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2008 Team Report: Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterbacks

Starter: Ben Roethlisberger
Backup(s): Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon [R]

Starting QB: Ben Roethlisberger had a breakout year in 2007 when it came to throwing TD passes. His 3,154 yards passing wasn't much different than previous years, but his 32 TD tosses were 15 more than his average through his first three years in the league. Roethlisberger's breakout year also marked the most TD passes thrown in a season by a Steelers QB and their storied history. Was 2007 a fluke season for Roethlisberger or was it the beginning of a trend originating thanks to a new head coach in Mike Tomlin, a new offensive coordinator in Bruce Arians and an emerging WR in Santonio Holmes? While 2007 could have been an anomaly for Roethlisberger, there is reason to believe that 2008 may bring more of the same production and perhaps even an increase. The 2007 season marked a change for the Steelers offense that benefits Roethlisberger. What used to be a strong, smash-mouth style of offense has evolved into an attacking spread formation style that favors Roethlisberger and increases his numbers. Roethlisberger has improved on his fantasy ranking every year he has been in the league. If you believe in trends, Roethlisberger is on pace to finish in the top five in fantasy points for QBs in 2008.

Backup QB: Charlie Batch is one of the better veteran backups in the league, and has proven capable of winning games when called upon. Unfortunately he broke his collarbone in the Steelers first preseason game and was placed on IR. The team signed Byron Leftwich in his stead and Byron has been a quick student of the Steelers offense. College standout Dennis Dixon is also in the QB mix. Dixon is recovering from a late-season knee injury and is expected to eventually replace Batch/Leftwich as Ben Roethlisberger's backup.

Running Backs

Starter: Willie Parker
Backup(s): Rashard Mendenhall [R], Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell
Fullback(s): Cary Davis

Starting RB: Willie Parker trailed only LaDainian Tomlinson for the league-lead in rushing yards entering Week 16 last season, only to suffer a broken right fibula on the first carry of the game ending his season. Parker is expected to fully recovered from his broken leg, but the Steelers didn't take any chances and selected Rashard Mendenhall with their first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Parker's foundation is his breakaway speed and one-cut running style that fits the Steelers rushing offense well. Parker, who only had two TDs last season, will have strong competition for goal-line carries. One thing is for sure, the Steelers will have a very potent running game -- provided that they adequately fill the hole left by seven-time Pro Bowler LG Alan Faneca, who signed with the Jets this offseason.

Backup RBs: Rookie Rashard Mendenhall appears to have the total package, as long as he can stop fumbling (a problem in preseason action). He has loose hips, can cut on the run and appears to have better-than-average tackle-breaking skills. Mendenhall's size, bruising style and short yardage prowess makes him a viable goal line back, saving starter Willie Parker for between the 20s. Behind Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall is shifty Mewelde Moore. The majority of his game-time should come on obvious pass plays designed to fool the defense. Moore embraced the scat-back role with Minnesota and should provide more of the same for Pittsburgh. Moore is an outstanding pass-catching back who will likely see at least 30 receptions in the Steelers offense in 2008.

Fullback: Carey Davis will enter his second year in the league handling the fullback duties for Pittsburgh with blocking being his main contribution. Davis had 68 yards rushing on 17 carries (4.0 YPC) in 2007. He also added 12 receptions for 49 yards but did not score a TD.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes
Backups: Nate Washington, Limas Sweed [R], Dallas Baker

Starting WRs: The Steelers have an excellent duo of WRs in veteran Hines Ward and emerging third-year pro Santonio Holmes. Ward enters his 11th year in the league and while he's starting to show his age, he is still a consistent threat on the field both as a receiver and as one of the league's better downfield blockers. Ward was the 31st-ranked fantasy WR last year, which was incidentally his lowest ranking in eight years. He managed 71 receptions for 732 yards and seven TDs in 2007. Ward has scored at least six TDs in five of the last six years. If age doesn't factor into Ward's possible decline this year, perhaps the emerging play of Santonio Holmes will. Holmes is coming off a breakout 2007 season in which he collected eight TDs on 52 receptions for 942 yards despite missing three games due to injury. Only playing in 13 games, Holmes ranked 18th among all fantasy WRs -- up from 41st in 2006. Holmes is expected to improve yet again, which might result in a top-10 ranking at season's end.

