On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will begin training camp at St. Vincent's College in Latrobe. Two weeks and one day later, they'll suit up for the first of four preseason games before kicking off the 2011 NFL season on September 11th against the Baltimore Ravens. Lots of uncertainties personnel-wise still to be sorted out between now and all three dates, but because of the odd scheduling this year, I'm inclined to believe that the preseason slate will carry more significance for most teams this year. It's in those games that many lesser-known guys looking to turn heads will have opportunities to do. In 'normal' years, that process would begin in mini-camps and OTAs.
The NFL released the dates and times of the preseason this afternoon. Let's take a look at what the Steelers have on tap.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Time | Broadcast |
| 1 | Fri. August 12th | @ Washington | 7:30 pm | None |
| 2 | Thu. August 18t | vs Philadelphia | 8:00 pm | FOX |
| 3 | Sat. August 27th | vs. Atlanta | 7:30 pm | None |
| 4 | Thu. September 1st | @ Carolina | 8:00 pm | None |