We all know the Pittsburgh Steelers are an organization that “gets it”. The NFL-high six Lombardi Trophies verifies this. Even without those trophies, this franchise has been wildly successful. Only twice since 1972 have the Steelers posted back-to-back losing seasons (’85-”86 and ’98-’99). And never in that span have they failed to win at least five games.

What’s their secret? For starters, stability. The Rooney Family has owned this franchise since the dawn of time. Since the NFL-AFL merger, only three men have served as head coach: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. The stability isn’t the leading ingredient, though. What really sets the Steelers apart is the way the organization stays true to its identity without being imprisoned by it.

This past offseason provided a perfect snapshot of this. A pillar of the Steeler organization is character. Pittsburgh is one of America’s few major metropolitan areas that can actually trumpet itself as a blue collar town without showing false modesty. The Steelers build their roster with their reputation in the community in mind. This reputation is important enough that when Santonio Holmes, a 26-year-old star with a Super Bowl MVP award on his mantle, got arrested and suspended for a second time, owner Art Rooney instructed director of football operations Kevin Colbert to get rid of the guy – even if it meant trading a first-round talent for a fifth-round pick. That’s staying true to your identity.

More important, though, is how the Steelers don’t imprison themselves with high-character stipulations. The front office was infuriated by the suspension-inducing off-field conduct of Ben Roethlisberger. But, contrary to media reports in April, the Steelers never seriously explored trades for Roethlisberger. Why? Because you don’t win Super Bowls by trading a 28-year-old two-time champion with more physical talent than any quarterback in the NFL. Double standard here? Not if your standard is maximizing the success of the Steeler brand. Sure, keeping a dishonored quarterback hurts the brand, but not nearly as much as winning helps the brand.

The Steelers still publicly censured Roethlisberger and supported Roger Goodell’s decision to issue a six-game suspension (barring bad behavior, it will be reduced to four games). And you can bet that even one more legal incident would stamp the quarterback’s ticket out of town. There are concerns about Roethlisberger’s reputation in the locker room. But the uncomfortable truth is, his reputation hasn’t mattered in the past (again, two titles). A big reason why is because this organization’s ability to maintain its identity without imprisoning itself applies on the field, as well.

Case in point: there were whispers that the front office wanted offensive coordinator Bruce Arians fired this spring. The Steelers have long been a smashmouth, run-first team. But in the past two seasons, they’ve finished 22^nd and 19^th in rushing. In speaking to reporters along the lines of this topic, Arians caused a stir when he quipped that his system didn’t need a fullback (pure heresy to Pittsburgh’s football purists). Arians wasn’t fired, though. Mike Tomlin realized that, while the offense probably needs more balance, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to can the guy who called plays in a Super Bowl victory just two years ago. A lot of front offices would not have let the head coach make this call. But that’s part of the Steelers not being imprisoned by their identity. Ownership is humble and flexible enough to let Tomlin do his job.

Tomlin himself embodies the Steeler mantra. Remember, he was hired as a defensive coach straight from the Tony Dungy 4-3 Tampa 2 school. But when he got here, Tomlin took a look at nose tackle Casey Hampton, outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison, utility star Troy Polamalu and the glistening résumé of coordinator Dick LeBeau and decided it was best to ignore his ego and leave this zone-blitzing 3-4 defense intact. Today, that zone-blitzing 3-4 is the reason Pittsburgh enters 2010 as a Super Bowl contender.

You might think “Super Bowl contender” is hyperbole considering this team went 9-7 and missed the playoffs last season. But last season was a fluke. The ’09 Steelers were the first team since the ’98 Super Bowl champion Broncos to not trail by more than seven points at any time during the first 12 games of a season. The ’98 Broncos were 12-0 in those 12 games. The ’09 Steelers, thanks to atrocious kickoff coverage and a Polamalu-less secondary that had a penchant for blowing coverages late in games, were 6-6. Slightly improve the kick of pass coverage and the nail-biting losses don’t pile up.

