Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Which Team Is Best in State?

The Philadelphia Eagles have been very, very busy this offseason.

They've made some serious changes to their defense and have added a couple pieces to their offense.

Some of their key signings and trades netted them cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, running back Ronnie Brown, defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins and receiver Steve Smith.

With all of those new pieces, they look set to give the Green Bay Packers a run for their money as the class of the NFC.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a pretty quiet offseason.

They've re-signed a couple of their players and only made one notable addition in receiver Jerricho Cotchery.

Their philosophy is that this team got them to within a touchdown of a Super Bowl victory last year, so why make too many changes to that winning formula?

On Thursday night, these two Pennsylvanian teams will take each other on in a meaningless preseason game.

However, while it doesn't count towards the final standings, these two teams will be trying to prove who is the best team in the state.

They'll settle that debate in the regular season, though.

The Steelers will be looking to win the AFC North again and make it back to the playoffs.

The Eagles will be trying to repeat as NFC East champions and will try to last longer in the playoffs this year than they did last year.

The Steelers will have to make it past the New York Jets, the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers, among others, if they are going to make another appearance in the Super Bowl.

The Eagles will have to avenge their loss to the Green Bay Packers and hold off the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints if they are going to make it to the Super Bowl.

So, which team is going to make it farther in 2011 and win the "best team in the state" debate?

My money is on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers are a more cohesive unit from a defensive standpoint. They have been playing together for a few years now and know each other very well.

The Eagles probably have more talent on defense and will eventually be the better team in the state, but it won't happen in 2011.

In 2012, there will probably be a changing of the guard in Pennsylvania.

For now, the Steelers are the class of the state.

We'll have to see how the Eagles' defense performs on Thursday. They probably won't play more than a quarter or two, but fans should get a good look at just how far the unit has to come before they can compare to them to the Steelers' vaunted defense.