| 2009 Yearbook: Pittsburgh Steelers | ||||
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The defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers enter the 2009 season with high hopes of repeating as Champions. Returning are 20 of the possible 22 starters, and many people believe that the replacements are every bit as good, if not better, than the players that departed. Mike Tomlin enters his third season as the Head Coach, and already has a Super Bowl and two AFC North Championships under his belt. He somehow managed to keep his entire coaching staff in place, most notably the legendary creator of the Zone-Blitz, Dick LeBeau. The biggest question regarding the coaching staff concerned offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians as many are blaming him and his predictable play calling for last season’s sluggish offense. If the Steelers are to improve on their 22nd ranked offense, they are going to have to run the ball better, and the offensive line is going to have to do a better job protecting Ben Roethlisberger. OFFENSE Quarterbacks: There is no question that the starter for the Steelers will be the $100 million dollar man, Ben Roethlisberger. After winning his second Super Bowl, the signal caller is once again involved in offseason turmoil. A civil law suit has been filed against Roethlisberger for an alleged sexual assault which too place in July, 2008. This is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed by the team, but with no criminal charges filed, I do not expect the league to step in with any type of suspension. Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon will compete for the back up role, with the talented Dixon possibly moving ahead of Batch on the depth chart. Dixon has an amazing skill set that he showed while at the University of Oregon and with a year of experience under his belt, he is ready to compete. Look for Dixon to get some game time this year, hopefully not due to injury, but in certain situations where his athletic ability can be utilized. Running Backs: Pittsburgh’s running game ranked 23rd in the NFL last year, and that is not something the Steelers are used to. After spending their 2008 first-round pick on Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers expected to improve on the ground. After Mendenhall was lost for the year in the week four match-up with the Ravens, Willie Parker was expected to again lead the team, only to miss five games of his own with knee and shoulder injuries. The battle for the starter’s role will be the most compelling to watch in Latrobe this offseason. The Steelers’ short yardage problems have been addressed with the drafting of Frank "The Tank" Summers. Summers looks like a smaller version of "The Bus", Jerome Bettis. With a decent amount of speed, and somewhat nimble feet, Summers could be the answer to one of the offensive troubles the Steelers had in 2008. Wide Receivers: The Steelers are the only team in the NFL that boasts two Super Bowl MVP's at the wide receiver position. Hines Ward is one of the toughest receivers to ever play the game. He has amazing hands and is always eager to crush a defender with a blind side block. Santonio Holmes is beginning to become the go-to guy for Ben Roethlisberger. Holmes has good hands and terrific speed. With the departure of Nate Washington to the Tennessee Titans, Limas Sweed, the Steelers second-round selection in the 2008 draft, must now step up and become the third weapon. He failed to impress in his rookie season, dropping several passes in key spots, most notably in the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens. Sweed did his best to make up for it, laying a crushing block on Corey Ivy at the end of the first half. It appears that Sweed is learning a lot from Hines Ward, which can only improve his chances of contributing.
Shaun McDonald missed the final four games of the 2008 season with the Detroit Lions due to injury. He was signed by the Steelers to compete with Limas Sweed for the third receiver position and even though Sweed should win that competition, look for McDonald to get some playing time when Pittsburgh uses a four wide out set…at least until Wallace can earn some playing time. Tight Ends: Heath Miller is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Steelers, and should be the top priority for the team to resign. Miller has great hands, decent speed, and excels in pass protection when he has to block. Though he gets little credit as such, Miller is one of the key components to the Steelers’ offense. Backing up Miller is third-year pro Matt Spaeth. At 6'7, 270 pounds, Spaeth is considerably larger than Miller. He’s also a better blocker than Miller, and has deceptive speed to go along with a decent set of hands. Whenever the Big Ten product is matched up against a corner, the advantage is there for the Steelers, especially in the red zone. Sean McHugh was signed at the beginning of the 2008 season from the Detroit Lions. He has taken a lot of playing time from Spaeth because of his ability to motion to the backfield and play fullback, a dying (but useful) position in today’s NFL. Offensive Line: This is considered by many to be the Steelers’ Achilles’ heel, the one spot which could stop them from returning to the Super Bowl. Marvell Smith left to join the San Francisco 49ers this offseason without any serious negotiations. Smith missed 15 games over the past two seasons, and the Steelers obviously did not feel he would be able to return to his pre-injury form. Kendall Simmons, drafted in the first round by the Steelers in 2003, was also released because of injury concerns. The Steelers did keep the players they wanted to keep, the core of the line that they believe, with