2007 Pittsburgh Steelers

I originally had planned on not getting too specific with my favorite team. However, I will be keeping the closest eye on this team. Therefore, I will be doing weekly capsules of the 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers. To get things started, here is an overview.
Last Year Summary:
A year after winning the Super Bowl after the 2005 season, seemingly nothing went right for the Steelers in 2006. Starting, with the most famous motorcycle crash of all time in the pre-season (did you know that Ben wasn’t wearing a helmet?) and continuing on throughout the season. Besides Ben’s noggin busting up the windshield of an elderly ladies Chrysler, there was Ben’s appendicitis, Hines Ward’s hamstring and the cloud of indecision over Bill Cowher’s future with the team.

Ultimately, it seemed to be a year in which Cowher more or less phoned in the season. Cowher seemed much less driven and quite content after the Super Bowl victory and this feeling of arrival seemed to portray itself on the team. Perhaps the Steelers were complacent at the first of the season as they started a frustrating 2-6, including a bone-headed loss to the Oakland Raiders. They went 6-2 in the second half of the season, with their only losses coming to the division nemesis Baltimore Ravens – twice by a combined score of 7-58.

Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger never seemed comfortable in the pocket. The pass protection didn’t seem to ever hold up quite long enough for routes to develop and as the game wore on, Ben seemed to take more chances. Interceptions resulted which only led to more interceptions. In fact Ben threw 7 interceptions last season before throwing a touchdown pass. Yet on the other hand, he pulls out a statistically perfect game in week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs (16 of 19 for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns - rating 153.8). Two weeks later, he single handedly looses to Oakland serving up a career high 4 picks in a 13 to 20 loss.

Key Losses:

There has not really been a lot of change on this team since the Superbowl. This remains a very talented team with a with a good mixture of veterans and young players. There were some notable losses however, including the following:

1. Bill Cowher

Along with Bill Cowher, the Steelers lost their offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. I have no idea if Tomlin will be better or worse than Cowher, but change is change. Coaching consistency is about the only thing that can be controlled by teams. For the most part, first year coaches struggle and this has to be counted as a loss.

1. Joey Porter

Add Joey Porter to the long list of Steelers linebackers that are jettisoned right beyond their prime. This one hurt as much in the locker room as on the field. While his sack numbers were down, there is no doubt that Joey can still play. It will be strange to see him in a different uniform and I wish him the best.

1. Jeff Hartings

This one may be the worst loss of all. Your team can’t loose a pro-bowl center and not be a bit worried. This unit struggled at times last year and the retirement of this dominating center is not a good way to improve things.

 

Key Additions:

1. Mike Tomlin

So far, Tomlin has been about as good could have been imagined. He has said all the right things and he has seemingly taking control of this team. He preaches physical, defensive football, but does not seem to be afraid of opening up the offense a bit a la Bruce Arians.

 

1. Lamar Woodley

Add Lamar Woodley to the long list of great Steelers linebackers (who will later be jettisoned once he has reached his prime). This is a very impressive college defensive end that will make an immediate impact on this team.

Team Strength:

Defense

I believe the defense will shake off the super bowl hangover of last year and return to championship form. The Steelers have always been a physical team and Tomlin seems to be driving that point home.

Balance

While the defense should be stout, the offense could start clicking on all cylinders. Willie Parker is an undrafted gem that has shown that he is a pro-bowl back. Add in the fact that the offense promises to open up a bit and the 2007 Steelers offense will be well balanced.

Team Weakness:

Special Teams

Special teams were an absolute disaster last year. After watching the first pre-season game, I am already worried about the special teams again. A healthy Willie Reid was supposed to be the answer to the return game, but he had an extremely shaky debut (although it was just pre-season) and I hope it is something that the Steelers continue to work on. As of late, it has been forgotten.

Offensive Line
As mentioned earlier, this is a unit that struggled last year and really needs to come together for the Steelers to be competitive this season. You can have the best backs and receivers in the world, but with an offensive line, there is only so much they can do (see Arizona Cardinals). Not only are the Steelers trying to replace a pro-bowl center, but they have a disgruntled Alan Faneca – vowing to not be a Steeler beyond this season — on their hands as well.

2007 Projected Team MVP:

Aaron Smith

I am going to go out on a limb and pick a guy that should get more recognition for what he does always. As much as the linebackers put up the gaudy numbers in a 3-4, the whole thing starts up front. In a 3-4 alignment, you are basically asking 3 guys to do the job of 4. Therefore, those 3 guys better be pretty damn good. You won’t hear many of the announcers say much about Aaron Smith, but keep your eye on #91 when watching the Steelers and it will be easy to see how much he means to the success of this team.

2007 Projected Record:

10-6 – Outside shot of making play-offs.

2007 Season Projection Summary:

In the NFC, the Steelers would make the play-offs easily, but in the AFC there is just too much competition at the top. They could easily finish 3^rd in their own division.

The 2007 Steelers promise to be a tough opponent. While their 2006 season was forgettable, they are still the same basic team that won the Super Bowl after the 2005 season. I don’t think that very many people would be surprised to see them win their division, but on the other hand, not a lot of people are expecting them to.

One thing is certain, if you are going to line up against these Steelers, you had better bring your lunch. This is still a tough physical team that will look to smack you in the mouth from the first snap.

Division Projections:

1. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have one more year of being on top. Not only will Pittsburgh and Cincinnati catch them, but this team is aging at very important positions.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have perhaps one of the most devastating offenses in the NFL. Now they just need to figure out how to keep their players out of jail and opposing offenses off the field.

 

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

It is a toss up between the Steelers and Bengals as to which team takes second in this division. At stake is a play-off berth, as it is hard to believe that two wild cards will be taken by the same division in the AFC.

 

1. Cleveland Browns

Has Brady Quinn signed yet? As much as I want to hate the Browns as much as I hate the other division rivals, I can’t help but pity them. This team has been cursed since version 2.0 and the curse seemingly continues.

You can read about my detailed division review at http://sports.gidblog.com/2007/08/01/2007-nfl-division-ranking-2-afc-north/