of North Carolina. However, the 5-foot-10, 209-pounder is not a workhorse and not someone the Steelers prefer to rely on in short-yardage situations.

Duce Staley (148 rushing yards, 3.9 AVG, 1 TD) will get a chance to replace The Bus this season. The 5-11, 242-pounder is a punishing ball carrier who does not run as low to the ground as Bettis but has comparable head-on power. However, Staley is 31 and has been injury-prone his entire career (a bad knee limited him to just five games in 2005). Expect Pittsburgh to find ways to use Verron Haynes (274 rushing yards, 3.7 AVG, 3 TD) more often. He is the best receiving back on this team and although he weighs only 222, there has been talk of him competing with Staley for the short-yardage responsibilities. Fullback Dan Kreider (7 receptions, 43 receiving yards) is back in his lead- blocking role. The seventh-year pro from New Hampshire is one of the biggest "blue-collar workers" in the business.

WR/TE: Since the city of Pittsburgh was catapulted on the national scene by Andrew Carnegie's steel industry, it has been the consummate blue-collar town. So if the people of Pittsburgh have come to appreciate Kreider, they must worship the ground that Hines Ward (69 receptions, 975 receiving yards, 11 TD) walks on (except blue-collar folk don't bow down to anyone, they just firmly shake hands). It's one of the most banal cliches we have, but the Super Bowl XL MVP really does play with a chip on his shoulder. Ward barely speaks to Cowher because he holds a grudge about the team drafting Troy Edwards and Plaxico Burress in past years (don't tell him what position the Steelers addressed in the first round this season).

Ward (who is the Steelers' franchise leader in receptions) might be the best all-around receiver in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt (who turned down the chance to be the head coach in Oakland) does not design an abnormal number of plays to get Ward the ball, but the 30-year-old former third-round pick from Georgia has put up four 1,000-yard seasons in the past five years (he missed the mark by 25 yards in '05).

Cedrick Wilson (26 receptions, 451 receiving yards) is the No. 2 and he finally came on towards the end of last season. His starting job should be safe because rookie first-round pick Santonio Holmes (from Ohio State) has skills that are custom-fitted for the slot. Holmes has also had a tougher training camp than expected and we all know about his team-leading two arrests during the offseason. At 5-10, 185, he has the potential to be an impressive weapon as a playmaker with outstanding speed and great change-of-direction quickness. However, the Steelers will still miss the triple-threat element that Randle El brought to the table.

The fourth receiver was thought to be Quincy Morgan (9 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD), though Nate Washington (an undrafted free agent rookie who essentially did not play in '05) has had a great training camp and appears to have earned the job. In fact, there has even been talk of Washington capturing the No. 3 position.

Though with the pass-catching abilities of tight end Heath Miller (39 receptions, 459 receiving yards, 6 TD) it is not often you'll see Pittsburgh split out in four-wide receiver sets. Miller was drafted to give Roethlisberger and this offense the big, intermediate, over-the-middle receiving target that it needed. Although his overall numbers were not gaudy as a rookie, it is apparent that Miller is the right tool for this box. His blocking is top-quality, he runs tremendous routes, and his soft hands make him an always-reliable option, especially in the red-zone, where he was most effective in 2005.

Jerame Tuman (3 receptions, 57 receiving yards) is strictly a blocking tight end.

OL: Left guard Alan Faneca is the best in the business at what he does. If it weren't a glory world for the points scorers, Faneca would have gotten the Super Bowl MVP. Besides keeping Seattle's most effective interior lineman, Rocky Bernard, at bay all night, he also landed the block that sprung "Fast Willie" for the game-changing 75-yard touchdown. (By the way, is there a more unimaginative nickname in all of sports than "Fast Willie"?).

Center Jeff Hartings joined Faneca in Hawaii last year. However, Hartings will turn 34 the night the Steelers kick off their season. He is also nearing the end of his contract. Although Chukky Okobi is a sixth-year player, the team has been grooming him as a replacement and is anxious to anoint him a starter.

