Key Departure
This is a no brainer. It is a sad day when a future hall of famer leaves a team and the Steelers losing Troy Polamalu to retirement is disappointing. Ravens fans and Steeler fans alike loved arguing who was better between he and Ed Reed. Polamalu may have not been the same player in recent years but his presence definitely mattered in a young Steeler locker room. He was the quiet warrior and I for one am sad to see him go. Just like Hines Ward (who we all STILL hate respect) he was part of a beautiful disaster that was our rivalry with this team. I'm not going to miss him causing Flacco headaches near our own goal line (yes Steeler fan we remember that play) nor will I miss him terrorizing our entire backfield. In other words, respect!
Shamarko Thomas is stepping into the unfillable shoes of a legend.
Update: A few days after writing this article Martavis Bryant was handed a four game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Apparently, he couldn't stay out of Le'Veon Bell's stash. Anyway his suspension hurts the offense across the board(not JUST the fantasy board). An offense that will already be missing Bell for two of those games. Markus Wheaton is going to have to step up with those two key pieces missing on offense.
What about the draft?
While every one of their fans will argue, you know they were looking for the heir apparent to Heath Miller and we snagged Maxx Williams before they could. However they still had a successful draft grabbing some depth for their linebacking core and defensive backs. They grabbed a pass rushing LB (Alvin Dupree, Kentucky) something this team has been missing since James Harrison left. Yes I know he came back and did his thing for a few games but they need it on a more consistent basis. When he was in the backfield that is when this team was dominant on the defensive side of the ball. As we all know, their pass defense was terrible last season. Almost as bad as the Ravens (which was pretty terrible). They went with a corner in the second round(Senquez Golson, Ole Miss) who was known in his college years as a ballhawk (he had 10 INTs last season at Ole Miss). In all honesty I always try to keep an eye on the receivers this team drafts. Lately they have been hitting homeruns with their later round receiver picks. This year's diamond in the rough could be Sammie Coates out of Auburn. While he did have a case of the drops he also had a case of averaging over 20 yards a reception in the SEC last season.
Did they pick up anybody?
In a word...yes! The biggest knock on the Steelers last year was how one dimensional they became without Le'Veon Bell on the field. That all should change with a significant upgrade in his backup. Deangelo Williams will be spelling Bell this season and more than likely starting in his place for a the first two games while he serves his suspension. Williams is not the runner he once was but he is still a dangerous back when healthy. He certainly isn't Bell but he can at least be dangerous as a runner which this team was missing last season when Bell wasn't out there.
Update: While I still believe Williams to be the most significant pickup of the offseason for the Steelers, the team has signed veteran dog kill...er quarterback Michael Vick as a backup. Will Vick even see the field this season? Probably not. We all know that it literally takes a motorcycle accident for Big Ben to miss any significant amount of time. However, I can assure you that some Steeler fans (ie, the wife) were/are not too happy to see him on the team. Then again my wife likes dogs more than people.
Prediction
This really isn't prediction as much as it is a fact. This is a contending team for the division and possibly the AFC. They are year in and year out and that is mostly due to their franchise QB. There will be a battle between them and the Ravens for the AFC North which fortunately we play towards the end of the season (in week 16). However, this is during a 5 game stretch towards the end of the season where they have a quite a meaty sandwich with Browns bread. After their first game with the Browns in week 10 they get to rest up for a brutal stretch that includes @Seattle, Colts, @Cincinnati, Broncos and @Ravens before closing the season out against the Browns. This team is usually one who has started to pick up steam towards the end of the season but this one could fare differently because of that rough stretch. Yes, they are going to play the Pats without Brady more than likely in week one. Who cares? They still have to win the game without arguably their best player in Bell. So quit complaining Ravens fans, this is why they hate us. Not cause they ain't us. However if Janeane Garofalo or whatever that kids name is beats them (shut up I know his name is Jimmy Garoppolo) I will be the first to laugh at the wife until we play on Sunday against the Broncos.
10-6, wild card/possible division crown
There you have it, the division is wrapped up. Should make for an interesting football season. Remember kiddies, only a couple more sleeps until the beginning of the season!