Backup WRs: The big story for the Steelers WR corps this offseason was the second-round selection of Limas Sweed from the University of Texas. Sweed's height and size brings a facet to the Steelers offense that has been missing since the departure of Plaxico Burress. Sweed is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and will definitely be a threat in the red zone. Nate Washington will also see plenty of opportunities in the increasingly pass-happy Steelers offense. He finished with 450 yards on 29 receptions with five TDs in 2007. It was his second year in a row with at least four TD catches.

Tight Ends

Starters: Heath Miller
Backups: Matt Spaeth

Without a go-to red-zone WR threat, Ben Roethlisberger often looked in Heath Miller's direction when in enemy territory. Six of Miller's seven TDs in 2007 came in the red zone. Miller finished as the seventh ranked fantasy TE in 2007, the highest ranking of his brief career so far. In Miller's three years as a pro he has never finished with a TE ranking lower than 13th. He averages six TDs per year and his best year so far was his last. These are all good signs, which point to an equal, if not more productive 2008 season. Matt Spaeth was a rookie last year who saw limited action on the field, catching only five passes for 34 yards, but three of them went for TDs. Spaeth's presence in the passing game was mainly as a goal-line threat. The addition of tall wideout Limas Sweed may take away some of Speath's red-zone targets, but the Steelers like to employ a two-TE offense, especially inside the red zone. Spaeth's role may increase some in 2008, but he is not expected to be a focal point in the offense.

Place Kicker

Jeff Reed : Reed hit a career best 92.0% (23 of 25) on field goals in 2007. It was a big turnaround from 2006 when he hit only 74.1% on field goals, the second lowest percentage of his career. Last year was the third solid outing that Reed has had over the last four years. Reed had always managed to kick fairly well at Heinz Field, a place that has probably cost some kickers their job. Over the last two years however, eight of his nine missed field goals have been at home. He has attempted at least 40 PATs each of the last four years, and been perfect on all of them. The Steelers 16th place ranking in kicker scoring was up from 22nd in 2006, however still below the consecutive top ten finishes of the two prior years.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Mewelde Moore; Rashard Mendenhall; Gary Russell

Mewelde Moore is going to serve as the primary returner in Pittsburgh this year. Free agent acquisition RB Mewelde Moore was primarily used on punt returns by the Vikings, although he did have a couple kickoff returns. As backups, the team will take a look at rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall and second year RB Gary Russell. WR Santonio Holmes shared the primary kickoff return load as a rookie in 2006 (18 returns, 24.2 avg.), but had none last year as he focused on offense. The team has suggested that might change this year if need be. CB Ike Taylor has periodically served as a backup KR (4 returns, 18.0 avg.) in 2006.

Punt Returners: Mewelde Moore; Santonio Holmes

Mewelde Moore averaged 11.7 yards on punt returns in 2005, 10.1 yards in 2006, and 10.0 last year for the Vikings. He scored two TDs during that span. Santonio Holmes took over the punt return job during his rookie season and had ball handling issues. The Steelers stuck with him however, and he turned things around (26 returns, 10.2 avg., 1 TD). Although he was not utilized on returns last year, he will be in the mix this year.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Marvel Smith, LG Chris Kemoeatu, C Justin Hartwig, RG Kendall Simmons, RT Willie Colon
Key Backups: RG Darnell Stapleton, C Sean Mahan, OT Max Starks

Commentary coming soon.

