Dunlap: 5 Things I'm Interested In Seeing As The Steelers Head To Camp
So it is upon us.
St. Vincent.
The cracking of the pads, the hot, steamy Latrobe air, the fans flocking to fill that hillside. Oh yes, football --- what a glorious time of year even as a pennant chase is happening.
With that, let's take a look at five things I'm interested in seeing as the Steelers make their way through camp and then into the regular season with that opener against the Patriots:
+ The defense: Sure, saying "the defense" is pretty darn vague, but isn't that the overwhelming sentiment (and worry) here in Pittsburgh with what's going on with the Steelers right now? That is to say, the offense is light years ahead of their counterparts on the other side of the ball --- and the offense returns all 11 starters while the defense was ranked 18th overall and didn't appear to get much better. In short, all the same questions remain. We will see how the early portion of the schedule turns out, but I think it is fair to ask Steelers fan if you aren't at least a decent bit afraid this offense will have to score and score and score some more to win many games? As Keith Butler finally inherits the defensive coordinator job from Dick LeBeau, we can talk about that unit (and philosophies) getting younger and how they will go out there with a new, dynamic way of attacking offenses. But until they do it, I'm not much of a believer.
+ Heath's health: There aren't many more important people to this organization over the past 20 years than Heath Miller. Need him to catch a pass? He does it. Need him to get out in some space and throw a block for a rusher? He does it. Have a gimpy offensive line and keep him home most of a game to play a glorified tackle? He does it. Again, Miller's worth might go down in Steelers history as one of the most underrated of all time. But even the bravest and sturdiest, even the brawniest and most determined can't defeat age. Age is undefeated and untied and, truth be told, those 32 years are starting to catch up to Miller. It was glaringly evident in his play last season as he willed himself through 2014 even as he took numerous wallops and that flash to his step and YAC ability zapped. Miller is the ultimate Steeler, there is positively no question. It will be interesting to see if he can grind through another season relatively healthy.
+ Beachum: Considering his pedigree coming into the league --- and the man he's asked to protect --- left tackle Kelvin Beachum has performed more than admirably over the course of his career. To me at least, he's grossly overperformed. He has also, to some degree, become a portion of this offense that isn't necessarily irreplaceable, but one where people might not understand just how impactful he is. With the now-injured Mike Adams the primary backup to Beachum, it would scream out that Beachum needs to remain healthy as Adams' game is often up-and-down and, if he were to need to be inserted, one huge gaffe could get the most important player this franchise has (Roethlisberger) blindsided.
+ Cortez The Killer: Will Cortez Allen crush the chances of opposing offenses, or squash the possibilities of a win for the team he's playing for when the regular season rolls around? That's the big question for the man with the huge paycheck as, last season, he went from a guy who grabbed an enormous salary to one who played his way off the field with a horrid showing. Allen is the top corner on the left side of the field and it would be logical to assume he will be tested early by opposing offenses to see if last season was an accurate depiction of the type of player he is or just an anomaly. In everything he's said --- and the coaches have said --- in the run-up to St. Vincent, Allen still has pretty much unyielding trust from the staff. Let's see if he has that for good.
+ Backup, please: In the offseason, the Steelers went out and plugged a need by signing DeAngelo Williams to that two-year, $4 million contract to serve as the primary backup behind Mr. Do It All Le'Veon Bell. Here's the thing: The Steelers might not need him more than right off the bat, when he fills in for the suspended Bell (however long that suspension ends up being). That said, it will be intriguing to see Williams in the preseason games and also if he can serve to muster any sort of continuity out of the backfield in the passing game the way Bell does. Certainly Williams can't be expected to perform like Bell (especially in that passing game) but seeing if Roethelisberger uses Williams as a weapon or simply as a check-down guy in the air game will be interesting.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
