FanHouse Matt Spaeth

It doesn't seem to matter if the Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a non-playoff season or a Super Bowl title, at the start of training camp there always seems to be plenty of worries about their offensive line. It's been a common thread at the start of each and every training camp over the past four years.

It's business as usual this year, which means that the team's biggest concern is whether Trai Essex is ready to be a starter at guard and can a year of playing together make a big difference for the rest of the projected starters. We got our first glimpse against the Cardinals last Thursday night. So what did they show?

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Meet the...
Team with more Super Bowl titles than any other franchise in existence. Fresh off of their sixth Super Bowl title, the Steelers return in 2009 with a solid shot at a repeat performance. The stellar defense is still around and the main keys to the Pittsburgh offense are back and healthy.

While the NFL version of the Steelers is a force to be reckoned with, the Steelers, as fantasy assets, are just average.

There's a little note on Matt Spaeth in today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. To summarize, Spaeth knows the playbook better this year, and hopes to become a much more significant part of the passing game in year two.

That's all good. But this is the tidbit that might be the most important for 2008.

At this time last year, Spaeth was not only learning a new offense, he also was trying to regain the strength he had lost after undergoing reconstructive shoulder surgery after his senior season at the University of Minnesota. "This is probably the best I've felt in a long time," Spaeth said Tuesday after a Steelers' OTA practice at their South Side facility.

The reality is that Spaeth may become a red zone threat, but 40 years of Steelers history seems to indicate that no No. 2 tight end is going to become a key part of the passing offense. The most productive season by a No. 2 tight end in modern Steelers history that I can find is Mike Malarkey's 1990 season, when he caught 32 passes as Eric Green's backup. With Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington and new addition Limas Sweed all competing for balls, Spaeth will be lucky to catch 20 passes this year.

But that doesn't mean he can't make a significant impact. Last year he was a poor blocker, something that jumped out while rewatching the offensive line in game after game. If that was because he was weak as a result of the shoulder surgery, he could make some significant improvements in that area in year two. And with the Steelers reliance on two tight end, one back sets on running downs, better blocking from Spaeth is more important than better pass routes.