I haven’t been to St. Vincent College since Chuck Noll was head coach of the Steelers. Since Noll retired there have only been two other Head Coach’s from 1992 on. (The same year I moved here to Atlanta.) Some NFL teams change Coach’s every three to four years – but for the Pittsburgh Steelers it’s been three Coach’s in four decades.

In a long standing tradition (like forty five years) the Pittsburgh Steelers open training camp in Latrobe, PA tomorrow. After the events of this past off season about all I can say is – it’s about time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a much talked about team during the off season in years past – but this off season has been much different story.

The team won’t have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for at least the first four to six games because of his NFL suspension. The offense will also be without wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes who was traded to the Jets after another off field stunt. Fast Willie Parker is now a Washington Redskin as we find out what running back Rashard Mendenhall is really made of. And to add insult to injury, our offensive line also lost tackle Willie Colon due to a season ending Achilles during spring training.

There really hasn’t been much said about the Defensive side of the ball – probably due to age and maturity. The Defensive squad however, needs to get back to smash mouth football that’s capable of shutting offenses down. (How many games did we lose in the last minute a year ago?) You can’t blame the absence of Troy Polamalu for all those last minute losses.

Nor can you blame me for the fresh start this year’s training camp offers die hard Steelers fans. (Certainly more than in years past.) It’s one thing to get use to all the free agent activities that are now common in the League – but this year’s off field activities from certain Pittsburgh Steelers was something no Steelers fan thought was even possible.

As a lifelong Steelers fan and the proud tradition this team has held for decades, it’s shocking that I feel this way.

But…

Thank goodness we get some of these guys off the street and back on the football field.

In one of the few interviews I saw on the internet from Ben Roethlisberger and the fiasco that happened in Milledgeville, Georgia this off season he said something that really stuck with me.

“I’m always committed to being the best I can on the football field, I don’t think that’s ever changed, and I don’t think anyone’s ever questioned that of me.”

There no question the kids got drive and talent. You saw that from the very first game he was thrown into down in Miami during a monsoon his rookie year. He reeled off 15 straight victories his rookie year – a record I don’t think will ever be broken. Since then he’s collected two Super Bowl rings and is unquestionably the offensive leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the opening of training camp – it’s back to a focus on football without time for extracurricular activities that he shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Thus, why he’s still labeled a “kid”, and for me, it will stay that way until his on field maturity matches his off field activities.

Regardless of each players commitment on the field, Mike Tomlin has his work cut out for him this year – probably more so than previous years. The Rooney’s believe in him – with a new contract extension – and while I had my doubts early on (mostly due to the lack of head coaching changes with the Steelers since 1969) Tomlin has proven that he’s the right guy for this year’s challenges.

St. Vincent gets Steelers fans back into their comfort zone. It’s rich in tradition and always brings optimism regardless of how good or bad the previous year’s record was.

This year, we can add a bad off season into the mix, and tomorrow (thank goodness) it comes to a close.

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