Position Battles 1999

Defensive End

There has been a lot of speculation that Orpheus Roye will replace Kevin Henry on the defensive line. Henry has been a solid starter for the last three seasons, but Roye just may be too good to keep on the bench and on special teams. The Steelers would also love to have their linemen be able to rush the passer, something they really haven't done effectively since Ray Seals was here.

Wide Receiver

Who are the starting receivers going to be? That question is WIDE open. Courtney Hawkins figures to be one of them, but don't count on it. Rookie Troy Edwards will get a big push as long as he plays decently and doesn't shoot off his mouth again. Hines Ward is another guy that could really have a chance to make an impact. A guy I like is David Dunn. If he keeps his weight down, he could easily work his way into the starting lineup, because he is one of the few big receivers we have. Another tall receiver is rookie Malcom Johnson from my favorite football school, Notre Dame. There's also Alex Van Dyke, whom the Steelers traded for back in March, and Will Blackwell, whose job may really be in jeopardy with all these other receivers coming in.

Offensive Tackle

Free agent signee Wayne Gandy will start on one side, but who will play opposite of him? Well, there's always Jamain Stephens, if you can still say his name without laughing. There's also Anthony Brown, who the Steelers picked up from Cincinatti, and Chris Conrad, a third round pick from last year. However, rookie and Outland trophy winner Kris Farris may be able to take that spot. The Steelers got yet another draft day steal by selecting Farris in the third round, just months after they were strongly considering drafting him with their 13th overall pick. This guy is huge too. If the Steelers want to improve on offense, they have to start at the line. Look what has happened to this line in the last two seasons. John Jackson left, Will Wolford retired, and Justin Strzelczyk suffered what will most likely end up being a career ending injury. Their is a direct correlation between the collapse of the offensive line and the collapse of the offense last season. After losing all their veterans, the Steelers are rebuilding nicely with younger guys like Farris, Brendan Stai, Wayne Gandy, and Alan Faneca. With guys like Brown or Chris Conrad serving as either possible starters or capable backups, the Steelers should have some depth as well. The line is of course still anchored by perhaps the greatest center in pro football history, Dermontti Dawson.

Free Safety

For the first time since back when Chuck Noll was still coaching the team, someone else besides Darren Perry will be starting at free safety. The Steelers signed Travis Davis, formerly of Jacksonville, to fill this position. He should be able to become the starter, but don't count out two other guys - rookie Scott Shields and veteran Chris Oldham. Shields is a big, powerful safety who evokes memories of Gary Jones. Oldham has managed to stay in the NFL as a 3rd down back for almost ten years, because he's always around to make the big plays. Either of those guys could steal the job from Davis.

Running Back

Yes, Jerome Bettis is still the starter, but for the third straight year, no one knows who will back him up. The Steelers are still trying to make up for the incredibly stupid mistake they made two seasons ago, when they got greedy and dumped Erric Pegram for no good reason other than to save a few bucks. The smart money at this position is on Amos Zereoue. It's gonna be hard for me to see that guy in a Steelers uniform after he tore up Pitt for the last four years, but I'll get over it, and I really believe he's going to be a star on this team. This guy is small but unexepectedly strong. He'll be a kick return guy also. Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala will most likely continue to serve as the third string halfback or possibly be moved to fullback. Then there's last year's fumble king, Richard Huntley. Most people expect him to be gone, but I don't. He's a good special teams player, and the Steelers need someone to replace Freddy Mac, who never re-signed even though nobody else offered him a deal. Don't underestimate the importance of this position. The Steelers did that in 1997 when they got rid of Pegram, and they paid for it by watching George Jones and Huntley fumble away points for two seasons.

Placekicker

Speaking of stupid personnel mistakes, the Steelers are now without a kicker, because they refused to pay Norm Johnson even a little bit of what he deserves. Now we're left with rookies. The battle will be between Matt Davenport and Kris Brown, but for some reason, I just don't see either of these guys making the team. Brandi Chastain will be our kicker before either of them. Look for the Steelers to go out and sign a veteran kicker after a long pre-season full of terrible kicks by these two rookies. And don't be too shocked if the veteran kicker they end up signing is Norm Johnson.