Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
With their defense ranked No. 1 in total yards in 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers have put a majority of their focus lately on upgrading their offense.
Pittsburgh's offense was ranked No. 17 last year, which was third in the AFC North behind the Cleveland Browns (No. 8) and Cincinnati Bengals (No. 10). The Steelers still won the division, but the team realized it has to be more balanced if it wants to take the next step and contend for a Super Bowl.
Giving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a $100-plus million contract extension was the first big move the Steelers made in 2008. Pittsburgh then spent its first two picks on rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall and receiver Limas Sweed, and both players looked solid in last weekend's minicamp.
As you can read here, the Steelers have a lot of plans for Mendenhall, which include putting him in the same backfield with Willie Parker to create dual running and receiving threats. Sweed is the big-body type of receiver Pittsburgh previously lacked and could help the team on third down or in the red zone.
Expect the Steelers to maintain their usual identity of being physical this year. But also expect a little of the unexpected, thanks to some added flair on offense.
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