Team Defense

Pittsburgh is the birth place of the 3-4 zone blitz defense. It's an aggressive attacking style of play which at its best, forces offenses to react to the defensive scheme rather than the other way around. By its design the zone blitz is meant to create a lot of big plays. Thus over the years the Steelers have been one of the most consistently productive options in the fantasy game. The '07 season was no exception as Pittsburgh was solid once again. Only the Colts allowed fewer points while Pittsburgh finished #3 against both the run and pass and posted a solid 36 sacks. After creating only an un-Steeler like 25 takeaways in '07, that will be one area the club looks to improve. They will do it with virtually the same personnel since they will return 10 starters. Only OLB Clark Haggans has moved on and having drafted a pair of young guns at that position last season, he will not be missed. The Steelers finished among the top 10 fantasy defenses in '07 and are a favorite to repeat if not improve to the top 5.

Defensive Line

Starters: NT Casey Hampton, DE Aaron Smith, DE Brett Keisel
Backups: DE Travis Kirschke, DE Nick Eason, NT Chris Hoke, DE Orpheus Roye

Starting DL: In a 3-4 scheme the defensive line gets little glory but sets the foundation for the scheme to be successful. Nose tackle Casey Hampton made a 4th trip to Hawaii in February and has become a perennial Pro-Bowl selection. He is the quintessential 3-4 nose tackle, a massively strong fireplug of a player with a very low center of gravity, whose responsibility is to tie up multiple offensive linemen and clog up the middle of the field. Given his responsibilities, Hampton's statistics do not reflect his actual contributions on the field. Nine year veteran Aaron Smith is the Steelers longest tenured lineman. With an outstanding mix of quickness, power and size, Smith is an excellent fit at end in the Steelers 3-4. He can hold ground at the point of attack and tie up multiple blockers but is also an above average pass rusher who has contributed 25 sacks over the past 6 seasons. Prior to last season Smith had missed just 1 game in 5 years but at age 32 durability issues could begin to creep up on him. Brett Keisel is a three year starter for the Steelers at right defensive end and is another of the many examples of late round picks who have been groomed to eventually become successful starters for the club. A 7th round pick in '02, Keisel saw very little action prior to '05 but since that time has become a solid contributor. It's not a flashy group but this trio gives the Steelers defense an excellent foundation of fundamental play and is key to the long term success the club has enjoyed defensively.

Backup DL: Chris Hoke is an excellent backup for NT Casey Hampton. In 2004, Hoke started the final ten games of the regular season after Hampton went on injured reserve with a knee injury and it was business as usual. Travis Kirschke is the steady veteran of the DE group but he will have to contend with fourth second year pro Ryan McBean to determine the pecking order in the rotation at end. Nick Eason was a backup in the Browns 3-4 before joining the Steelers heading into last season. The Steelers rarely spend early picks on the DL but they do a great job of getting their kind of guys in the late rounds and then developing them. Casey Hampton is the only first day pick the team has on the DL but that hasn't stopped them from putting together a very strong and deep defensive line.

Linebackers

Starters: ILB James Farrior, ILB Larry Foote, OLB James Harrison, OLB LaMarr Woodley
Backups: ILB Keyaron Fox, ILB/OLB Lawrence Timmons, OLB Bruce Davis, OLB Andre Frazier, OLB Donovan Woods

Starting LBs: There is no lack of continuity at the ILB positions in Pittsburgh. James Farrior and Larry Foote have been lining up together since '04 and have proven themselves time and again. They are not flashy high profile types that get their faces plastered all over SportsCenter but both are very smart, dependable and technically sound within the complicated scheme. Prior to last season Farrior had been the Steelers perennial tackle leader with Foote not too far behind. Strangely that honor went to OLB James Harrison in '07 with Farrior dropping all the way to #3 and Foote a distant #5. Farrior did however manage to retain his status as one of the club's playmakers with 6.5 sacks and a pair of picks. while Foote kicked in 3.5 sacks and an interception of his own. If there is any concern here it is that at age 33 Farrior is in the twilight of a solid career. The club let Joey Porter leave via free agency before last season and when they used first and second round draft picks on the OLB position in last year's draft, it stirred speculation that they didn't have a lot of confidence in Clark Haggans and James Harrison. Haggans failed to step up and is now in Arizona. Harrison on the other hand, became a one man wrecking crew by leading the league with 7 forced fumbles while leading the club in tackles, sacks and fumble recoveries. He'll be joined in the starting lineup by '06 second round pick LaMarr Woodley who impressed as a rookie with 4 sacks in limited playing time. This is a very talented group that should once again be the strength of an excellent Pittsburgh defense.

