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Balanced Steelers await Texans in opener

Sep 7, 2008 - 12:51 PM Houston at Pittsburgh, 1:00 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Just three years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were content to let Ben Roethlisberger manage a game and rely on their defense to win. Not anymore.

With a renewed emphasis on offense, Roethlisberger and the Steelers host the Houston Texans on Sunday in the season opener.

Roethlisberger won a Super Bowl in his second season with Pittsburgh despite throwing just 17 touchdown passes - part of a three-year stretch when he tossed 17, 17 and 18.

Last season, however, the 6-6 Roethlisberger tossed 32 scoring passes, yet all it got the Steelers was a first-round exit from the postseason with a stunning home loss to Jacksonville.

The 31-29 defeat to the Jaguars capped a five-game stretch in which Pittsburgh's once-vaunted defense was gashed for 145 points - an average of 29 per game.

Apparently believing that was more the result of injuries, the Steelers chose to beef up even more on offense, spending their first two draft picks on a running back (Rashard Mendenhall) and a tall wide receiver (6-4 Limas Sweed) for which Roethlisberger has been clamoring.

With Santonio Holmes emerging as a star at wide receiver and Willie Parker coming off three straight 1,200-yard seasons despite suffering a broken leg in Week 16 in 2007, Pittsburgh has its most potent and balanced offense in years.

"I think we've got a strong supporting cast around him now," veteran wideout Hines Ward said. "We're just as talented as anybody "

Still, Roethlisberger was sacked 47 times last season, and that's with an offensive line that included perennial Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca, who signed with the New York Jets as a free agent.

That bodes well for Texans defensive end Mario Williams, who is coming off a season in which he registered 14 sacks.

Houston's selection of Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, ahead of Reggie Bush and Vince Young, was widely panned, especially after a 4 1/2-sack rookie season, but the 6-7 behemoth's breakout 2007 campaign has quieted such talk.

The Texans need Matt Schaub, in his second season with the club, and wide receiver Andre Johnson to stay on the field.

Last year, Schaub missed five full games and parts of two others due to injuries, while Johnson missed seven straight contests after opening the season with a pair of seven-catch, 100-yard efforts.

The duo will need to hook up early and often to take the pressure off a running game filled with question marks.

Starter Ahman Green has been bothered by a groin injury throughout the preseason and likely will yield plenty of carries to Chris Taylor and electrifying rookie Steve Slaton against the Steelers, who are seeking their fifth straight season-opening victory.