PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS

NO. 14

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

We get accused all the time of being Steelers fans.  We're not; we dislike all teams equally.

But we are fans of new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.  We were banging the drum on his behalf for the job back in January, before he was even identified as a candidate for it.  (And, despite our endorsement, he got the gig.)

And we have a feeling that Tomlin will be successful, even though we don't completely agree with his "change for the sake of change" attitude.  The last two head coaches of the Steelers were 1-13 and 11-5, respectively, in their first seasons on the job.  Tomlin, we think, will be somewhere in between.  Probably closer to 12 wins than to one.

For now, though, the jury is out on how strong the franchise is following the departure of Bill Cowher.  Will the veterans who had it easy under Coach Chin respond to Tomlin once the real season starts?  Will the tweaks to the starting lineup make the team better?

More importantly, will the dramatic overhaul of the offense being installed by new coordinator Bruce Arians be successful, especially when the wind starts whipping off of the Confluence?  Arians vows to use the deep ball a lot more, and the team has been showing plenty of three-or-more-receiver sets in the preseason.  It will be an enormous departure from the philosophy of the past, and whether it's successful remains to be seen.  In the interim, it will be interesting -- especially if the team ends up having an increased number of three-and-outs and puts more pressure on the defense to keep the opponents off of the scoreboard.

The key, as a result of the change in the offense, is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  A year removed from an offseason that included a near-death experience on a crotch rocket and a Labor Day laparoscope, he is healthy.  But can he make the change from a 20-throws-per-game manager to a 40-pass-per-game gunslinger?

Again, it will be interesting.  It might not be immediately successful, but it will be interesting.   

Key departures:  LB Joey Porter, C Jeff Hartings.

Key arrivals:  C/G Sean Mahan.

Draft pick most likely to make an impact:  LB LaMarr Woodley.

Coach's current job security:  Indefinite.