Even Champions Can Improve

The Super Bowl Champion, Pittsburgh Steelers, start their journey towards their seventh championship tomorrow as the 2009 season kicks off with a rematch of last year's Super Bowl. Many would think that there would be few questions going into the 2009 season, but even Champions must make critical decisions, especially if this team wants to repeat. The focus of this article is to provide some things to look for during the next few weeks to see if we can answer some questions circling our beloved Steelers!

The main question seems to be focused on the offensive line. Can this line protect Big Ben and keep him from having to constantly run for his life? For some reason a Super Bowl victory is not enough for members of the media and Steelers faithful. A young group of lesser known names (Kemoeatu, Hartwig, Starks, Colon, Essex) will take the field for the start of the 2009 season. The key to any offensive line is consistency. The line geled at the right time during the 2008 playoffs. After the Super Bowl victory, Steelers management did the right thing in keeping the unit together. A recent injury to Darnell Stapleton will put a little kink in the equation, but Trai Essex should fill in nicely. Also, the Steelers acquired Alex Stepanovich this week, to provide some needed depth at the position. Personally, I think Roethlisberger plays a better game when he has to scramble out of the pocket. I am not saying that the offensive line should just need to do a mediocre job and let Big Ben run around making plays all day. I just stating that there is no need to focus on the offensive line. This question has come up the last two years. This offensive line will continue to get better, they are young and really work well together. Hell they helped win us a Super Bowl....enough said.

Is Rashard Mendenhall the real deal? Mendenhall was the Steelers first round pick in 2008. The first running back the Steelers have selected in the first round since Tim Worley in 1999. Mendenhall had an early end to his season last year, when he injured his shoulder against the Ravens. At the time of the injury, Mendenhall had led the Steelers in rushing during the preseason and during the short regular season was showing glimpses of why the Steelers picked him in the first round. During this preseason, Mendenhall is who I will be focused on the most. Willie Parker is in a contract year and I believe the Steelers will see which back shows the most passion, dedication, and durability. I strongly believe that Mendenhall will take over the reigns for Fast Willie. Parker hits the dreaded 30 mark this year, an age in which many running backs hit rock bottom (Shawn Alexander). Mendenhall has not looked spectacular in training camp, but to his credit, with the lack of contact and full speed action, it's hard to see what he is capable of.

I love defense!!! My favorite aspect of professional football is defense. I am excited to see what the Steel Curtain has in store for 2009. The mater of defense, Dick Lebeau, has some new pieces to work with (William Gay, Lawrence Timmons, Ziggy Hood) and I can't wait to see how this unit produces. In the past, the Steelers have shown very little during the preseason. A majority of the defensive schemes are basic formations. Lebeau likes to show his cards during the regular season, not during meaningless games. In 2008, the Steelers ranked in the top two in every major defensive statistical category and also was ranked number one overall. Gone are Larry Foote and Bryant McFadden.....will that impact the defense? In my opinion, I think the defense just got better! William Gay played much of the regular season last year when McFadden was out with an injury. He filled in admirably! Lawrence Timmons is a beast. He has tremendous speed and will bring some added youthfulness to the defense. A number one pick gets the chance to shine. I predict this unit will once again finish number one in defense and we all know what the key to winning a Super Bowl is.....Strong Defense!

Will the Steelers special teams be any good? Daniel Sepulveda is back!! This is one of the main reasons I believe we will see an upgrade. Sepulveda tore his ACL on the first day of camp last year. One of the major weaknesses the Steelers faced last year was field position. With a strong defense, a great punter is a secret weapon. Pin the other team back and let your defense do the work. There were times last year when fill in punter Mitch Berger would not help in this formula. Putting added pressure on the defense and sometimes the offense, as I believe the team wanted to avoid utilizing their punter as much as possible. Sepulveda has been tremendous in training camp. He shows no ill effects of the ACL injury from last season. A strong leg and passion for wanting to showcase his talent has me believing this position has been upgraded ten fold. On the subject of special teams, kick returning will also be a main focus. Ever since Randle El left the team, the Steelers have been searching for someone to step up and fill this role. Last year, the Steelers even resorted to big back Gary Russell on kickoffs, something that frustrated the hell out of me! To add insult to this, they at one time used Najeh Davenport on returns! For some reason, a 240 pound kick returner does not sound effective to me. Especially when field position plays such an important part of this game. They had to use Santonio Holmes on punts, but there was always the fear of losing him to injury. At the conclusion of the regular season last year, the Steelers ranked dead last on punt return average with six yards per punt return and third to last in kickoff return average, with a 20.3 average return. So any improvement would be a tremendous asset to this team. Finally the Steelers have an answer to the return game! Joe Burnett and Mike Wallace were drafted not only for depth at their positions, but to fill the void in the return game. In addition, newly acquired Shaun McDonald can also fill this role as he has become known as a return specialist during his NFL tenure. All have looked great in camp. Now the focus will be on seeing who will take over these duties. I can say one thing, we will see improvement in this area, anything is better than what we produced in this department last season, but hey once again, we did win a Super Bowl!

These are just a few things I will be watching as the season kicks off tonight. By the end of the preseason we will have answers to all of these questions. Go Steelers!!! The journey to seven starts today!!!