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2006 Steelers preview

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THE BOTTOM LINE

The defending champs just need to get to the regular season. They have all the pieces in place to make another run, returning 19 starters from a year ago. And the Steelers, as always, have depth. It's just that it hasn't been an easy offseason, what with Ben Roethlisberger's life-threating motorcycle accident, rookie Santonio Holmes' off-field issues, questions about Bill Cowher's future, and now Hines Ward's hamstring injury.

The good news is Roethlisbger had a fantastic camp, and Willie Parker is running with a chip on his shoulder, like a man intent of not being a one-hit wonder. He'll have to carry more of the rushing load, especially in short-yardage and goal-line situations, with Jerome Bettis now retired to television.

As usual, the defense is stout and the Steelers have enough quality backups to survive injury to just about anyone except Troy Polamalu. Without question the Steelers, 31-7 the past two years (including playoffs) have the talent. The issue is can they consistently play well and avoid the kind of hole they had to dig themselves out of last year.

SCOUTS TAKE

The Super Bowl champs are a very solid team from top to bottom and will be in the hunt once again in 2006. With Ben Roethlisberger steering the ship, anything is possible. He has quickly established himself as a true star in the league and has a magic that cannot be taught. Few teams in the league can approach the stability and identity of this organization.

The Steelers do what the Steelers do and that is play extremely hard for 60 minutes, usually win the physical battle, play sound defense and wear teams down. This will continue this season, and even though their opponents know what is coming, few teams can dictate the pace of a game to the Steelers. When analyzing the Steelers by position, there are not many areas of concern, but now the Steelers are the hunted and face a brutal schedule. Repeating will not be easy.

Prediction: First in AFC North.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Heath Miller is a vastly underrated tight end. Miller just missed the catch cutoff point to be listed as a qualifier in Scientific Football 2006, but had he caught merely one more pass, his SYPA (success percentage times yards per attempt) rating would have been the best in the NFL among tight ends.

That Miller is an excellent pass catcher did not come as much of a surprise, but his run-blocking metrics were quite surprising. Miller had a top-10 run-blocking success percentage and ranked fourth in yards per rushing attempt gained on his blocks. To put this another way, Jerame Tuman is seen as the Steelers' run-blocking specialist but Miller had better metrics and nearly twice as many point-of-attack blocks. If Miller duplicates his run-blocking effort and adds 10 more catches, he will be a Pro Bowler waiting to happen.


From ESPN The Magazine
The Big Number
27.5 Why is Pitt's 3-4 defense effective? Because it still leaves QBs guessing where the pass rush is coming from. Hint: Watch the 'backers. Of the team's 47 sacks last season, 10.5 came from the D-line, 22.5 from OLBs and five from ILBs.

STRENGTH

The Steelers reign over the interior line of scrimmage. On offense, LG Alan Faneca (left) is the leader of a mighty crew. He's a powerful run-blocker who drives defenders off the ball as well as a quality pass-blocker who rarely gives ground to bull-rushers. On defense, NT Casey Hampton sets the ferocious tone. He's strong enough to hold his ground against double-teams and quick enough to make the occasional play in the backfield.

WEAKNESS
Don't underestimate the loss of FS Chris Hope. His range in deep-middle coverage let the Steelers be more aggressive with Troy Polamalu, who does some of his best work when cheating near the line as an extra LB. While replacement Ryan Clark is solid in run support, he lacks Hope's speed and athleticism. As a result, when QBs spy Polamalu creeping up, they'll target Clark vertically.

PROSPECTS
Franchise QB. Proven coach. Great D. What could possibly go wrong? Well, you might have heard the defending champs had
a slightly rocky offseason: Joey Porter griped about his paycheck, while Antwaan Randle El bolted for a bigger one. Randle El's heir apparent, Santonio Holmes, got arrested twice before camp. And Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident -- and busted face -- makes Max Starks' frontside protection a prime Telestrator topic. Still, Porter and Polamalu anchor the AFC's top D, the bullish Verron Haynes complements Willie Parker and Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward is geared up for an encore. So are the fans, who gave a standing O to Clark Haggans on the first day of camp -- as he emerged from a Porta John. Nothing wrong with that.

Team Preview Centers

Key Stretch: Weeks 5-8
Oct 8: at San Diego
Oct. 15: Kansas City
Oct. 22: at Atlanta
Oct 29: at Oakland
Comings & Goings
Key Acquisitions:
S Ryan Clark.

Key Departures:
WR Antwaan Randle El; RB Jerome Bettis.

Offensive Starters (as of 8/30)
RB Willie Parker
FB Dan Kreider
QB Ben Roethlisberger
WR Cedrick Wilson
RT Max Starks
RG Kendall Simmons
C Jeff Hartings
LG Alan Faneca
LT Marvel Smith
TE Heath Miller
WR Hines Ward
Defensive Starters (as of 8/30)
LDE Aaron Smith
NT Casey Hampton
RDE Brett Keisel
LOLB Clark Haggans
LILB James Farrior
RILB Larry Foote
ROLB Joey Porter
LCB Ike Taylor
FS Ryan Clark
SS Troy Polamalu
RCB DeShea Townsend

• Complete roster

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