a year of experience, will be considerably better. Max Starks was again tagged with the Franchise designation, only to sign a four year contract in June. With considerable size, Starks is the only member of the line that started in both Super Bowl XL and XLIII. The Jets again tried to take one of the Steelers’ starting guards in free agency (Alan Fanaca, 2007), making a contract offer to Chris Kemoeatu in the first days of free agency. Kemoeatu re-signed for less money to stay with the Steelers. Justin Hartwig returns for his second season with the Steelers, but is only signed through this season. As a result, the Steelers used their seventh-round pick in April’s draft to select A.Q. Shipley out of Penn State. Many scouts believed that Shipley would have been a first-day pick had he been two inches taller and had a longer wing span. The Steelers’ scouts believe that Shipley could be a Mike Webster-type of player, one whose heart and determination will lead him to become the Steelers’ next great center. Darnell Stapleton enters his second year with the team after signing as a free agent. Stapleton had a slow start last year, and became one of the biggest problems on the offensive line when Kendall Simmons was lost for the year. Stapleton came on in the second half of the year, but not enough to keep the Steelers from drafting Kraig Urbik in the third round of the draft. Urbik played at the University of Wisconsin, where running the ball is a priority. Urbik will be given the chance to beat out Stapleton for the starting right guard spot, which would open the competition at center for this year between Hartwig and Stapleton, who played center in college at Rutgers. The right tackle position seems to be the biggest weakness on the line entering the 2009 season. Willie Colon has been the starter there the past two seasons, beating Max Starks out for the job last year. However, he has not improved and will not be handed the job. Instead, he will have to compete with Trai Essex, who was brought back as a restricted free agent, just as Colon was. Both of these men are not only competing for a starting spot, but possibly a roster spot. DEPTH CHART
DEFENSE Nose Guard: Casey Hampton is entering the final year of his contract and with no one on the roster ready to take over his spot, he should be a priority for the Steelers to resign. The biggest question with the biggest man on the team is—will he come to camp ready to play or will he show up out of shape like last season? Last year, Hampton was put on the Physically Unable to Perform list because he was out of shape when he arrived at camp. If he shows up this year in shape, I expect contract negotiations to begin almost immediately. There is no one better in the NFL at clogging up the middle of an offensive line than Hampton. He has the size and strength to dictate at least a double team on every play. He allows the linebackers to not worry about the offensive guards so they can make the plays. Chris Hoke has done a great job in relief of Hampton, but doesn’t possess Hampton’s size or strength. Not many do. Hoke is better suited for passing downs. Defensive Ends: Aaron Smith is the best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL. It was notable in 2007—when Smith was lost to injury (bicep), the entire defense suffered. Smith is 33-years old, but did not see a lot of action in his first few seasons, as he was a back up for three years before becoming a starter.
The biggest downside to the Steelers defensive line is that age of the starters. True, all of the players that log the most time are 30 or older, but the youth infusion of Hood and Ra'Shon Harris brings future depth to the line. Outside Linebackers: Returning Defensive MVP James Harrison is back with his new six year, 51.75 million-dollar contract. This makes him the highest paid Steelers defender ever. At 31 years of age, Harrison has only been a starter in the NFL for two years. He spent the early part of his career playing on the Steelers’ and Ravens’ practice squads, and a year in the now defunct NFL Europe. Harrison still has at least four good years left, and plays with the intensity and fire of a much younger player. On the other side of the line is third year player LaMarr Woodley. Woodley seems to shine when the lights are brightest, recording two sacks in every playoff game (4) he has been a part of, becoming the only player in the history of the NFL to do so. Playing opposite of Harrison, Woodley has been overshadowed by many in the media, but the pair combined to set the Steelers’ record for most sacks in one season (27.5) by a linebacking duo. That is saying something, considering the history of this team. Inside Linebackers: The ageless James Farrior returns for his 13th season as the captain of the linebackers. He has led the team in tackles in five out of the last six seasons. He is one of the very few big-name free agent signings Pittsburgh has made since free agency started and has more than justified that move. Lawrence Timmons is entering his third year with the Steelers and is the reason the team was able to release former starter Larry Foote. One of the two new starters from last year, Timmons is younger, faster, and stronger than Foote was, and can cover the pass as well as defend the run. The biggest question mark with the Steelers linebackers is depth. Now that Foote is gone, many people believe that there is not a lot on the Steelers anymore. But the Steelers are known for taking players later in the draft and molding them into superstars. Keyaron Fox and Bruce Davis are prime examples of this. Though no one knows who these guys are now, you can be sure that within a couple of years they’ll be quite well-known. Cornerbacks: At 6'2" with