Pivotal Player?

Who is the one lesser established player whose 2012 performance will go a long way towards determining the Steelers' season?

I'm going to go with Marcus Gilbert at LT, thinking how doomed the Steelers would have been last year if Starks did not have such a great come back...the way he stepped in after Baltimore sodomized our offensive line.

Other candidates? RB Redman, Cb Allen, DE Heyward, WR Sanders, etc.

RLON39 wrote:Who is the one lesser established player whose 2012 performance will go a long way towards determining the Steelers' season?

I'm going to go with Marcus Gilbert at LT, thinking how doomed the Steelers would have been last year if Starks did not have such a great come back...the way he stepped in after Baltimore sodomized our offensive line.

Other candidates? RB Redman, Cb Allen, DE Heyward, WR Sanders, etc.

I'm leaning towards Redman as my pick for 2012. With Mendy out, he will have to carry the load.... it is his time to shine or not... if he has a breakout season.... Mendy and his cap hit may disappear. Redman"s style of running can help the O-line in the run blocking game....... he does not need a huge hole and can get to the second level on shear power. While he isn't the threat to break one off as Mendy was. I think he will be more consistent in getting yardage play after play.

Now that Hines Ward has retired, and outside of James Harrison, Redman is likely to end up being my favorite Steeler. I would love to see the Steelers' line improved to the point that the one two punch of Redman and Dwyer can realize its potential. With a stronger interior line, the balance created with a running game capable of keeping leads and making this talented defense even more effective, by keeping them off the field, would make the Steelers a tough team to beat...Basically, if the Steelers keep their team in tact, improving their offense and defense in the middle on both sides of the ball, I think they will be the clear favorite in the AFC. I see Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Houston being the best teams in the AFC in 2012. I see Baltimore and New England taking a step back, with Denver being a very iffy situation, depending on Manning's health. The Jets won't even make the playoffs.

RLON39 wrote:Now that Hines Ward has retired, and outside of James Harrison, Redman is likely to end up being my favorite Steeler. I would love to see the Steelers' line improved to the point that the one two punch of Redman and Dwyer can realize its potential. With a stronger interior line, the balance created with a running game capable of keeping leads and making this talented defense even more effective, by keeping them off the field, would make the Steelers a tough team to beat...Basically, if the Steelers keep their team in tact, improving their offense and defense in the middle on both sides of the ball, I think they will be the clear favorite in the AFC. I see Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Houston being the best teams in the AFC in 2012. I see Baltimore and New England taking a step back, with Denver being a very iffy situation, depending on Manning's health. The Jets won't even make the playoffs.

My feelings are: The Steelers have positioned themselves for one of their most important drafts in recent years. With the salary cap problems of this year , and those projected for the next few.. who or what they draft this year and next will be crucial to the teams success down the road. A lot of veteran faces are gone. Rebuild or reload, however you describe it. It will still be Steelers football come next Fall. I suspect the change at OC will have a positive effect of the offense, creating more balance... or the perceived notion of balance. I think they have to get younger up the middle on the defense if they expect to be as dominant as years past. OG is also an area that needs upgrade, though I feel depth is more important at this point for the O-line.