Pittsburgh Steelers: Top 10 Camp Concerns

As July opens, NFL teams begin the long road to Training Camp, and ultimately, the 2010 football season. Each team heads to their respective training grounds with significant questions to answer.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it has been a long, difficult offseason punctuated by injuries, off-field misbehavior, and just an overall dark cloud that seems to have followed the team since the conclusion of their Super Bowl championship in 2008.

Here are the top 10 concerns for Mike Tomlin and company as we all get ready for the season ahead.

1. The Replacements: Quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for four to six games to start the season.

No one is surprised anymore by that statement, unless they've been hiding under a rock or deafened by constant vuvuzella horn sounds.

What we don't yet know is who will be keeping the seat warm for Big Ben.

Charlie Batch is supposedly in the race, but the chances of him taking meaningful snaps in the regular season without someone being hurt are beyond slim.

This battle belongs to young Dennis Dixon and veteran Byron Leftwich.

While most fans, including myself, feel that Dixon should be the starter, Mike Tomlin has been indicating that Leftwich will get the first chances. He's taken more snaps with the first team.

Dixon's athletic ability and skills give him a slight edge, but Leftwich has experience as a starter. Experience usually wins out, so look for Dixon to sit unless he outplays the veteran in practice and preseason games.

2. The Replacements: Wide Receiver

Ben Roethlisberger will be back after four or six games. Santonio Holmes, however, will not be back at all.

The hero of Super Bowl XLIII was shipped to the Jets for a fifth-round draft choice after yet another off-field incident. It was the second such run-in for Holmes, and coming on the heels of Roethlisberger's legal troubles, it was too much for the Steelers.

The question now, of course, is who will step into those toe-tapping, touchdown-scoring cleats?

Mike Wallace will have to prove he truly is a 60-minute man, as he will likely be asked to start opposite Hines Ward. Wallace has good speed, good hands, and runs acceptable (and improving) routes.

The problem with Wallace? He doesn't scare anyone. At least not yet.

Wallace may develop into a top receiver. He certainly has the playmaking ability. But he is mostly a speed receiver who thrived on being the third-best guy on the field.

Teams had to cover Ward and Holmes. Wallace and tight end Heath Miller were then free to become big targets in the passing game.

Now, the pressure and target will be on Wallace.

He will draw double teams because of his speed and he will no longer be free to roam the middle. It's going to be a huge test for him.

Rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, as well as veteran Antwaan Randle El will also get chances if Wallace struggles.

Look for one of them to replace Wallace as the go-to guy in tough spots.

3. The Replacements: Right Tackle

As if things weren't already bad enough this offseason, the Steelers got another shock when their starting right tackle and best offensive lineman went down for the season after tearing his achilles tendon.

Willie Colon will be hard to replace.

He was an excellent blocker in the running game and held his own in pass blocking. Now, someone else will fill those important shoes.

My first reaction is to be glad it was not the left tackle, who protects the quarterback's blind side.

My second was that the Steelers theoretically have the depth to fix this.

First, Maurkice Pouncey starts at right guard. He's physically gifted enough for any of the interior line positions, and with center Justin Hartwig entrenched for this season, it makes sense to make use of his skill somewhere.

Trai Essex, who did a good job filling in for injured Darnell Stapleton last season (so good that Stapleton is gone now), gets the call again, this time at right tackle. Essex was drafted as a tackle, so this is his natural position.

This is probably of more importance than the first two replacement jobs. The team's offensive line struggles are becoming legendary. If someone can't plug the holes, then all of the Steelers quarterbacks are going to be seeing a lot of the turf.

4. The Return of Troy

Here he comes to save the day. At least we hope so.

Without Troy Polamalu last season, the Steelers vaunted defense didn't just seem pedestrian; they seemed awful. It was like watching the Keystone Cops or the Eleven Stooges.

That's not to say all of their struggles were Polamalu-related, but the Steelers' defense is a different and dangerous animal when No. 43 is on the field.

So far, so good. Polamalu seems fully recovered and ready to roll after rehabbing during the offseason. He's cutting well, running at full speed.

Still, caution is the order of the day. He could easily re-injure what has become a balky and troublesome knee.

The best scenario for keeping him healthy is to start pulling him off the field on some downs, and of course, never playing him on a field goal unit again.

That's where he got injured last year. The notion of him ever playing there again is ludicrous.

If Polamalu is fully healthy and ready for action, then Dick LeBeau's vaunted unit suddenly looks ready to be dominant once again.

5. Decline and Fall

It happens to everyone in sports. Eventually the body just cannot and will not cope with any more punishment.

Several Steelers are knocking on that door.

Whether or not they finally hit the wall will determine a lot about this season.

Hines Ward is probably the top name on this list. He's 34 and entering his 13th season. He also plays one of the most punishing styles of receiver ever.

He's thrilling to watch, but he's also more and more likely to go down. So far, he's defied logic by being a smaller guy who delivers huge hits. He could be confused with a linebacker or strong safety if not for the league's numbering system.

If Ward goes down, the Steelers' passing game will suffer greatly. He's their biggest and most consistent threat. Losing him would be akin to losing Polamalu last season.

Also aging are defensive linemen Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith, both in their 30s as well. James Harrison may be young in experience, but he's getting up there in years too.

Losing any one of these four players could put the Steelers in a precarious spot, as depth at their positions, especially on the defensive line, is not very good.

6. Secondary Concerns

They'd like to pretend last year never happened.

Unfortunately, we have record books that remind us that it did.

The Steelers' secondary, particularly the corners, were awful in 2009, getting burnt to a crisp regularly and continually being outplayed by receivers across the NFL.

William Gay couldn't step into Bryant McFadden's shoes, looking over-matched, and out of place all season. Ike Taylor, once assigned to cover the league's top talent, looked unable to cope with the loss of Troy Polamalu.

No one could intercept a pass or create a turnover. It was ugly from beginning to end.

Ike Taylor is back for one more try. If he fails now, there's plenty of young talent knocking on the door. Also back is McFadden, who will thankfully replace Gay, who returns to his role in the nickel and dime, where he excelled as a rookie.

Also available are several talented youngsters: Joe Burnett, Keenan Lewis, and rookie Crezdon Butler all who could play a significant role this season.

7. Isn't That Special

This unit cost their coach his job.

After three years and declining production, the Steelers fired special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky.

A unit that last year was continually beat for long returns, several of which went for touchdowns, has been entirely revampled and is now under the coaching of Al Everest, a respected name in special teams coaching.

Will Allen and Arnaz Battle will provide veteran leadership to the unit. Young draft picks will provide speed and muscle. Everest will provide a better scheme.

This unit looks much stronger than last year's edition. It's doubtful that Mike Tomlin will allow the unit to struggle again.

Sadly, if the current players struggle, the only solution will be to risk playing starters on the coverage units, which several teams do.

8. Offensive Coordination

The Steelers took a huge risk this offseason by not investing in an offensive coordinator with a proven track record. Instead, they will continue with Bruce Arians, who has a track record for, well, strange play-calling.

Last year, on third down and two in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs, Arians called for a toss play to Mewelde Moore.

Wrong answer.

The play lost yards, knocked the Steelers out of field goal range, and demonstrated just why so many people have issues with Arians.

Wrong personnel (Moore is the team's slowest back), wrong call (anything that can lose you yards on the cusp of field goal range is a bad call), and a seemingly lack of understanding for the team's roster all contributed to skepticism.

Arians is back, however, and will be asked to curb the passing trend that defined the Steelers in 2009.

Both Art Rooney and Mike Tomlin want more running plays and a return to a ball-control offense. These are not Arians' strong suit, so it will be a huge challenge.

I said before that keeping Arians was a mistake. This season will either prove or disprove that statement.

He is the coach on the hottest seat within the organization.

9. Running the Gauntlet

Rashard Mendenhall emerged last season as a top running back.

In his first season as a starter, Mendenhall topped the 1,000 yard mark and proved to be both an explosive running and tough inside guy.

He is the complete back the Steelers really have not had since Barry Foster. He can get the tough inside yards like Jerome Bettis or bounce outside like Willie Parker.

The problem is, he's now all alone.

Mewelde Moore is more of a pass-catching threat than a running back. Jonathan Dwyer is likely to be the new pounder at the goal line, but he's untested.

Mendenhall is expected to shoulder a bigger load this year as well with the new commitment to running the ball again.

He doesn't have many holes in his game, but fumbles were a problem last season. He resembled Adrian Peterson in a lot of ways. He was great at gaining yards but, when fighting for more, he could lose the ball.

The running game as a whole is going to be a huge focus area this season, so Mendenhall's performance will dictate a lot about the 2010 season.

10. Image is Everything

The Steelers Mystique suffered innumerable hits during the offseason.

Starting with Ben Roethlisberger's legal troubles and ending with questions about the team's ability to produce under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have much to answer for in the coming season.

At various points, Mike Tomlin has been lauded and criticized in the press. He's been accused of winning with Bill Cowher's roster rather than putting his own stamp on the team.

I tend to disagree.

Any coach who wins a Super Bowl has done a phenomenal job of coaching his team. Tomlin has done just that.

But to silence the critics on the eve of what will be very interesting extension talks, Tomlin must take charge and prove that this is where he belongs. He's got no shortage of challenges to overcome, so this will have to be his best work to date.

Ben Roethlisberger's image will take longer to rehabilitate, but he must start as soon as his suspension lifts by winning football games on the field and being a model citizen off of it. The Rooney family will not accept less, so Big Ben needs to avoid another big mistake.

The defense and running game, hallmarks of Steelers teams of the past, must return to prominence and effectiveness or several players and coaches could find themselves in street clothes.

All of this work begins at the end of the month when camp opens.

It's time to put the puzzle together and see if the Pittsburgh Steelers can shirk the analysts and return to the top.