Then again, losing nail biters is a form of handling adversity poorly. The Steelers know this. And, presumably, they’ve learned from the experience. They’d better have learned. After all, thanks to the actions of their star quarterback, they’re facing adversity right out of the gate in 2010.

Offense

It’s somewhat surprising the Steelers are going with Byron Leftwich rather than Dennis Dixon during Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension. True, the 25-year-old Dixon is meager-armed and still very raw. Bruce Arians had to drastically trim the playbook when Dixon started against the Ravens in Week 12 last year. But at least Dixon has the athleticism to make plays as a scrambler. Leftwich is a statue playing behind an offensive line that has yielded 47, 46 and 50 sacks over the last three seasons.

Obviously, a chunk of those sacks can be chalked up to Roethlisberger’s proclivity for holding the ball. We all know the deal there: the sacks are a tradeoff for the spectacular sandlot plays that have been the driving force behind Pittsburgh’s success in recent years.

Fortunately, come Week 1, the Steeler receivers will have had several months to get used to the long windup and ridiculous velocity that define Leftwich’s ball. And non players should have any problem transitioning from Leftwich to Roethlisberger in October.

The bigger challenge will be replacing Santonio Holmes. Conventional two-receiver formations won’t be an issue, as Holmes’s replacement, second-year wideout Mike Wallace, is an budding star. Wallace has terrific straight-line speed and already shows a veteran’s understanding of how route combinations work against various coverages. Opposite Wallace, of course, is Hines Ward, a Hall of Fame caliber possession receiver who, at 34, is coming off the second most productive season of his career.

The issue will be the depth. If Wallace starts, who comes off the bench in passing situations? The Steelers are kidding themselves if they think the Antwaan Randle-El they signed in spring is the same Antwaan Randle-El they failed to re-sign back in 2006. Randle-El is only 30, but he’s lost too much of the quickness that once made him a dynamic slot weapon. It’s not inconceivable that Randle-El could experience a Renaissance here, but it’s also not inconceivable that graceful but uninspiring ex-Niner Arnaz Battle could assume the No. 3 job instead.

Likely, soft-handed tight end Heath Miller will become more than just an underneath option in the passing game. The Steelers may be inclined to make more of a receiver out of 6’7”, 270-pound tight end Matt Spaeth. That is, if Spaeth can keep his job ahead of blocking H-back Sean McHugh.

Spaeth and McHugh will both see plenty of snaps in 2010 because Arians wasn’t joking when he said his offense doesn’t use a fullback. Yes, last year’s fifth-round pick, Frank Summers, is on the roster, but a majority of Pittsburgh’s runs will come out of two-tight end, one-back formations. Rising star Rashard Mendenhall is at his best in these sets. Mendenhall is a downhill runner with good burst and an impressive combination of power and agility. He has matured since being a first-round pick in ’08 and should post at least 1,350 yards in 2010. Power runner Jonathan Dwyer was drafted in the sixth-round, but third down veteran Mewelde Moore – who struggles in pass protection but thrives in all other realms – remains the top backup.

The Steelers have managed to function with a mediocre offensive line in recent years. Don’t expect anything to change. Remarkable run-blocking makes left guard Chris Kemoeatu the star. He’s the only source of genuine mobility up front, though. Willie Colon was the other standout blocker, but a torn Achilles over the summer wiped out his season. It’d be surprising if the Steelers replace Colon with incompetent ex-Bill Jonathan Scott. Some have said Pittsburgh could move decent-but-heavy-footed Max Starks back to right tackle, but that would just leave a hole at left tackle.

A better solution would be to move right guard Trai Essex back to his natural tackle position. Backup Ramon Foster can then fill in inside. In that case, though, the Steelers would probably have to give in and immediately start precocious first-round rookie Maurkice Pouncey at center. Reason being, if center Justin Hartwig remained the starter next to Foster, you’d have two guys inside who are excruciatingly slow off the snap. Because last year’s third-round pick Kraig Urbik has been a disappointment, the Steelers would likely turn to third-year tackle Tony Hills if they decided to keep Foster as a utility backup. (Or, they could decide to just go with Jonathan Scott after all – time will tell.)

