Well another season is upon us, and this year is and interesting one as expectations are not as high as most years.�� If you ask me, an argument can be made that the Stillers can end up anywhere between 6-10 to 12-4, which may be a good thing as the pressure might not be as great.� Here is a positional rundown of the 2005 Stillers.
QB � Here is one of the major reasons why there is so much uncertainty.� Will Ben adjust to the longer NFL season that he claimed affected him late last year?� Will he be able to handle the full playbook?� Will he be able to establish the rapport with Ward, El, Miller or, ahem, Morgan? that he had with Plax last year?��� This will most likely a transition year for Ben, and while expectations should be higher than last year in some ways, we should still expect a decent amount of rookie-itis.� At least he got a pretty good year in last year and it ahead of the game compared to sitting the year out like Carson Palmer, etc.� I think Ben will do pretty well, but the performance of the WRs is the big X factor.
RB � More injuries, what a surprise!� Duce has looked really good, but has been out
all too often.� The BUS got injured by
simply rocking onto his leg� not a good sign.�
Parker and Haynes might make an OK one-two punch, but hopefully we won�t
have to rely on this too long.� It will
be interesting to see how Parker does this weekend against
WR � OK, here is where the worries really start.� The combined height of our starting WRs is almost as tall as Plax�. Niether Ward nor El will beat anyone in a speed race, and El has not proven much of anything besides a big game against the hapless Giant secondary last year.� El will have to make a quantum leap in performance this year, or Wilson/Morgan will have to step in.� Relying on any of these three makes me nervous to say the least.�
TE � For most of the past 10 years, the Stillers have made the mistake/decision to use Tight Ends in the offense about as often as the BUS skips dessert.� This year may be different and hopefully Cowher will be able to make the adjustments if necessary.� One of the biggest questions of the year will be how much Cowher will incorporate first round draft pick Heath Miller into the offense.� Was Billy hiding his schemes from opponents during the pre-season or will he waste away this guys talent by treating him like Bruener or� Tuman?� He is the only receiving threat with any size and hopefully it will be Eric Green revisited.
FB � No worries here as long as Danny K. is in the backfield.� However, I wish they would use him more in the offense, especially has a secret weapon as he is totally ignored by opposing defenses.
OL � A few years ago, this was the weak link of the offense, but they had a pretty good year last year, allowing the aging BUS to look young again.� We lost some depth and our starting RT O Ross, so Max Starks is now the man.� I think he will be just OK, but overall I think the OL will perform well this year.� The left side is pretty solid as Marvel had a good year last year and of course the awesome Faneca.�� Okobi has proven that he can step in for old man Hartings when needed.�
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DL � The big 3 return for another strong year.� They are aging, but Kimo had a great year last year and Smitty should have gone to the pro bowl.� Hoke has filled in nicely when needed.� Another good, run stuffing year from the DLine with the occasional coverage sack thrown in.
LB � A concern here is that we still do not have the pass rushing ability that we need.� Harrison has looked very good, but did not pass rush particularly well this pre-season. �Which Porter will we get?� He seems to check out for weeks at a time, then come on strong like a few years ago. We�ll see when he gets healthy.� Farrior had a breakout season and will continue to perform.� Larry Foote has been OK, but is now overpaid, just like many a Steeler before him.� Haggans has been solid.� Should be a good year for the LBs, but once again, we will have to rely on blitzes to get any sustained pressure on the QB, which bit us in the ass against the Pats last January.
Secondary � While not the glaring hole it used to be,
still prone to the big play.�
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K � Reed has looked a little sloppy in pre-season� Let�s hope it�s an
aberration and he continues the solid play from last year to be a top 10 kicker
once again.� Hopefully he can get some
touchbacks this year?!?!
P � Did you know that Gardocki has never had a punt blocked?� Did you know?� How many times do we have to hear that!
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Well this year is tough to call.� I think it will be mixture of 2004 and 2003, with a lot of ups and downs, resulting in a 10-6 record, tying the Ravens for the division.�� I hope Cowher can get the monkey off his back, but the next 2 years is key for him with Big Ben.� I give him more slack than others, but I would say if nothing big happens the next 2 years, the Rooneys ought to take a hard look at Billy�s future.
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Thanks for listening and Go Steelers 2005!
Steel Cello
