6/22-Steelers Have A Real Shot At Number 7

As we round out the month of June and head into July, we find ourselves just a few weeks away from the start of training camp.  A camp that will kick off a season of extremely high expectations for the black and gold.  There are plenty of people, including yours truly, who believe the Steelers have a real shot at winning it all this year. 

The offense will be one of, if not the, best in the league. Assuming LeVeon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger stay healthy, along with Antonio Brown, the Steelers will have one of the best trios in football.  The loss of Martavis Bryant certainly won’t help but they have enough fire power to overcome his absence.  Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates will play even bigger roles this season and DeAngelo Williams will be back as a pivotal player as well.

The defensive side of the ball will need to take a leap forward. Of course they still have Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt on the defensive line. Bud Duptree should be back and better than ever at linebacker and adding rookies Artie Burns and Sean Davis in the secondary and Javon Hargrave at Nose Tackle (all of whom could start) will make this team a force.  The defense will certainly have some growing pains as they are very young but I expect their talent to shine through and their stats to reflect one of a successful bunch.

The biggest challenge this team may find is contending with the Bengals and what should be an improved Ravens team for the division.  Both team have aspirations of their own, legitimate ones and they will certainly take those aspirations to another level when facing their rival in Pittsburgh.

Furthermore, down the line, contending with the Patriots in the playoffs is always an issue and one the Steelers will need to overcome if they want to advance to and win the Super Bowl.

For now though, we are only in June and a lot has to happen before we can even discuss next January. So as we progress through the summer and get closer to training camp, dream away, the Steelers chance of winning it all is as real as it’s ever been.