Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

1. Pittsburgh Steelers As coach Bill Cowher emerged from the St. Vincent College cafeteria one July afternoon at the Steelers' training camp in Latrobe, Pa., a group of fans asked him to pose for a photograph. Cowher obliged, jutting his prominent jaw forward until the camera clicked. Moments later the smile was gone from Cowher's face. He had read one too many predictions of his team's demise as a result of the off-season departure of defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau (to the Bengals)—just as he had two years earlier when LeBeau's predecessor, Dom Capers, left to become coach of the Panthers. "I'm going to tell you something," Cowher growled at a reporter. "This defense will continue to be strong, because there's one person who was responsible for it when Dick LeBeau was here, and it's the same person who oversaw it when Dom Capers was here. There's one guy who has been here all along, and you're looking at him." Point taken. Cowher, a coach generally trumpeted more for his motivational skills than for his strategic prowess, knows enough about the zone blitz to keep it in place. The real question is, Do the Steelers have the players to continue executing that defense effectively? Pittsburgh lost four starters from the NFL's second-ranked defense, including All-Pro linebacker Chad Brown, cornerbacks Rod Woodson and Willie Williams and defensive end Ray Seals. Nickelback Deon Figures is also gone. With the loss of those players and with their only elite pass rusher, linebacker Greg Lloyd, coming off major knee surgery, the Steelers would seem to be vulnerable to repeated aerial assaults, particularly in a division with so many dangerous quarterbacks. But this team is used to starting the season shorthanded. In '95 Cowher survived Woodson's knee injury in the opener by eventually moving Pro Bowl strong safety Carnell Lake to cornerback, and Pittsburgh went to the Super Bowl. Last year, after sack specialist Kevin Greene signed with Carolina and Lloyd was lost in the opener, Cowher switched Brown from the inside to Lloyd's outside position. Brown responded with 13 sacks, and the Steelers repeated as division champs. Cowher and director of football operations Tom Donahoe routinely produce unheralded yet adept sack artists the way Sean (Puffy) Combs produces hip-hop hits. The projected hit parade includes outside linebacker Jason Gildon, who became a starter last year; inside linebacker Earl Holmes, who moves up to the first team this year; and defensive end Mike Vrabel, a third-round draft pick from Ohio State. "First you've got to stop the run," says Lloyd. "If you can make an offense one-dimensional, then you can tee off."   ALSO   By the Numbers The Lineup Stats and Info   SEARCH CNN/SI Woodson, who signed with the 49ers after the Steelers deemed his salary demands excessive, was a multidimensional player whose blitzing skills and knack for the big play will be hard to replace. But Pittsburgh believed that all three of the departed corners were on the decline. The new starters are speedy veteran Donnell Woolford, signed away from the Bears as a free agent, and first-round draft pick Chad Scott, a 6'1", 203-pounder from Maryland. J.B. Brown, a Dolphins castoff, will be the nickelback. "Woolford's a good pickup," says Lake, a close friend of Woodson's who was upset by the team's failure to re-sign him. "I underestimated him. He's a better athlete than I suspected." The Steelers are stable at safety with Lake and free safety Darren Perry. "There's no question we're on the spot," Perry says. "The secondary is the place where everybody has to be on the same page. That takes time." Also on the spot is defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, who has only four years of NFL coaching experience. An assistant with the Saints the last two years, Haslett spent the off-season boning up on the zone blitz. LeBeau wasn't around to teach him, but no matter. Cowher obviously isn't worried.       —Michael Silver SCHEDULE SKINNY Bill Cowher's teams tend to survive a rough start and peak at the end of the season. The Steelers will again need to save their best for last, with four of their last five games on the road and their only home date in that span a showdown against the Broncos on Dec. 7. Six days later Pittsburgh travels to New England. If the Steelers are where Cowher wants them to be, the final five games will decide home field advantage for the AFC playoffs. STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE NFL rank: 3 Opponents' 1996 winning percentage: .531 Games against playoff teams: 7 Next team