The Pittsburgh Steelers are now into the offseason, following a year in which they had high hopes for Super Bowl success, but ultimately fell short of even reaching the postseason at 8-8. It was a tumultuous season, both on the field and within the roster, and the months to follow figure to have some drama as well, especially in light of the team’s failure to improve upon the year before.
The team made some bold moves over the course of the past year, and some areas of the roster look quite a bit different than they did a year ago, or even at the start of the regular season. Whether due to injuries or otherwise, a lot has transpired, and we’re left to wonder how much more will change prior to September.
How will Ben Roethlisberger’s rehab progress as he winds toward recovery from an elbow injury that cost him almost the entire season? What about some of the key young players, some of whom have already impressed, others still needing quite a bit of growth? Will there be changes to the coaching staff? The front office? Who will they not retain in free agency, and whom might they bring in?
These are the sorts of questions among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked, though there is rarely a concrete answer, as I’ve learned in my years of doing this.
Question: What do you want to hear from Kevin Colbert when he speaks at the Combine next week?
The period of the offseason from the time after the playoffs until free agency starts is just a slow drip of information, periodically, and in between the drops of water are endless lists, ranks, and mock drafts. And yet it works, because the game is popular enough to sustain that for a 365-day-a-year industry.
While there are a couple of highlights, for example, when Art Rooney II speaks to reporters, the first real meaningful event is the NFL Scouting Combine, held in late February, during which general manager Kevin Colbert answers questions from the media in a public forum, the first time any team representative does so.
In such a venue, there are different opportunities that present themselves, perhaps to ask different questions. Of course, we don’t have the good fortune of being invited to attend. But if you were in the audience, and you had the opportunities to have Colbert field your questions, what would you ask him?
By then, Ben Roethlisberger should have had his checkup. However, if we hear anything on that subject, it will likely be limited to simply whether or not he was authorized to advance to ‘light throwing’. We’ve already heard about their plans for Bud Dupree. We haven’t heard anything about just about any other free agent. We haven’t heard any of them comment on the CBA. I’d like to know their thoughts on that, for one thing.
