(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been sitting on top of the world for the past five months. 

This team has helped surpass every other NFL franchise in overall success, and now comes the time to defend that success. 

The Steelers do not have as tough a road as one might think.

First of all, they do not have a rough schedule. In fact, this might be the easiest schedule I’ve seen for a defending champion in a long time. 

The Steelers really only have three, possibly four, tough games before a convenient Week 8 bye. They see Tennessee the first game of the season, followed by a possible challenge at Chicago. The next tough game comes two weeks later against San Diego, but they get the Chargers at home. 

The final week before their bye, the unstoppable force meets the immovable object when Adrian Peterson goes head-to-head with the Steel Curtain. This could be the marquee game of the first half of the season if both teams manage to stay undefeated, so circle this one on your calendars.

The second half of the season is a relative breeze, with the only challenges coming from Baltimore (twice) and Miami at the very end. Because of that, the Steelers should steamroll right back into the playoffs. 

Regular season prediction:  13-3 (losses at Baltimore, Tennessee, and Green Bay).

Pittsburgh needs to do very little to restructure its roster, as the Steelers didn't lose much in free agency and added depth from the draft and injury returns. 

Obviously, the turmoil surrounding Ben Roethlisberger's alleged rape case is a huge issue. But I won’t go in depth about that, considering the already heavy media coverage.

One issue that isn’t touched on enough is the replacement of Bryant McFadden. OK, so maybe he wasn’t Darren Perry, but he could hit hard. 

Believe it or not, a good free safety is hard to replace. Right now, Ryan Clark, who basically worked nickel and dime packages for the Steelers last year, figures to be the starter come game day.  But, we will see exactly how good he is—otherwise, the team may have to go get someone.

Another issue is lack of depth at two positions: Outside linebacker and offensive tackle.  The Steelers will have a huge problem if either LaMarr Woodley or Lawrence Timmons go down early in the season, because the options left are young and rough around the edges. 

When you look at the depth chart, offensive tackle may look safe, but Max Starks has a history of injury and Trai Essex is wildly inconsistent. I do not think they need to look for someone else, but team management needs to watch some of these guys closely.

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