HEAD COACH: Mike Tomlin
Key Additions: TE Leonard Pope
Key Losses: LB James Farrior; CB William Gay; OL Chris Kemoeatu; OL Jamon Meredith; WR Hines Ward; DL Aaron Smith
Offense: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is back after putting up some impressive numbers in 2011, including 4,077 yards passing with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Veterans Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich are the backups.
The running game will look to Isaac Redman once again while Rashard Mendenhall comes back from a serious knee injury he suffered late last season.
Redman ran for 479 yards with a 4.4 ypc average and three touchdowns while Mendenhall had 928 yards rushing with nine touchdowns. Jonathan Dwyer is also available in the running game. David Johnson is the fullback.
The Steelers would like to see wide receiver Mike Wallace end his holdout and get into practice before the regular season opener in two weeks. Wallace is a big play threat who led Pittsburgh last season with 72 receptions for 1,198 yards (16.6 ypc average) and eight touchdowns.
Along with Wallace is a book end big play receiver in Antonio Brown, who made 69 catches for 1,108 yards (a 16.1 ypc average) and two touchdowns. Jerricho Cotchery caught 16 passes and scored twice last year while Emmanuel Sanders had 22 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Tight End Heath Miller had another steady season, grabbing 51 passes for 631 yards and two scores. The Steelers signed free agent Leonard Pope, who had 24 catches for 247 yards and one touchdown with Kansas City, to back up Miller at tight end.
The line has Maurkice Pouncey at center along with guards Doug Legursky and rookie David DeCastro. The tackles will be Willie Colon and Marcus Gilbert. In reserve is Chris Scott, Mike Adams, Ramon Foster, Jonathan Scott and Kelvin Beachum.
The Steelers were 12th in the NFL offensively a year ago, gaining 372 yards per game. The passing game averaged 253 yards a game, which was tenth overall. The running game was 14th with an average of 119 yards per game.
Defense: The Steelers' defense led the NFL in scoring defense in 2011, allowing 227 points during the regular season. While giving up only 14 points a game, the Steelers were also the league's best overall defense, allowing just 272 yards per game.
The pass defense was also number one in the NFL, giving up 172 yards a game and the run defense (8th in NFL) gave up 100 yards per game.
Using the 3-4 defense, the Steelers will look to Casey Hampton at nose tackle along with defensive ends Ziggy Hood and Brett Keisel.
Gone is veteran starter Aaron Smith, who retired in the off season, leaving the team with reserves Cameron Heyward, Steve McLendon, Corbin Bryant and rookie Alameda Ta'amu up front.
The linebackers are getting a little older, but still are some of the best in the business as LaMarr Woodley (nine QB sacks) and James Harrison (nine sacks) man the outside spots. The inside linebackers are Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons.
Foot is replacing longtime starter James Farrior, who was released during the off-season.
Jason Worilds, Stevenson Sylvester, Chris Carter, Mortty Ivy and rookie Sean Spence will spell the starters.
The secondary has Troy Polamalu at safety along with Ryan Clark. The corners are Ike Taylor and Keenan Lewis. Backing up will be Will Allen, Cortez Allen, Damon Cromartie-Smith, Curtis Brown and Ryan Mundy.
OUTLOOK: The last time we saw the Steelers, they were being stunned by Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in overtime in the Wild Card round of the playoffs last January.
That loss left a bad taste in the team's collective mouths and Head Coach Mike Tomlin will not tolerate his team losing that way with all the veteran presence on the roster.
The Steelers look to be solid enough to bounce right back and get to their third Super Bowl in five years this season, so don't look for them to linger in last season's disappointment as the 2012 season begins.
They play a strong schedule this year, and it will not be easy for them in the AFC playoff race either. The Ravens and Bengals are teams battling them in the AFC North for the division crown and they will have to cut down on the mistakes of a year ago (minus-13 on the turnover charts) if they want to go further in the post-season. The defense forced just 15 turnovers (four fumbles and eleven interceptions) last year and that has to improve.
Mendenhall getting back to full strength at running back would be huge and with Roethlisberger and the trio of speedy wide receivers doing their thing, the offense should be a strong suit, looking to improve on last season's scoring average of just over 21 points per game.
As long as the Steelers continue to play the kind of defense they normally do, they are going to be contenders in the AFC. That shouldn't change in 2012 as the team looks to get back to the playoffs once again.
Figure on a 11-5 finish this year and a possible run to the Super Bowl once again. This team has shown the ability to bounce back after a letdown season and should be right there once January rolls around. Another Super Bowl title is a possibility.
TEAM SCHEDULE:
Week 1- at Denver
Week 2- vs. NY Jets
Week 3- at Oakland
Week 4- BYE
Week 5- vs. Philadelphia
Week 6- at Tennessee
Week 7- at Cincinnati
Week 8- vs. Washington
Week 9- at NY Giants
Week 10- vs. Kansas City
Week 11- vs. Baltimore
Week 12- at Cleveland
Week 13- at Baltimore
Week 14- vs. San Diego
Week 15- at Dallas
Week 16- vs. Cincinnati
Week 17- vs. Cleveland
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