Backup LBs: The Steelers do an outstanding job of picking up young, under the radar players who fit their scheme, then developing them for a couple of years before eventually getting a quality return on their investment. The latest example being James Harrison who was an undrafted free agent in '04 and a Pro-Bowl starter after the '07 season. At this point they have a lot to work with from the developmental perspective. Lawrence Timmons was the team's first round pick in '07. Injuries got in the way of his progress during his rookie campaign but he is a very talented player. Timmons worked at OLB as a rookie but speculation has he the club may now look to groom him as a possible successor to Farrior on the inside. Rookie Bruce Davis will be in the mix along with Timmons to be the top backup at the OLB positions. Keyaron Fox provides veteran depth across the board. He could enter the season as the top backup on the inside and will contribute on special teams as will all of these players who make the final roster.

Defensive Backs

Starters: SS Troy Polamalu, FS Ryan Clark, CB Deshea Townsend, CB Ike Taylor
Backups: CB Bryant McFadden, FS Anthony Smith, FS/CB Tyrone Carter, CB William Gay

Starting DBs: The '06 Steelers finished with the 20th rated pass defense. Last year's edition resolved that problem by allowing an average of less than 177 passing yards a game. That's an impressive feat considering the less than stellar production from a front 7 that produced a middle of the pack 36 sacks. The success of any 3-4 scheme is dependent on pressuring the QB and though the Steelers were respectable in this area, 36 sacks is not acceptable to the style of game they play. Zone blitz corners spend a lot of time in single coverage and its simply impossible to cover good receivers indefinitely. An improved pass rush would go a long way toward improving the lagging interception production as well. Strong Safety Troy Polamalu is the Steelers catalyst on defense but he spent too much time in the trainers room last season when he missed 5 games and played at less than 100% in several others. When healthy he is an impact player who seems to be everywhere making plays. Polamalu frequently plays up toward the line of scrimmage and is just as likely to blitz as he is to drop into coverage. He tackles like a linebacker but also provides tight coverage and a lot of the team's big play production. Ryan Clark gives the club a solid veteran option at safety. The Steelers signed him on as a free agent in '06 with the intention of making him their a short term starter at FS; two years later it looks like they've gotten their wish. Cornerback Ike Taylor struggled at times during '06 and there were rumblings that he would be ousted from the starting job last year. Taylor however, answered the bell and turned in his best season as a pro, including a career best 3 interceptions. It could be fellow starter Deshea Townsend who feels the pressure from youngster Bryant McFadden this year. Not because he played poorly last season. Quite the contrary, Townsend had a very solid season. However, he will turn 33 in September and McFadden has played well. That's a good problem to have if you're a Steelers coach.

Backup DBs: With Bryant McFadden as their nickel corner and top backup the Steelers are strong three players deep at corner but they may be a little thin beyond that. Second year man William Gay didn't see much action as a rookie and the rest of the depth chart at corner is filled in with unknown guys, most of whom are undrafted rookies. Veteran Tyrone Carter may end up being a very valuable asset. He has seen most of his playing time as a pro at the FS position but has some experience at corner and is a capable option if needed. Anthony Smith took over at FS in his second season and made a good impression. At under 190 pounds he is not a physically intimidating player like Polamalu but is not afraid to put a helmet on the ball carrier. He tallied a pair of picks with a hand in two other takeaways last year and the club is counting on him to build on his '07 season. So long as they don't get stung with multiple injuries in the secondary the Steelers should be in good shape.

Last modified: 2008-08-31 23:11:14