Are the Steelers better or worse than last year?

[Fire Arians]

better, our offense is going to be more potent. defense will still struggle against elite qb's. however, if we can keep up with the scoring of the other team we got a chance

[SoCalFan]

We have Big Ben,You have flacco...Sorry dude,good luck this year,NOT! Seriously,takes guts to visit this site!

[StainlessStill]

IMHO, Baltimore seems to be treading water at this point. Pressure is on for that offense to perform and they didn't do that with a solid offense last season and Flacco didn't seem to really take advantage of the weapons that was put around him and I don't really think Lee Evans is going to be that missing piece for a title run. They'll dial up more downfield balls but it won't be anything spectacular to the point where it'll be like defending a Randy Moss of some sort.

I just think the difference in this Pittsburgh team is that this time around, their going to be beating you offensively just as much as they beat you on defense. People harp on our o-line but we don't have an ordinary QB back there, he can get out of that mess.

Baltimore will be tough, but I just don't think Flacco can beat us 3 times a year.

[sharkweek]

Brown and Sanders are no longer rookies and should make far more of an impact on offense this season (giving us arguably the best and deepest WR corps in the league) and Ben not being suspending for the first 4-6 games hanging over the team (as well as him being in great shape, probably the best so far of his pro career) should pretty much offset any areas where we might have regressed from last season. Defense might win championships, but the best defense is a good offense.

[Kingmagyar]

Boy I think that offense could really be something this year. No team in the league has 5 Wideouts like that. They may have 4 but not 5. Throw in Miller, Mendenhall, and Redman...could be incredible, but I think the real reason it might be great is the quick passing game and screens. Did you notice in the preseason how quickly the ball was coming out and I noticed several more screens as well. Then they still have the deep ball which all 5 can catch well. The O-line has Super Bowl experience as well.

On Defense we all know Troy and Harrison's health are the keys. I don't think they can be as good as last year, as last year was almost record setting in terms of NFL defenses.

I expect good things from the offense, but am not quite as sure about the D-side of the ball. If Harrison is done they could be in real trouble, because when the QB has time to throw we get killed.

[CTFan]

Ben has always been good at finding the open receiver, so a spread offense makes sense, especially with that receivng crew you've got. We've had problems drafting receivers in that past, although I think we've got some good ones this year, especially if Torrey Smith develops, which is no guarantee.

The Ravens have really focused on making changes that will help us compete against your team. Call it an obsession, but what else really matters if you can't be #1 in your division? Our pass rush was only 27th in sacks last year so we'll be blitzing more. Kruger, who we tried to turn into a DL by force feeding him milshakes, is now an OLB and he's had a good PS. Kindle is the big question mark, but he looks like he's okay and can really get into the backfield quickly (as long as there's no stairs involved).

Our offense should be a lot better too, but it depends on whether Flacco steps up. Should he get injured, Tyrod Taylor (Rookie, VATech) has impressed everyone. IMO, if he get an opportunity to start in a handful of games, it's somewhat Flacco may never get his job back.

[Buddha Bus]

Originally Posted by CTFan

Thanks Buddha, I expected a bit of ribbing. I'll get you back during basketball season. :)

You may be right about Heap, but he was too fragile so they ran him on out routes mostly. We may take a hit on his blocking ability however. The new guys are a bit light.

No problem!

You can fire away with the basketball ribs. I don't even watch basketball, so .

If you really want to trash me, I'll tell you I'm a Baltimore Orioles fan, but that's like fist fighting a paraplegic.

[CTFan]

If you don't care, it takes all the fun out of it. I'm an O's fan too, but I don't often admit it. In fact, I think I may be cured of it - haven't watched a game in about two months.

[Kanata-Steeler]

Yes, the Steelers are exactly the same as last year.
and when we get to the SB again, I hope we ARE NOT exactly the same as last year, simply because I don't wanna see, Ben and the "O" hand over, 3 turnovers in a SB where we lose again, (like we did against GB)
Other than that, we are prime for another SB showing for sure

[steelfury02]

I always enjoy the post pre-season or pre regular season speculation - makes for some enjoyable threads.

Happen to have a good bit of Ravens fans in my family and I'd just offer up their perspective that they all seem cautiously optimistic. They are more confident in the defense improving from last year and that Flacco has about a 1 to 2 year window to take the next step before some real concerns set in. They feel that the Ravens are trying too hard to mold themselves and replicate themselves to match the Steelers rather than finding their own identity.

HOWEVER - if the Ravens don't improve offensively if it were me I would start questioning your offensive coordinator. There is a line of thought that we have won in spite of Bruce Arians due to Ben's abilities.

Here's a thought - IMHO - Flacco is better than Sanchez - BUT . . .Sanchez has been put in a better position to win with what they ask him to do. I've always said that if Flacco had been with the Jets they would have at least made it to the SB already if not won one. I just wouldn't trust Flacco in Cam Cameron's hands - I think he is at least just as bad as Arians, if not a little worse for the simple fact that he doesn't protect Flacco when he should and goes ultra conservative when he should be unleashing him.