Anatomy of The Steelers

In every football town, there lurks some shred of identity in a team’s history, and the presence that precedes them. The Cowboys are known as 'Americas Team'. The 49ers get credence for the Montana/Young era's of excellence. The Bills are linked to their four Super Bowl shortcomings. You'd be hard-pressed however, to find a team with more history, success, or fan following, than the Pittsburgh Steelers. From the steel mill, blue collar work ethic, to the intensity of the educated fan base, to the lineage of top level linebackers, Pittsburgh has become synonymous with hard-nosed, winning football.

But the purpose of this article in not to revel in the glorious past, but to examine the current day. To sit here and articulate the hall of fame rosters of Steelers past would take pages upon pages, but we are amongst a fresh season now, where the Steelers are expected to finish among the NFL's elites yet again. First, a look at the strengths:

You can't discuss the strengths of the Steelers roster without first pointing to the linebackers. Just as it were in the glory days, the anchor of the Steelers' D start with that core. Pitt remains a revolving door of playmaking LB's, including the outspoken James Harrison, veteran James Farrior, and recently paid Lamar Woodley. The D line isn't far behind, though aging, it's still very accomplished. The crafty Aaron Smith leads the way there, while ends Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward show signs of very promising futures. Then there are stallwarts Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu...enough said.

> Find Pittsburgh Steelers hats & Merchandise online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

Besides the obvious escape artist in Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh has a ton of bright spots on offense. Though this may not be the same style of grinding, slow paced offense that older fans are used to, the jury is still out on running back Rashard Mendenhall. Solid, yet inconsistent as a bruiser, Mendenhall has put up solid stats in a quiet manner, but disappears at times against the defensive powerhouses of the league. That shortcoming is not nearly as noticeable of late though, thanks to the spread out passing attack. Heath Miller is STILL the most underrated tight end in the NFL, to go along with playmaker Mike Wallace, Captain Hines Ward and second year standouts Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown (who's expected to have a breakout season this year).

You can't discuss the good without the bad though, and the Steelers still have the same two gaping holes in their team that they've had in the entire Big Ben era: Offensive line and cornerback. The addition last year of Maurkice Pouncey was huge for the Steelers, as he has swiftly become amongst the top 3 centers in the league. Even still, the rest of the line gets buried in the backfield consistently amidst holding calls and frequent injury. If not for Ben's escapability, the sack records may be in jeopardy. In terms of coverage, spread offense teams still eat the Steelers alive, and Pittsburgh is as susceptible as any team in the league at getting beat on the deep ball. Ike Taylor has stepped it up recently, and the team believes that hard hitter Kenan Lewis will be the future, but Pitt not landing Asomugha or another big name corner could be a huge mistake. Disappointments William Gay and Bryant McFadden may easily be the reason that the Packers currently hold the Lombardi Trophy, and could cost Pittsburgh in a similar fashion this year.

Top to bottom though, you won't find many more consistent, stacked, motivated teams beside the 'Steel City', and this particular anatomy could be the cause of a ton more success. The Steelers have already won 2 of the last 6 championships, and appeared in 3 Super Bowls, and there isn't much reason to believe you won't see terrible towels waving in January again very soon.

By Jason Burke
Pro Football Fans Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent