Are the Pittsburgh Steelers Becoming Too Comfortable?

Coming off a 12-4 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers proved that they are one of the league's elite teams.

But Steelers Nation, hear me out on this one. Perhaps the Steelers are becoming too complacent with where they are, and that could cost them in 2012.

I know that claim upsets many and stats can be shoved in my face to rebut it, but let's look into the 2012 Steelers' offseason.

The Steelers let go of Aaron Smith and James Farrior, who both helped build that great defense which has been to three Super Bowls since 2005. Granted, both men are in their mid to late 30s, but they still played a significant role in the modern Steel Curtain defense.

On offense, guard Chris Kemoeatu and fan favorite Hines Ward were both released. Ward wanted to continue his career but due to his age, Pittsburgh was the only place he could play. Ward would have been content as a role player, just as long as he could play the game for as long as he wanted. The Steelers' receiving leader and Super Bowl MVP earned that right.

Trust me, Steelers faithful. From a business perspective, I completely understand the roster moves. The Steelers' personnel was aging and made the difficult decisions that every franchise must do.

But here's the problem.

Coming off a disappointing playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, the Steelers acknowledged that they needed to make roster changes.

The Steelers let a lot of their players test the free-agent market. Guys like Mewelde Moore, Jerricho Cotchery, William Gay and Byron Leftwich were allowed to walk. Make any argument on the Steelers' behalf but each guy had a role on the team.

These moves would be fine if the Steelers planned to be busy in the free-agent frenzy. That just didn't happen. The Steelers signed an unproven receiver in Wes Lyons. The kid has never touched the field in an NFL game. And with the debacle with Mike Wallace, the Steelers could really use a proven wideout.

The only other roster moves were signing Will Johnson, adding Leonard Pope and re-signing Ramon Foster. They dodged a massive bullet by re-signing Cotchery. His departure would have left Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown as the only receivers on the roster.

The Steelers have somewhat trimmed their roster in 2012. Part of cleaning house is adding new pieces to the puzzle. It's very possible that Wallace holds out, as he isn't going to sign his tender. They lost statistically their best receiver ever in Ward. And the only player they signed is a backup tight end in Pope? Sorry, not good enough.

If the Steelers plan on solely using the 2012 NFL Draft to fill the voids created by their personnel moves, they shouldn't expect to be better than they were in 2011. There are still veteran free agents available on the market, and the Pittsburgh front office must look to them if they want to add depth to the roster.

The Steelers have been one of the NFL's finest teams since 2005. Maybe they are too comfortable going into 2012. They've lost some valuable talent and haven't made much of an effort to replace it. Maybe the Steelers are content with what's left on their roster.

Watch out, Pittsburgh. A lazy offseason might just weaken the team permanently.