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QUARTERBACKS - Ben Roethlisberger has essentially become the face of the next generation of NFL QB's & is a stunning 27-4 in his starts including playoffs. In all fairness though he stepped into a fantastic situation with a veteran team surrounding him with a strong running game & an aggressive defense that simply needed him to avoid putting them in bad situations. Roethlisberger has surprising mobility for his size (6-5 241) & his big size makes him difficult to take down & he was only sacked 23 times in 2005. In 2004 he averaged 187 ypg (66%) with a 17-11 ratio & improved on that slightly in 2005 with an 199 ypg (62.7%) with a 17-9 ratio. He finished the year 3rd for QB rating, 1st in yds per completion (8.9) & kept defenses off balance by throwing the deep ball to take pressure off the running game. He did miss 4 games due to both knees being injured & has been hampered by a sore thumb on his throwing hand since late 2004. In the NFL a QB takes a major leap in development in his 3rd year & the Steelers plan to open the playbook more to take advantage of Roethlisberger's abilities. The backup situation is in good shape as the team released disappointing Tommy Maddox & will go to Charlie Batch as the #2 QB. Batch was clearly rusty after only attempting 8 passes since he left Detroit but did produce some moments & showed good leadership. Omar Jacobs is the #3 QB from Bowling Green & he will need a lot of time to develop into a career backup QB. This position is in good shape if Roethlisberger continues to develop as expected & Batch can fill in for a few games if needed.

RUNNING BACKS - In 2004 the Steelers rushed the ball an impressive 618 times leading the NFL & making the defense even better by dominating the time of possession. LY the Steelers pulled a bit of a surprise & started relatively unknown Willie Parker who despite a mid-season slump ran for 1202 yds (4.7) on the season. Small with 4.32 speed Parker had five 100 yd games but only scored in 5 games. Parker struggles vs teams with speedy LB's that can seal off the edge (ie: NE, SD, JAX & IND) but also has the ability to run between the tackles & make big plays (ie: 75 yd run in Super Bowl). The retirement of Jerome Bettis leaves a void in the power running aspect here which the team will look to Duce Staley to fill. Staley fell out of contention for playing time LY when he had his knee scoped in training camp but will be given the chance to be the short yardage & goal line RB now. Verron Haynes is the #3 RB here who also doubles as a backup FB & if something happens to Staley he will get the short yardage job. Cedric Humes will be relegated to special teams for 2006 & Dan Kreider is one of the more consistent blocking FB's in the NFL who rarely touches the ball. The Steelers will still be able to move the ball effectively due to their formidable OL but the loss of Bettis leaves a huge leadership & experience hole taking this unit a small step down in 2006.

RECEIVERS - Hines Ward had posted 4 straight years of 1000 yds receiving prior to 2005 but in that span his yardage totals had been steadily decreasing & LY it dropped to 975 yds (14.1). While most of this is due to the teams' reliance on the run game & having a young QB at the helm he still managed to pull in an impressive 11 TD's on the season & finished as the Super Bowl MVP. Ward turns 30 this season & while he remains one of the best blocking WR's in the game it'll be interesting to see how he fares a 2nd season without an established WR on the opposite side of him. Cedrick Wilson had a lackluster 2005 (26 rec 17.3 ypc) as he learned the offense but was a key player during the team's playoff run (8 rec 24.5 ypc). The Steelers gave up quite a bit to move up 7 spots to draft Santonio Holmes who may only be the #3 WR for them in 2006. Quincy Morgan has starting size (6-1 215) & speed (4.49) & could be a surprise for the team in his 2nd season in the system. Heath Miller is the starting TE & pulled in 6 TD's in his first 7 games before opposing defenses clamped down on him & it wouldn't be a surprise to see him with 55 rec's in 2006. Jerame Tuman is a blocking TE that rarely gets the ball tossed his way. Ward is clearly a vital part of the Steelers offense but the depth behind him isn't especially comforting as Holmes is inexperienced & Wilson is inconsistent but the TE spot is in great shape with Miller.

OFFENSIVE LINE - The Steelers have had good continuity recently with all 5 OL starting all 16 games in 2004 & 4 of 5 started all 16 in 2005 with one (Marvel Smith) starting 12 games due to an injury. The Steelers OL is one of the better run blocking units in the NFL & have avg'd 4.0 ypc in each of the past 2 years. They allowed 32 sacks LY which was 13th in the NFL & all 5 starters return for the 3rd straight season. LG Alan Faneca is one of the best LG's in the NFL as he is able to dominate in space & maul defenders in the run game. Center Jeff Hartings is off back to back Pro Bowls but is nearing the end of his career & is playing on poor knees & it is only a matter of time before Chukky Okobi earns the starting spot. The RG spot may see a change as Kendall Simmons isn't as dominating as he could be due to injuries & a diabetic condition. OL coach Russ Grimm will use training camp to determine if Chris Kemoeatu is a better option at the position due to his raw power. The LT spot is manned by Smith who missed 4 games due to a sprained ankle LY. Smith is regarded as one of the better LT's in the NFL & Max Starks is an improving RT with quite a bit of upside. There is very good depth here with Trai Essex, Willie Colon & Barrett Brooks & this is clearly a top 5 OL entering 2006.