Defense

You can’t overstate the significance of a healthy Troy Polamalu. When Polamalu is on the field, Dick LeBeau has not only the league’s best defensive playmaker to fiddle with, but a flexible weapon who can disguise attacks. Polamalu thrives both as a centerfielder and eighth man in the box. With his return, expect more consistency from hard-hitting free safety Ryan Clark.

Pittsburgh’s zone-blitz packages are dependent on having solid, versatile cornerbacks holding down the fort on the back end. Ike Taylor is a bona fide No. 1 corner who would be a household name if not for so many dropped interceptions. The 30-year-old is playing for a new contract in 2010. The Steelers eagerly traded a pair of late-round picks to Arizona in order to reacquire fundamentally-sound veteran Bryant McFadden. In doing this, they essentially admitted it was a mistake to anoint Willie Gay the No. 2 corner. Gay is back in the slot, but if he continues to give up zip codes-worth of separation to receivers, the Steelers will turn to LeBeau favorite Keenan Lewis or last year’s fifth-round pick, Joe Burnett.

As important as the secondary is, the front seven defines this unit. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley form the best outside linebacking tandem in football. In fact, you could argue that either is the best outside linebacker in football period. Both have speed, earth-shaking power and supple athleticism. You can’t consistently pass-block either man one-on-one, and it’s fruitless to run directly at either of them.

In a case of the rich potentially getting richer, the Steelers also have rookie second-round outside linebacker Jason Worilds, an intriguing athlete who will spend the next few years coming off the bench and being groomed as Harrison’s replacement. In the short-term, Worilds will compete for playing time with fourth-round rookie Thaddeus Gibson.

McFadden wasn’t the only veteran brought back. Larry Foote was given a three-year, $9.3 million contract to try to capture from Lawrence Timmons his old starting inside linebacker job. Foote is a resolute north/south tackler. Timmons has uncanny downhill explosiveness, but he lacks instincts and doesn’t stand out in traffic. Regardless of who starts, both will see significant action in 2010. James Farrior returns at the other inside slot. The 35-year-old doesn’t quite get off blocks the way he used to, but his quickness and instincts still make him usually the first tackler to meet the ballcarrier.

It was wise of Kevin Colbert to give nose tackle Casey Hampton a three-year, $21.3 million contract over the offseason. (Equally wise was the $1 million weight clause Colbert inserted in the deal.) Hampton, a quintessential plugger, is the prime factor in this perennially staunch run defense. At 33 (in September), he’s not yet wearing down, but endurance has always been a bugaboo with the “325”-pounder. Fortunately, undersized but high-octane backup Chris Hoke still has at least one good year left in him.

Defensive end Aaron Smith is 34 and coming back from season-ending rotator cuff surgery. He’s expected to continue playing at a high level, though that’s not to say last year’s first-round pick, Ziggy Hood, won’t become a bigger part of the rotation. Hood has great quickness – he just needs to hone his mechanics. Right end Brett Keisel isn’t a big name, but he’s an important X-factor. Keisel thrives in all facets except as a playside run anchor. His mobility and versatility are key to creating the chaotic presnap deceit this front seven is built on.

Special Teams

Kicker Jeff Reed wants a long-term contract but will have to settle for a $2.8 million franchise tag for now. Reed is accurate on field goals, but the Steelers want him to improve his kickoff depth. In fact, they want the entire kick coverage unit to improve. Last season, Pittsburgh surrendered four kickoff returns for touchdowns and several field position-altering big returns. To help in this area, the Steelers signed ex-Buc Will Allen and hired Al Everest as the new special teams coordinator. The rest of the special teams are fine. Daniel Sepulveda is a very good placement punter. Quick, darting Stefan Logan is adequate in the return game.

Bottom Line

Same old rock-solid Steelers. If they can successfully tread water while Roethlisberger is out, they’ll be contenders the rest of the way.

Predicted: 2^nd AFC North

Andy Benoit is the founder of www.NFLTouchdown.com and writer for CBSSports.com’s NFL Blog. He can be contacted at andy.benoit –at – NFLTouchdown.com.

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