(Chris Schneider/AP)

So much was made about the Pittsburgh Steelers defense last year, that we forget about what a potent offense they have, especially when they’re healthy.

The Steelers have that balanced offense that every team in the NFL strives for.

“He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the league,” defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said about QB Ben Roethlisberger. “He’s now a veteran with some time under his belt. He’s always been dangerous. He’s got the ability to extend plays with his feet, and got the arm strength to throw the ball down the field to some very, very talented receivers, and that’s not even what they really want to do. They want to pound you in the run game.”

The Steelers were ranked 14th in rushing and 10th in passing last season. That was too mediocre by Steelers’ standards. The team hired Todd Haley who was fired as the Kansas City Chiefs head coach in December as their new offensive coordinator. Haley grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh and his father was the personnel director for the team at one time.

I know that he brings legitimate enthusiasm and energy to what he’s doing,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Haley. “Obviously he’s got a strong love for the Pittsburgh Steelers given that he grew up in this environment, and he’s a very credible and accomplished offensive coach. We find comfort in all of those things.”

Of course the Broncos are familiar with Haley’s style because he was the head coach in Kansas City for nearly three years. The Broncos are also familiar with the Steelers simply because they haven’t changed their philosophy in years.

“We know what type of team they want to be,” linebacker Joe Mays said. “They want to come in, run the ball, and we definitely want to be on top of our game and try to stop the run so we can force them into pass situations, and then try to get after them.”

It’s hard to get after a team like the Steelers, however. Roethlisberger is a tough guy to bring down thanks to his size (6’5″, 241 pounds), and his ability to extend the play by scrambling.

The Broncos played Roethlisberger last January when he had a sprained left ankle. This year, he’s more likely to slow down on the field only if his wife goes into labor.

Roethlisberger was 9th in passing yards last season, sandwiched in between Matt Ryan and Cam Newton. Champ Bailey thinks he’s up on the same level as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

“He’s right there,” Bailey said. “How many guys that size can scramble and be accurate at the same time? Not a lot. He’s one of the best at it. He gives you a lot of fits because he extends plays. He’s as sharp as they come.”

The Broncos’ defense faces a good test right off the bat in dealing with a team that can come at you from all angles.

“It’s going to test how physical we are, it’s going to set our identity for the year,” Mays said. “You couldn’t start with a better game than the Steelers.”

Amen to that.

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Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers open their 2012 season where their 2011 season came to an end - Denver, Colorado in a Sunday night matchup against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

To say that Broncos fans are playing the waiting game is an understatement!  The Peyton Manning saga is well behind us, Tebow Time has come to an end in the Rocky Mountains, the 2012 schedule has been released, and the draft is over, so now all we’re doing is counting down the days until our weekends are filled with NFL football…. scratch that, we are counting down the days until the weekends are filled with Broncos football.  To help get Broncos Country through the TRUE offseason, I will be reviewing some past games against the teams the Broncos will face during the 2012 regular season.  First on the docket is the Broncos’ week one opponent – the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by Von Miller during the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

Now that the Denver Broncos schedule has been released, we are going to take a game-by-game look at the regular season that the Broncos have in front of them.

The Denver Broncos kickoff their season the same way that they ended their 2011 campaign at home. They host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night football in what is sure to be another hyped matchup.

It’s always helpful to open the season at home with a loud and proud crowd to welcome in the new season.

The Steelers went 12-4 in 2011, winning their last six of their last seven. That incredible season was cut short much sooner than anyone expected when the Broncos pulled off a 29-23 win in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

Ben Roethlisberger and Co. must have had Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas related dreams all offseason as it was their 80-yard pass play on the first play in overtime to give the Broncos the ‘W’ and the right to move on to play the New England Patriots.

The Steelers finished their 2011 campaign ranked 22nd on offense (14th in rushing, 10th in passing). Their bread and butter, however, was their defense. They were first overall allowing just 14.2 points per game. They were 8th in rush defense and 1st in pass defense.

There’s no better test for Peyton Manning as he begins his career in orange and blue and a different kind of horseshoe.

The Steelers have been terribly quiet in free agency, but that’s nothing new. They do most of their damage in the draft. The team has only signed one free agent thus far – backup tight end Leonard Pope.

Early Prediction: Broncos – 27 Steelers – 21. Defenses tend to lag behind in the early part of the season. They are slower to read fast-paced offenses again and conditioning for some players can be an issue. The Broncos offense needs to use the altitude to their advantage. This is a game that the Broncos offense needs to speed things up so that the Steelers slow down. The home crowd and a Manning led offense will get this team off to a 1-0 start.

Steelers leaders in 2011:

Ben Roethlisberger – 324-for-513 (63.2%), 4,077 passing yards, 21 TDs, 14 INTs. 

Rashard Mendenhall – 928 yards (61.9 per game), 9 TDs, 1 Fumble

Mike Wallace – 72 receptions, 1,193 yards, 8 TDs, 1 Fumble

Ryan Clark – 100 tackles

Troy Polamalu, William Gay, Ike Taylor – 2 INTs a piece

LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison – 9 sacks a piece

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