DEFENSIVE LINE - In 2004, Dick LeBeau returned to the Steelers & infused the defense with a renewed sense of purpose. The team finished 1st in rush defense allowing 81 ypg (3.6 ypc) as they allowed only 5 games with 100 yds rushing. The unit had 32 takeaways & 41 sacks & allowed an NFL best 15.7 ppg. In 2005 they allowed another 5 games with 100+ yds rushing with an overall avg of 85 ypg (3.4 ypc) while pulling in 47 sacks & earned 30 takeaways. The 3-4 is anchored by NT Casey Hampton (42 tkls 0 sacks) who is one of the best at his position & the pivot point in the defense. Aaron Smith is the pass rusher on the line as he had 8 sacks in 2004 but teams took to double teaming him in 2005 & he finished with 40 tackles & 2 sacks. The Steelers let Kimo von Oelhoffen (36 tkls 3.5 sacks) go in FA & moved Brett Keisel (18 tkls 3 sacks) to the other DE spot. Keisel is a better pass rusher than Oelhoffen, but not as strong vs the run which may be an issue later in the season. Rodney Bailey, Chris Hoke & Travis Kirschke are all role players with plenty of experience in the system & this a good group for 2006.

LINEBACKERS - The LB's are what makes the Steelers defense & Joey Porter is the big name in this LB unit. He led all NFL LB's with 10.5 sacks in 2005 (57 tkls) & is the leader of the unit. James Farrior had another good season with 121 tackles, 2 sacks & 4.5 tfl but teams went away from him in the passing game after 4 int in 2004. Clark Haggans (61 tkls 9 sacks) is more of a pass rush specialist here but can hold his own vs the run & can tie up the OL. Larry Foote had a decent season with 101 tackles & 3 sacks but tends to get targeted in the run game & needs to be shielded by the DL. The Steelers haven't drafted any developmental LB's for the future but Mike Kudla is an interesting run stopping prospect that went undrafted out of Ohio St. The rest of the LB's are key components of the special teams & this is one of the elite LB units in the NFL due to the starters being an ideal fit for defense.

DEFENSIVE BACKS - In 2004, the secondary held 11 different foes to less than 200 yds passing with an avg of 177 ypg (56%) with a 14-19 ratio. In 2005 the numbers ended up being slightly higher due to 2 games vs Carson Palmer & a poor game vs the Colts on MNF. They allowed a single 300 yd game to NE & finished the year 16th in pass defense with 198 ypg (57%) & 15-15 ratio. The premier prospect in the secondary is Troy Polamalu who had 92 tkls, 3 sacks & 2 int LY & his ability to move like a CB & hit like a LB will keep him as a major part of LeBeau's Blitzburgh packages. Ike Taylor overcame some early mistakes but finished with 84 tackles & 20 pbu (1 int) while Deshea Townsend (55 tkls 2 int) will have to spend the summer fending off Ricardo Colclough (15 tkls 1 int) & Bryant McFadden (17 tkls 1 int) for the other starters spot. The team brought in Ryan Clark (57 tkls 3 int) from Washington to replace Chris Hope & it's not known how well he'll fit into the system. This is another well rounded unit but they are a little light on experience in the depth area & this is an avg unit entering the year with good upside.

SPECIAL TEAMS - The Steelers have been about avg in our special teams rankings the past 2 seasons finishing 14th in 2004 & 19th in 2005. They do have a major void to fill with Antwaan Randle El departing with his 10.2 avg on PR's. The Steelers will give Willie Reid & his 4.34 speed every chance to win the job in training camp. Jeff Reed has done a very good job of being able to kick in the hazardous conditions at Heinz Field & hit 24 of 29 on the season (83%) but only 6 of 11 from 40+ yds. Chris Gardocki had an avg season with a 34.7 net avg & 22 punts landing inside the 20 but is very consistent & has never had a punt blocked in his 15 years. The KR units will be handled by Ricardo Colclough & Quincy Morgan who may earn more time on offense this year. The loss of Randle El is a big blow & the Steelers really haven't had good coverage units for some time & this is the weakest link on the team.

COACHING - Bill Cowher finally got the monkey off his back in regards to taking his team all the way to the Super Bowl & enters his 15th year with the team. Cowher was lucky enough to retain his entire coaching staff for the 3rd straight year despite several being interviewed for head coaching positions elsewhere. This team could be more dangerous than last years version as Roethlisberger will enter his 3rd season which is when QB's tend to fully show their capabilities. OC Ken Whisenhunt has remarked that the team will do a little more passing this season but not enough to disrupt the balance on the team. Dick LeBeau's 3-4 zone blitzing defense is loaded with talented veterans that know the scheme almost as well as he does. The schedule is harder in 2006 & with the coaching staff staying the same teams will be able to pick up on tendencies more but the Steelers are clearly the division favorite.