In previous seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers were mainly known for being a smash mouth "run the ball down your throat" kind of team. Although last season was not nearly like those that were previous, the Steelers still won several games through the air. Last season the team had the presence of former Super bowl MVPs Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, as well as the emergence of Mike Wallace as a top tier receiver for the steelers. With all this led by Big Ben, the steelers were transformed into a "pass first, ask questions later" offense. Unfortunately, now the team is faced with the unenviable task of starting practically from scratch. Holmes was traded away for nothing more than five bucks and a can of Pringles to the Jets and with the suspension of Ben for the first six games of the season, the team will be forced to become that rushing powerhouse that they were once known so well for. Some fans are happy to hear that the team may finally be getting back to their old ways of rushing the ball nonstop, but I'm certainly not.
For the first six games of the season, the team will be forced to use former backup Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon. As for the running game, injury prone "rush for a yard" Rashard Mendenhall will be thrown in as the immediate starter with no sign of a strong backup plan in sight. Not to mention that the same offensive line that left Ben practically handling steaks to a pack of wolves in the backfield, will now have to maintain a rushing game. With opposing defenses focusing on shutting down the run game against Pittsburgh, it will leave a backup quarterback with a now-depleted wide receiving corps to lead this team through the first six games of the season. Leftwich is nothing more than a backup, and fans will quickly realize that this is nothing short of being a fact. Now call me Dr. Doom if you want, but I can realistically see the Steelers going winless out of the gate until Ben does come back. Not to get ahead of myself, but with the expiring contract of LaMarr Woodley, Ward winding down his career and Ben still needing to prove that he is the leader of this team, then I can very well see that the next couple years for the Steelers may be bumpy.
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