Right tackle Max Starks is occasionally the weak link up front, mainly because of sloppy habits and vacillating energy. Left tackle Marvel Smith is phenomenal as long as he's healthy. Finally, right guard Kendall Simmons remains one of the sturdiest blockers in the game, despite having been diagnosed with diabetes back in 2003. Simmons, however, is said to have struggled in camp thus far.

The Steelers front five, which is coached by Russ Grimm, works well as one unit and can thrive in both run-blocking and pass protection. However, depth could be a concern. In the past, one injury up front has had a devastating domino effect with this line. Trai Essex performed adequately filling in sparingly as a rookie last season and Barrett Brooks (who was arrested early in August for fleeing police on a motorcycle) is a versatile option who can play tackle or guard. Brooks, though, is a last resort. The team also likes second-year guard Chris Kemoeatu and sees him as a starter down the road.

DL: Nose tackle Casey Hampton (42 tackles) should receive a lot of credit for his role in Pittsburgh's famed 3-4 scheme. The 6-1, 325-pounder out of Texas occupies blockers as well as anyone in the game. His teammates voted him the defensive MVP in 2005.

Hampton will have his usual partner, Aaron Smith (40 tackles, 2 sacks), working at left end, but on the right side, gone will be the beloved veteran Kimo von Oelhoffen. The Steelers wanted to re-sign the fan-favorite, but his asking price was too high, especially considering Pittsburgh likes to employ a three-man rotation on the right side.

Starting in that rotation this season will be ex-special teams ace Brett Keisel (18 tackles, 3 sacks). Backing him up is Travis Kirschke (12 tackles, 1 sack), who is a tenth-year veteran. Rodney Bailey (7 tackles with the Seahawks) took the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach and left Seattle to come to Pittsburgh. Also, fourth-round pick Orien Harris (Miami (FL)) is a potentially dominant force who can play all three positions up front. He'll likely work behind the veteran ends early on and only see time inside if Hampton or backup nose tackle Chris Hoke (6 tackles) gets hurt.

LB: The renowned blitz innovator Dick LeBeau has helped establish a 3-4 defense that has been as stable as the Steeler franchise it has come to define. Everything with this 3-4 begins and ends with the linebacker position. Last season, Pittsburgh tied for third in fewest points allowed and also gave up the fewest yards per rushing attempt in the NFL (3.4). But most impressive was what they did in the postseason. They held a high-powered Bengals offense in check (17 points), went on the road and dominated the circus-act Colts for 55 minutes (they got away from the aggressive attack mode late and nearly gave the game away), and in the Super Bowl they faced the league's top scoring offense in Seattle and held them to a season-low ten points.

Linebackers have always been better players when they wear a Steeler uniform. Kevin Greene was great as a Panther, but his heyday was in the black and gold. Greg Lloyd disappeared as a Panther but was one of the most feared players in football when he was a Steeler. Levon Kirkland was a non-factor with Seattle and Philadelphia, but the near 300-pounder was a phenomenal force in Three- Rivers. Or what about the franchise's all-time leader in sacks, Jason Gildon? He went to Jacksonville and Buffalo after he left town but could barely hold a roster spot. Right around the time he turned 33, he was out of the league.

That's one thing about the Steeler linebackers - they don't last forever. They come to Pittsburgh, play great until they're 30, then vanish.

However, 29-year-old Joey Porter (57 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 INT) may be the one to buck this trend - or at least not fall victim to it. Porter is coming off his third Pro Bowl season, after leading this team in sacks and forcing four fumbles. Yes Porter's aggressive style of play crosses the line sometimes and, yes, quite frankly, he is often a real jerk. But jerks are never jerks to their own team, which is why the Steeler players absolutely love the 250-pound linebacker. He is the heart, soul, and energy source for this entire defense. Of course, the Steelers need Porter to be healthy, which has not been the case as he has nursed a bum knee throughout most of training camp. Porter plays the right outside role, next to Larry Foote (101 tackles, 3 sacks), who works on the inside, and has arguably become the team's most steady run-stopper.

James Farrior (121 tackles, 2 sacks) is a speedy tackling machine with an uncanny nose for the football. He lines up alongside Clark Haggans (61 tackles, 9 sacks, 4 forced fumbles), who is not as flashy as his middle mates but very effective as an edge-rusher. Haggans is coming off a career-high nine sacks.

The depth in the middle is suspect. In fact, it's essentially limited to James Harrison (31 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT), a man who didn't make it in Baltimore, quit NFL Europe, and was ready to get a real job a few years ago, before receiving a last-second invitation to Steeler training camp in 2002. He's glad he RSVP'd. This past offseason, Harrison signed a four-year, $5.5 million contract, with a $1.375 signing bonus (not a bad way to eliminate one's unemployment).

DB: Many feel that strong safety Troy Polamalu (92 tackles, 2 INT, 3 sacks) is the best defensive player in football right now. We've all seen what the long-haired, free-lancing, two-time Pro Bowl superstar out of USC can do. But what we don't give the soft-spoken yet fiery fourth-year pro enough credit for is his remarkable football IQ. How many 24-year-olds can be the dynamic focal point on a championship defense like he was in 2005? Polamalu (who turned 25 in April) is simply unstoppable.

Coaches weren't fond of free safety Chris Hope and convinced director of football operations Kevin Colbert and the front office to let him go in free agency. They brought in Ryan Clark (42 tackles, 3 INT with the Redskins) to compete with veteran Tyrone Carter (11 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack), and Clark has the edge, if for no other reason than better size (5-11, 205) than Carter's (5'8", 190). Neither player is considered the permanent solution here; Pittsburgh drafted Syracuse safety Anthony Smith (Syracuse) in the third round this year.

Cornerback Ike Taylor (84 tackles, 1 INT, 20 passes defensed) was hoping for a substantial long-term contract in the offseason but had absolutely no takers (perhaps his agent's asking price of a double-digit signing bonus was just a tad too high for a fourth-year player with two career interceptions). Taylor - who is a good cover corner - signed a one-year tender with the team and will give free agency a try next season. Last season, he tied for fourth in the NFL with 20 passes defensed. Deshea Townsend (55 tackles, 2 INT, 3 sacks) has been competing in camp with last year's second-round pick Bryant McFadden (17 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack) for the No. 2 job. Townsend has long been considered the team's best pure cover artist, though he is not much of a playmaker. Ricardo Colclough (15 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack) has not become the playmaker at nickel as expected, but he offers good depth as a dime back.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Jeff Reed (24-29 FG) has learned how to kick in Heinz Field, which is a huge plus. He was 0-for-2 from over 50 yards last season, but has a strong leg and works well under pressure. Punter Chris Gardocki (41.8 avg) has had 1,112 punts leave his foot without being blocked, which nearly doubles the next longest streak in league history.

With Randle El gone, the Steelers used a third-round pick on return specialist Willie Reid (Florida State). Such a huge investment for a player with a limited role tells you how much the Steelers value their special teams. Reid has also shown flashes as a receiver during training camp.

PROGNOSIS: The Steelers are the favorite by default in the AFC North. They return essentially the same lineup from a year ago, though without The Bus around, it's hard to say they return the same team. More pressure will fall on Roethlisberger this season, simply because the ground game will not be quite the same without Bettis and due to the fact that the 24-year-old has become the icon of this franchise. The division has gotten better near the bottom, where Steve McNair has given the Ravens some presumed potency on offense and Romeo Crennel has his Cleveland team in the second year of his program. The Steelers were not the AFC North champions last season (that crown went to Cincinnati) though with Carson Palmer recovering from that devastating knee injury, the Bengals do not appear to be as large of threat to this team as they were a year ago. Don't expect Pittsburgh to cruise to a repeat title. As of right now they are among the elite class in the AFC. But that is a somewhat crowded class.

Andy Benoit is the author of the book Touchdown 2006: Everything You Need to Know About the NFL this Year. For more information, visit www.touchdown2006.com

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