The Steelers started a new chapter in the offseason, hiring Mike Tomlin as their head coach, replacing Bill Cowher. It was the second time the Steelers have gone outside of the franchise to replace a legend. Bill Cowher was the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs when he was hired and Tomlin was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings when he was hired this offseason. He comes from the Tony Dungy school of defense, but decided to stick with a winning formula on defense by keeping DC #### LeBeau and his 3-4 defense.

2006 Season:  8-8, 3rd AFC North
Missed Playoffs

Offense: Balanced

Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben is completely healthy for the first time since the motorcycle accident that nearly killed him. Roethlisberger is a great talent that struggled last season because of the accident and an emergency appendectomy(is this procedure ever not an emergency procedure?) so he was unable to get on track last season. I think he will rebound this season and play well, if not great. Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Running Back: Willie Parker
Parker is a great scatback, but he was used a lot last season. This season, the Steelers will be running both Parker and big man Najeh Davenport rumbling for lots of yards this season. Grade: 4 out of 5

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Key Player-Hines Ward
Ward is the best WR the Steelers have had since Lynn Swann and he deserves to retire a Steeler. Now he may not be the biggest wideout out there, but he gets the job done. Santonio Holmes should become a reliable #2 in his second season and Heath Miller is playing great at TE. Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Offensive Line: Key Player-LG Alan Faneca
Faneca is in a contract dispute, which should be common knowledge by now, and he wants an extention or he’s not coming back to the Steelers. If that happens, a riptide of problems would occur. Faneca is the heart and soul of the line and if he leaves, it may crush them. Max Starks is another player that is becoming a bookend at RT. Grade: 4 out of 5

Defense: 3-4

Defensive Line: Key Player-DT Casey Hampton
I love this kid. Casey is exactly what you need in a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense. He is huge…picture Richard Perry, but he is willing to take his role to the extreme. He can take on 2 blockers which frees up the linebackers to make tackles. Grade: 4 out of 5

Linebackers: Key Player-MLB James Farrior
Farrior had his best season last year with 128 tackles and 4 sacks. He is the beast in the middle of this 3-4 alongside Larry Foote and Clark Haggans. Grade: 4 out of 5

Cornerbacks: Key Player-Ike Taylor
Taylor is a good corner when it comes to zone, which is something that the Steelers do all the time. He’s not that good at man coverage, luckily the Steelers are a zone blitz team so it doesn’t burn him that much. Playing on the other side is Bryant McFadden, who is pretty good in man coverage. Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Safety: Key Player-Troy Polamalu
After last season, Polamalu needs to step up. His injury was key to a mid-season slide that the Steelers had. He is great against the run and I’m hoping he’s back to normal this season. Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Special Teams
K: Jeff Reed
P: Daniel Sepulveda
Reed is a good kicker and Sepulveda is a rookie from Baylor. Grade: 4 out of 5

Overall
The Steelers will have to change their approach this season with a new head coach and they’re in the second toughest division in football, behind the AFC West. They’ll be battling to the end with 3 out of the last 4 on the road against New England, St. Louis, and Baltimore.