Bruce Arians announced yesterday that Carey Davis has beaten out Kreider for starting fullback duties. With Davis being the starter it would seem likely that Kreider would be inactive on most game days. Davis has impressed the coaching staff with his versatility and looks to be a better fit for the Steelers new offense. My man love for Kreider has surfaced through out the preseason so I won't say much more than that.
The
Post Gazette came up with the five keys to rebounding from last year's disappointing 8-8 season. In order they are:
1. Solid offensive line play - definitely the most important question heading into the season.
2. Healthy "Fast" Willie - PG says he's the most important player on the roster, no arguments here
3. Big Ben - was the difference between a 8-8 team and a playoff team last year and can make a big difference this year as well
4. Strong Pass Rush - best disguise for a questionable secondary
5. Solid Special Teams - two special teams coaches hope to turn around a unit that cost the team at least one game in 2006.
I couldn't agree more with nearly every one of these. If we excel in each of these areas there isn't any reason why this team can't be in contention for the North and the AFC.
The Post also has an interesting article comparing the first seasons of Noll, Cowher and
Tomlin. There isn't anything ground breaking here but still an interesting read. One of the highlights, I had no idea that the Steelers were so bad when Noll took over, having gone 18-50-3 and through three coaches in the previous five seasons.
Update [2007-9-7 11:38:25 by cgolden]:: Cowher predicts the Steelers to finish third in the North. When asked about it Ward said he didn't know if Cowher really meant it but thought that it might actually help them.