Willie Parker is still as lightning quick as ever. More importantly, he is a year more experienced. As Steelers fans watched last season, Willie transformed from being a guy running into the backs of his linemen into a running back who waited for his holes to develop before bursting through them for long gains. That said, Willie will never be the "three yards and a cloud of dust" type of running back to which Pittsburgh fans have become accustomed. Yet, at the same time, the Steelers have never had a running back who can take it 100 yards on any given play. In other words, what Willie lacks in consistency, he more than makes up for it with explosiveness.
On the topic of explosiveness, Willie Reid and Santonio Holmes are play-makers. While they are not likely to see the field much, I am sure that they will make one or two plays here and there (on third downs and punt returns) that will generate one or two extra wins this year. Also, while neither player is likely to start this year, they have improved the passing game by lighting a fire under Cedrick Wilson. I have to eat a little crow, because I was touting the ineptitude of Mr. Wilson. True, up until now, he duly earned that criticism, but he has proven to me that he can make up for the loss of Antwaan Randle El...and then some. If the pre-season is any indicator, the passing game will flourish this year.
Speaking of flourishing, Heath Miller will be entering his second year. As a rookie, he had a better season than Jeremy Shockey, Alge Crumpler, and Todd Heap had as rookies combined. Considering those three tight ends are three of the best in football, I expect the type of jump in production from Heath that Troy Polamalu showed between his rookie and sophomore years.
Since we are talking about Troy, the defense took a hit when they lost Chris Hope. He was fast and smart, which allowed Troy Polamalu to freelance. Ryan Clark will fill in, but he is too slow. Tyrone Carter is too small. And, Anthony Smith is too young. Hence, for the first part of the year, I expect the defense to have some problems. But, as soon as Anthony Smith "knows" enough to take over at free-safety, the defense will be up to the standard that Steelers fans have come to expect: stellar. For those of you who doubt that a rookie can make the play calls for this defense, Darren Perry did it...and he did not have half the physical talent that Smith possesses. Again, look for the defense to become formidable once Smith enters the line-up.
I almost forgot: Ike Taylor remains the most underrated player in football. To make a long story short, I expect Taylor to be a candidate for the defensive player of the year. Yes, I think he is that good.
In summation, while the Steelers have had some key losses, they have young and talented replacements for each and every one of those losses. Furthermore, the Steelers still have the best player on defense in the NFL (Polamalu), the fastest running back (Parker), the most complete wide-out (Hines Ward), an up-and-coming tight end (Miller), and a quarterback who simply finds ways to win (Roethlisberger). Finally, and most importantly, the Steelers are entering the season with the same sort of bunker mentality with which they ended the season. Furthermore, once they make the play-offs, that mentality will be heightened in a attempt to debunk all of the criticisms about Pittsburgh's last championship. In other words, start printing the T-shirts saying "One for the OTHER thumb."
