Six weeks before training camp begins, the Steelers are approaching a crossroads season that could set their course for much of the rest of this decade.

Are they a team on the mend, one that merely needs a patch job after an 8-8 season that disappointed them — but apparently did not discourage them — despite the departure of a high-profile offensive player in Mike Wallace and a face-of-the-franchise defensive player in James Harrison? One that will benefit from an infusion of younger players and won't really miss a couple of players who were ready to be replaced anyway?

Or are they a team on the decline, one with too many older, slower players in key positions — the Warren Sapp theory — that was exposed last season with all of its close, late-in-the-game losses?
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