This should be an interesting year for the men in black and yellow. Big Ben Roethlisberger is gone for the first four games as opposed to six. Byron Leftwich, who was supposed to be the back-up, injured himself. So that leaves the young Dennis Dixon to start for the Steelers. Dixon is a quick, but raw quarterback. The Steelers knew what they were getting in Roethlisberger, but with Dixon anything goes.
I love Coach Mike Tomlin saying the quarterback position is still up for grabs once Ben comes back. Bull. Do you honestly believe Dixon will be a consistently productive quarterback? At best the Steelers go 3-1 during Ben’s absence, and that’s a stretch.
The Steelers will most assuredly get back to their trademark running game, especially with Dixon at the helm. Rashard Mendenhall had a good year last year, but one wonders how effective he will be this year as the Steelers don’t have a legitimate passing threat. They could become predictable. Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, Heath Miller, and Mike Wallace will have to step up their games this year to make Dixon’s job easier in the absence of Santanio Holmes bolting for the Jets.
Defense should be tops in the league once more for this talented group consisting of Lamarr Woodley, James Harrison, James Farrior, Troy Palamalu, and Ike Taylor to name a few. They were third in rushing yards allowed last year. Expect that to continue.
Overall, the gauge of success for this team will be defined by how well Dixon handles his time in the spotlight and how Big Ben fares in his return. I still think the division is too formidable for this year’s Steelers. They will finish third in the AFC North at 9-7.
By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network
