Guest Blogger: Brad Denny

Hey Everyone, the bar is 8 days away! Brad Denny has put together a good article on why his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers will win their division. In the comments go ahead and tell him why he is sooooo wrong, and then explain why your favorite team will win their own division.

Here are Brad's arguments...

Ben Roethlisberger – It was a tale of three seasons for Ben Roethlisberger. The first began with his horrific motorcycle accident, climaxed with his emergency appendectomy shortly before the season opener, and ended with a Week 5 loss to San Diego. In that first stretch of 3 games, he was picked off 7 times without throwing a TD. However, after that, he clearly found his groove again and played like the Ben of 2005, lighting up the Chiefs and Falcons before a Falcons cheap shot (a blow admitted as such by the NFL) gave him a concussion and knocked him out of in the 3^rd Quarter. His number in a game and a half,,,5 TD, 0 INT. He struggled for 2 more games, throwing 1-7, before again getting comfortable for begin the “third season”. He was brilliant in a 3 TD/0 INT win over the Saints, and led the Steelers to a 6-2 mark in the second half of the season, as he was finally able to be free on injury. Now with a full off-season and perfect health, new OC Bruce Arians (the quarterback coach of, yes…Peyton Manning for 3 years) is giving Ben much more control of the offense, and planning to use 3 and 4 WR formations to exploit the excellent weapons at their disposal. Ben may not throw for 3,513 yards again, but his QB rating will be much more in line with the 98s of his first two seasons. Oh, and the W-L record will be more like those years as well. It’s amazing how after 1 injury riddled, yet ultimately promising year, some superficial fans are ready to right off a QB who in his first two years went 27-4, and won a Super Bowl. Well, people in the league know how good he is, and soon enough, all of the cretins will get a refresher course.

Santonio Holmes – The Steelers rarely trade up in the first round of the draft, but when they do, the best drafting team (a fact) in the NFL never misses (Troy Polamalu anyone?). They did so again last year for Ohio State wideout Santonio Holmes. Despite being the top rated receiver in the 2006 draft, some questioned this move, as WR was not a huge need for the Steelers. Holmes had a shaky first half, as did the Steelers, posting only 16 catches. However, Holmes emerged as one of the most explosive receivers in the NFL down the stretch, and he finished with 49 grabs for 824 yards. His 16.8 yards per catch was 2^nd in the NFL among players with as many catches. Blessed with a solid frame and lightning speed to get the deep ball, he also is adept at turning a short route into a long gain, as his 10.5 yards per short pass attempt led all NFL WRs by a staggering 2.5 yards. With new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians planning on running more 3 and 4 wide sets, look for Holmes to breakout in a big way.

Dick LeBeau – Despite the coaching change, the Steelers were able to retain Dick LeBeau, one of the top defensive minds of the NFL, master of the 3-4, and inventor of the zone blitz. The defense is still among the NFL’s elite, having ranked in the top 3 in rush defense each of the last three seasons (1^st, 3^rd, 3^rd), and the core of this unit returns. All Pro tackle Casey Hampton anchors the line, and despite the loss of Joey Porter, whose bark was much more than his bite in recent years (only 1 season of 9+ sacks since 2002), the Steelers have great quality, with rookies Lawrence Timmons (16^th overall pick) and LaMarr Woodley (Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year) to compliment veterans James Harrison and Clark Haggans. The key to the defense will be the secondary. Obviously, Polamalu is the best and most versatile safety in the league, and second year safety Anthony Smith is drawing rave reviews as his partner. The CB play, especially that of Ike Taylor, regressed from 2005, and is the top concern. However, with Tomlin’s expertise and Cover 2 schemes, along with the continued development of Bryant McFadden, the early reports around the league are very promising for this young secondary. One thing is for sure, teams won’t be able to run of the Steelers, which is a damn good start.

Dan Rooney – There is no better owner than Dan Rooney. Period. End of debate. Owner of five titles, the best winning percentage of any team since 1992, and the most respected owner in the NFL, Mr. Rooney knows what it takes to run a successful and respected franchise. His right hand man, Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert is among the best in the business. Year after year, the Steelers reload through the draft after losing key verterans, yet they still win. After a horrific 2-6 start, the Men of Steel rebounded to go 6-2 for a .500 finish, and very nearly made the playoffs. After Coach Cowher retired, everyone (myself included) thought either Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm would get the job, yet the team surprised everyone by hiring Minnesota Defensive Coordinator Mike Tomlin. The Rooneys have a proven track record of hiring coaches, having only 3 (Tomlin included) since 1969, resulting in 5 rings. The last time they hired an energetic, no-name DC in his 30s, it turned out pretty well, wouldn’t ya say?

Steve McNair – The primary threat in the division is reigning champion Baltimore, led by the 34 year old McNair. While he started fast, his play tailed off immensely late in the year, only having one game among the final 4 with a passer rating over 70, and couldn’t led the offense to a touchdown in their home playoff loss to Indy. He also showed the typical McNair nagging injuries, and with Kyle Boller as his backup, the Ravens offense is one hit away from hitting a wall. His age and injuries will catch up to him, and his play will fall well short of magic of last year, leaving the door wide open for Pittsburgh.

Bonus Reason
The Cincinnati PD – Thanks to the boys in blue for tirelessly cleaning up the streets of the scum and villainy that is the roster of the Bengals. At the current rate, most of the starters of this young and immature team will be locked up by midseason.