I have been a bit annoyed - no make that very annoyed with the short memory span of most folks on the Black and Gold.
The 2007 team is, in my opinion significantly improved over the 2006 team and has the potential to be better than the 2005 team. Ten reasons why.
1. Big Ben is back. Two years of early success then an injury marred year three have most people forgetting that Ben - when healthy - is a playmaker and a winner. Even in his very poor Super Bowl XL he made at least two big plays that contributed to the win.
- The shuffle pass to Hines for a first down in Q2 that led to the first touchdown
- The five yard scramble in Q4 for a first down that led to the flea flicker TD making it 21-10
Carson Palmer doesn't make either of those plays. I also think that the new coaches are going to be smarter about how they use Ben. They know he can get them the quick, early lead as he did in the 2005 playoffs - and will try and use that to set up a "run the clock" running game in the second half.
Spot on - Ben was back and bigger than ever! He had a great year and showed he is a top 5 NFL QB. But needs to work on two things - first, get rid of the ball a bit sooner. He has gotten into the habit of waiting for receivers to come open and took way too many sacks. The second area for improvement is probably harder - try and cut down on the dumb interceptions - still throws some passes that have no chance of working.
2. Coming out year for Santonio. Holmes showed glimpses of what he can do in the pre-season and by the end of the year he will be drawing the double teams - not Hines - which will be great for Ben.
Give myself half a check for this one - Holmes made progress - but he has got to stay on the field - still seems a bit fragile and he has got to learn that he needs to play defense at times - break up an interception rather than stare at he DB as he makes the play.
3. Cedric Wilson is on a mission. Have a feeling that Ced is not going to go to the bench quietly - and with Ariens using a lot of three and four wide sets he will get the chance to burn a few nickle backs and safeties.
Wow - blew this one big time - Wilson contributed little and will be a cap casualty soon as they can cut him
4. Return of the tight end. Not sure why the old regime drafted Heath Miller - Cowher and Wandstedt wanted more blocking from the position and never like using him as a primary option. Ariens will - and will often have three tight ends in the mix.
I am giving myself a quarter of a point on this one - clearly they tried to create a bigger role for Miller - and they went to Spaeth a few times. But the poor play by the o line forced them to keep Miller in more than they would have liked
5. Troy is healthy. Lost in the review of the 2006 season was the fact that Taz was operating at well less than 100% most of the year. Coupled with the strength at the other safety slot the Steelers will hit and hit hard from the defensive backfield.
One year was an anomoly - two years - well one has to start wondering if all of those big hits are taking a toll on Troy - he played well - but just didn't seem like the Taz of old - and it was clear that teams late in the year did not fear him. The poor performance of Anthony Smith did not help forcing them to give him help
6. Corners will be more effective. Cowher liked to put his corners out on an island - and see if they could survive. This strategy is effective if the front seven can create QB pressure and force the quick - early throw. Last year the Steelers could not get to the quarterback - and Ike particularly was asked to do the impossible. Expect this to be different - very different this year.
Probably not a full point for this one - but close - the defense did a better job stopping the big play for the most part and the corners played much better - but still need a true shut-down corner - not a role that Taylor is up to.
7. The O Line will be held accountable. Myron Cope was among the first in the Burgh media to point out how bad the line had played during the first half of 2006 - something I was screaming at my TV about will into November. Much of the preseason maneuvering along the o front was to be sure that the Steelers had options. If someone can't do the job they will be pulled. That being said - a lot of work will be needed in the off season to upgrade this unit - but it can get us through the season.
Wow - they may have been held accountable - but they still sucked big time.
8. Willie and his boys will run and run and run. The two newcomers are going to get the chance and if they can have success that will allow Parker to play at a high level all year. Russell is going to be a starter in the NFL for someone in a couple of years.
Parker's injury changed everything - and Kriedeer's didn't help - but assuming Willie comes back strong this is a solid part of the team - and should get better with some O line changes.
9. The defensive ends will thrive. Aaron Smith has always been one of my faves - and Keisel is ready to become a star in the league - they both benefit from the steady play of "Big Snack" in the middle.
Aaron was having another great year - but Keisel did not step up and show much - now they are all getting old and depth will have to be found in the draft
10. Cowher has gone. Addition by subtraction - watching him stand on the sidelines - alone with no emotion - expression last season was painful. Thanks for the Superbowl coach - and good luck - but my Steelers will be a better team without you.
Liked Cowher a lot as a talking head and can't wait for him to come down from the mountain and prove how over rated as a coach he was
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