1)RB Situation-
When starting RB Rashard Mendenhall blew his knee out last year at the end of the regular season against Cleveland, most fans' hearts dropped at the thought of him missing out on the playoffs and what it would do to our chances. What most did not think about is how it would affect the Steelers' 2012 campaign.While Mendenhall did not always have the huge games we hoped for, he was a consistent hard runner that opposing defenses always had to account for. Mendenhall will most likely start the year on the PUP list, forcing him to miss the first six games of the year at least.
So now we turn to Isaac "Red Zone" Redman and his back up Jonathan Dwyer. Redman is a fan favorite around the Burgh for his tough, knock you on your ass approach to running the ball, but I am not sure that he strikes enough fear in the opponents for them to respect the run enough. While I love his ability in short-yardage situations, I am not sure that I like him as a 3-down back. I hope he proves me wrong.
2)Ziggy Hood's Future-
When DE and long-time Steeler Aaron Smith went out for the year again last year, we all knew that it was most likely his last season as a Steeler. One of the best in the history of the team as a DE, he will be missed. Former 1st round pick Ziggy Hood has been bright at times, but he now has his chance to exhibit what he can do in a starting role. While he is still learning the DE game in the NFL, I really believe that he must start playing to his ability and proving his worth as a first round pick. He will enter the season as a starter on the defense and I am excited to see how he accepts that role filling in for Smith, and believe that his progress will be very important in getting our run D back to the top of the league.
When DE and long-time Steeler Aaron Smith went out for the year again last year, we all knew that it was most likely his last season as a Steeler. One of the best in the history of the team as a DE, he will be missed. Former 1st round pick Ziggy Hood has been bright at times, but he now has his chance to exhibit what he can do in a starting role. While he is still learning the DE game in the NFL, I really believe that he must start playing to his ability and proving his worth as a first round pick. He will enter the season as a starter on the defense and I am excited to see how he accepts that role filling in for Smith, and believe that his progress will be very important in getting our run D back to the top of the league.
3)Replacing James Farrior-
As most say when a solid veteran like Farrior leaves the team, it is not about replacing him, but everyone stepping up their game a little bit to help fill the void. It is without question that Farrior had been the play-calling leader of the stout Steelers D since he came to the team. As far as play calling, it is time for now veteran Lawrence Timmons to become more of a leader on the defense and take control from the inside position.
As far as the actual position replacement, we are looking at a 1 on 1 battle between the aging Larry Foote and young special teams standout Stevenson Sylvester. This is a very critical position in the defense and while most would consider Foote the favorite for the job, I am not so sure that Stevenson Sylvester should be ruled out of contention.
Foote is getting up there and age and while he has won a lot of games with us before, he is not the every down linebacker that he used to be. I am looking for Sylvester to step up his game and accountability for himself to make a good case for the starting job. Should be a great battle to watch in Latrobe.
As most say when a solid veteran like Farrior leaves the team, it is not about replacing him, but everyone stepping up their game a little bit to help fill the void. It is without question that Farrior had been the play-calling leader of the stout Steelers D since he came to the team. As far as play calling, it is time for now veteran Lawrence Timmons to become more of a leader on the defense and take control from the inside position. As far as the actual position replacement, we are looking at a 1 on 1 battle between the aging Larry Foote and young special teams standout Stevenson Sylvester. This is a very critical position in the defense and while most would consider Foote the favorite for the job, I am not so sure that Stevenson Sylvester should be ruled out of contention.
Foote is getting up there and age and while he has won a lot of games with us before, he is not the every down linebacker that he used to be. I am looking for Sylvester to step up his game and accountability for himself to make a good case for the starting job. Should be a great battle to watch in Latrobe.
4)Cornerback Position-
Ah, the cornerback job opposite of Ike Taylor. While a lot of Steeler Nation exhaled a sigh of relief when starting CB Willie Gay signed with the Steelers in the NFC(Arizona), I am not so sure that we should have been. While Gay was noted for his inconsistency, he did make some game-changing plays for us the past few seasons, and provided a sense of stability and experience while playing the big name opponents.
What should be another great starting battle in camp this year, Mike Wallace's buddy Keenan Lewis, rookie bright spot from last year Cortez Allen(who played well in Nickel situations), and big name rookie Curtis Brown(performed well on special teams) will be fighting for the job. At this point in their career, I am not sure that any of them would be better starters than Gay, but it is the situation we are dealt. My wild card is Curtis Brown to make a strong case in camp, leaving Lewis and Allen to fill the Nickel and Dime packages. Should be another good one.
Ah, the cornerback job opposite of Ike Taylor. While a lot of Steeler Nation exhaled a sigh of relief when starting CB Willie Gay signed with the Steelers in the NFC(Arizona), I am not so sure that we should have been. While Gay was noted for his inconsistency, he did make some game-changing plays for us the past few seasons, and provided a sense of stability and experience while playing the big name opponents.
What should be another great starting battle in camp this year, Mike Wallace's buddy Keenan Lewis, rookie bright spot from last year Cortez Allen(who played well in Nickel situations), and big name rookie Curtis Brown(performed well on special teams) will be fighting for the job. At this point in their career, I am not sure that any of them would be better starters than Gay, but it is the situation we are dealt. My wild card is Curtis Brown to make a strong case in camp, leaving Lewis and Allen to fill the Nickel and Dime packages. Should be another good one.
5)That Damn Schedule-
Outside of the things we can control are the things that we cannot, including this year's schedule, which can be a little overwhelming while scanning through it. We are allotted 5 prime-time games this season, a real chance to prove ourselves on national TV, which hopefully turns out to be a good thing. Also,only 1 of the Steelers first 7 games will be at the normal 1 pm start time on the east coast, so they will be mostly later games.
To give you an idea of the strength of the schedule, the season opens with a Sunday Night Football matchup at Denver with a guy named Peyton Manning. The next 3 will be against the Jets, Raiders, and Eagles. The divisions we are matched up against will the the AFC West and NFC east, and added to that the Jets and Patriots, and the always tough division battles. Buckle your seat belts, we will see what the 2012 edition of the Steelers are made of really fast.
Outside of the things we can control are the things that we cannot, including this year's schedule, which can be a little overwhelming while scanning through it. We are allotted 5 prime-time games this season, a real chance to prove ourselves on national TV, which hopefully turns out to be a good thing. Also,only 1 of the Steelers first 7 games will be at the normal 1 pm start time on the east coast, so they will be mostly later games.
To give you an idea of the strength of the schedule, the season opens with a Sunday Night Football matchup at Denver with a guy named Peyton Manning. The next 3 will be against the Jets, Raiders, and Eagles. The divisions we are matched up against will the the AFC West and NFC east, and added to that the Jets and Patriots, and the always tough division battles. Buckle your seat belts, we will see what the 2012 edition of the Steelers are made of really fast.
Written by Justin Manning
Follow me on twitter @juddmanning24
Follow me on twitter @juddmanning24
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