blazing speed, Ike Taylor is normally assigned to the opposition’s best receiver. Last year in a seven-game stretch, Taylor was matched up against some of the best receivers in the league. In Weeks 7-14, Taylor went up against T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Plaxico Burress, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson, Houshmandzadeh again, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens. In those eight games, Taylor only allowed Wayne over 50 reception yards and held all seven receivers to a mere three touchdowns combined. With the loss of Bryant McFadden to the Arizona Cardinals, William Gay is going to be called upon to take over the corner spot opposite Taylor. Gay replaced McFadden for four games last season while the latter was injured, and played so well that when McFadden returned, he had to split time with Gay. Though he is not as fast as Taylor, Gay has been spending the offseason training with Taylor and Farrior at Disney’s Wide World of Sports training facility under the guidance of speed and conditioning coach, Tom Shaw. Deshea Townsend has been a faithful Steeler since being drafted in 1998. The rumor is that, because Townsend is slowing down, he may be switched to safety because of his tackling ability. The Steelers also drafted two corners in April’s draft. Keenan Lewis was taken in the third round, and has similar size to Ike Taylor. The Steelers are hoping to be able to use him as a nickel back this season, and are hoping by the time Ike Taylor starts to slow down Lewis will be able to take over for him. The Steelers also spent a fifth-round pick on the speedy Joe Burnett out of Central Florida. The Steelers expect Burnett to one day become the nickel back to cover the other speedy slot receivers. Until then, he will compete for special teams duties and be used as a return man on the kickoff and punt units. Safeties: The Steelers have one of the best safety to ever play the game in Troy Polamalu. Polamalu has size, speed, and the ability to be wherever the ball is. He can defend the pass, he can defend the run, he can blitz, cover…anything that is asked, Polamalu does and does well. Playing next to him, is Ryan Clark, the free agent acquisition from the Washington Redskins in 2006. Clark has made a name for himself as one of the hardest hitting free safeties in the league. Last year, in a game against the Patriots, Clark knocked Wes Welker out of the game with a devastating hit that drew a flag from every official on the field. The NFL later ruled that the hit was legal. In the AFC Championship game Clark struck again, with a punishing hit on Willis McGahee. McGahee said was the hardest he has ever been hit. With the two punishing safeties roaming the field, no opposing wide receiver should feel safe when venturing into the Steelers’ secondary. SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker: Jeff Reed is entering the last year of his contract, but is likely to be resigned. There are not many kickers that have success kicking in Heinz Field, but Reed is one of them. Reed converted 27 of 31 field goals (9 of 12 from 40+ yards) and 36 of 37 extra points. Punter: Daniel Sepulveda returns from a torn ACL to take over a position that the Steelers had trouble with last year. Not only is he the punter, but Sepulveda was on the "hands" team for onside kick returns. Sepulveda played linebacker in high school, and plays with that intensity after he punts. He’s been known to put his head down and make the tackle instead of grabbing someone and holding on for dear life, as most kicker-types do. PITTSBURGH STEELERS OFF-SEASON TRACKER Acquisitions WR Jayson Foster (cut, DEN) WR Shaun McDonald (FA, DET) CB Keiwan Ratliff (FA, IND) Drafted RB Frank Summers, UNLV WR Mike Wallace, Mississippi TE David Johnson, Arkansas State OG Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin OC AQ Shipley, Penn State DT Evander Hood, Missouri DT Ra’Shon Harris, Oregon CB Keenan Lewis, Oregon State CB Joe Burnett, Central Florida Undrafted Free Agents WR Steven Black, Memphis DT Jeff Bradley, Western Carolina LS Mark Estermeyer, Pittsburgh OT Ramon Foster, Tennessee WR Cedric Goodman, Georgia WR Tyler Grisham, Clemson LB Tom Korte, Hillside College QB Kevin McCabe, California (Pa.) DT Steve McLendon, Troy RB Isaac Redman, Bowie State QB Mike Reilly, Central Washington State DB Derrick Richardson, New Mexico State LB Andrew Schantz, Portland State Re-signed QB Charlie Batch TE Sean McHugh OT Willie Colon OT Trai Essex OG Chris Kemoeatu LB Keyaron Fox LB Andre Frazier LB Arnold Harrison CB Anthony Madison Departures QB Byron Leftwich (FA, TB) RB Verron Haynes (FA, ATL) RB Gary Russell (cut, OAK) WR Nate Washington (FA, TEN) OT Marvel Smith (FA, SF) OG Kendall Simmons (cut) LB Larry Foote (cut, DET) LB Mike Humpal (cut) CB Fernando Bryant (retired) CB Bryant McFadden (FA, ARZ) FS Anthony Smith (FA, GB) LS Jared Retkofsky (cut)
PROJECTION The 2009 Steelers have the same look as the 2008 version, which posted one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL while playing one of the hardest schedules in the last 20 years. The Steelers enter the 2009 season with one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. If the Steelers come out with the same intensity as they did last year and can avoid any major injuries, it looks like another Super Bowl run is in the cards. I project a 13-3 record this year, with a first-round playoff bye. I believe that the road to Super Bowl XLIV will go through Pittsburgh for the second straight season, and Pittsburgh will be playing for their seventh Lombardi Trophy. Photo Credit: SEC Media Sports, Mizzou Media Relations  Trackback(0)
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