(My Sportsbook) - The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers opened a season as defending champion, things didn't quite go according to plan. This year's squad hopes to apply the lessons learned from that campaign.

One season after their fifth Super Bowl championship, the 2006 Steelers slipped to an 8-8 record and missed out on a chance to defend their title. That season got off to an ominous start, as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was involved in a serious offseason motorcycle accident and also missed Week 1 of the regular season due to an emergency appendectomy.

Fast-forward to 2009, and Pittsburgh's offseason again centers around another serious distraction with regards to its star QB, as rape allegations in a civil case brought by an employee at a Lake Tahoe hotel against Roethlisberger will hover around the Steelers for some time.

While Roethlisberger will be forced to deal with these issues off the field -- with the complete support of his team and organization -- the rest of the franchise must find a way to avoid another post-Super Bowl letdown.

That task falls largely to Mike Tomlin, who became the youngest head coach in league history to win a Super Bowl last year when he did so at the tender age of 37. In just his second year as Pittsburgh's head coach, Tomlin's Steelers notched a 27-23 victory over Arizona in the championship contest to give the club its league-record sixth Super Bowl title.

Perhaps showing the type of confidence that can only be found in a youthful coach, Tomlin isn't worried about a 2006 repeat.

"I am not concerned with avoiding anything that happened three years ago, or worry about letdowns and things of that nature," said Tomlin. "When you use the term 'letdown,' you are proceeding with the assumption that this is a continuation of something that happened in the past."

Tomlin's job will be made a bit easier by the fact that the Steelers lost only two starters from last year's club, cornerback Bryant McFadden and linebacker Larry Foote. It will be up to defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to fill the holes in a defense that ranked first against the pass a season ago and second versus the run.

Still, Big Ben and company know they don't have an easy road ahead of them.

"You have a bulls-eye on your chest," said Roethlisberger. "Everyone is gunning for you, we learned that after the last time that everyone wants to come after you and get you. We can't take anyone lightly. We know everyone is coming for us."

Below we take a capsule look at the 2009 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 RECORD: 12-4 (1st, AFC North)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2008, defeated Arizona, 27-23, in Super Bowl

COACH (RECORD): Mike Tomlin (22-10 in two years with Steelers, 22-10 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bruce Arians

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dick LeBeau

OFFENSIVE STAR: Ben Roethlisberger, QB (3301 passing yards, 17 TD, 15 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: James Harrison, OLB (101 tackles, 16 sacks, 1 INT)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 23rd rushing, 17th passing, 20th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 2nd rushing, 1st passing, 1st scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: WR Shaun McDonald (from Lions), WR Mike Wallace (3rd Round, Ole Miss), OL Kraig Urbik (3rd Round, Wisconsin), OL Alex Stepanovich (from Falcons), DT Evander "Ziggy" Hood (1st Round, Missouri), CB Keiwan Ratliff (from Colts), CB Keenan Lewis (3rd Round, Oregon State)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Byron Leftwich (to Buccaneers), RB Gary Russell (released), WR Nate Washington (to Titans), T Marvel Smith (to 49ers), DE Orpheus Roye (not tendered), LB Larry Foote (to Lions), OLB Arnold Harrison (not tendered), CB Bryant McFadden (to Cardinals), CB Fernando Bryant (retired), FS Anthony Smith (to Packers), P Mitch Berger (not tendered)

QB: It probably seems like an eternity for Roethlisberger since he led the Steelers on an eight-play, 78-yard drive that won them Super Bowl XLIII. His six-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes late in the contest with his team down by three made Roethlisberger a two-time Super Bowl winner in just his fifth NFL season. Despite getting sacked 46 times in 2008, Roethlisberger threw for 3,301 yards and 17 touchdowns while starting all 16 games, though his 15 interceptions marked the second-highest total of his career. It will be interesting to see if his pending civil suit affects him on the field. A broken collarbone caused Charlie Batch to miss all of last season, but the 34- year-old will return as the second-string QB this year and serve as a mentor to second-year Oregon product and third-stringer Dennis Dixon.

RB: The Steelers were able to march to the Super Bowl despite a running game that ranked just 23rd in the NFL. The club had high hopes for 2008 first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall, but his season ended after four games due to a broken shoulder. That left most of the carries for 5-foot-10 speedster Willie Parker, who missed five games himself due to injury while rushing for 791 yards and five TDs on 210 carries. Mewelde Moore (140 carries, 588 yards) will see fewer carries if both Parker and Mendenhall can stay healthy. Tight end Sean McHugh served as the club's blocking fullback through the second half of last season and will get a chance to win the job again over Carey Davis. Fifth-round pick Frank Summers, all 230 pounds of him, could also get a look in short-yardage situations.

WR/TE: Though Hines Ward got a five-year contract extension this offseason that should allow the 33-year-old to retire a Steeler, the passing of the torch happened during the Super Bowl when Holmes hauled in Roethlisberger's go-ahead touchdown pass with a toe-dragging clutch catch in the end zone. Holmes (55 receptions, 821 yards, 5 TD) took home Super Bowl MVP honors after making nine catches for 131 yards and the 2006 first-round pick seems ready to grab hold of the No. 1 receiver spot. Ward will still be there though, and he led the Steelers with 81 catches, 1,043 yards and seven touchdowns last year. With Nate Washington departing as a free agent, 2008 second-round pick Limas Sweed will get a shot at becoming the third receiver, though he will be pushed by former Lion Shaun McDonald and third-round pick Mike Wallace. Tight end Heath Miller (48 receptions, 514 yards, 3 TD) proved his worth in both the blocking and passing game, and was rewarded with a six-year contract extension of his own. Matt Spaeth will back up and see time in two-tight-end sets.

OL: Despite matching the second-most sacks allowed in club history, the Steelers did not make any major changes to their offensive line. Center Justin Hartwig, tackles Max Stark and Willie Colon and guards Darnell Stapleton and Chris Kemoeatu all return and don't see any real competition behind them. Pittsburgh elected not to upgrade its line in the draft until the third round, taking Wisconsin product Kraig Urbik, who will get a chance to overtake Stapleton at right guard. Stapleton suffered a left knee injury in training camp that required surgery, while Hartwig was slowed by a toe ailment, prompting the club to add center Alex Stepanovich during camp. Starks was given the franchise tag by the Steelers this offseason and eventually signed a new four-year deal, while Pittsburgh lost some depth at the line when 11-year veteran Marvel Smith departed as a free agent.

DL: Though the Steelers' defensive front of ends Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, combined with nose tackle Casey Hampton, were key in the Steelers finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL last year, one has to wonder how long a line with an average age of 31 can hold up. Pittsburgh certainly was, which is why it drafted Evander "Ziggy" Hood with its first-round pick (32nd overall) of the 2009 draft. The hard-working Missouri product should spell both Keisel (34 tackles, 1 sack) and Smith (62 tackles, 5.5 sacks), with Travis Kirschke also backing up at the end spot. Hampton (25 tackles, 1 sack) will be backed up by Chris Hoke.

LB: It is no secret that the Steelers linebacking group is its heart and soul, something the NFL recognized when James Harrison was named Defensive Player of the Year. Harrison, who netted a new six-year deal this offseason, set a franchise record with a career-high 16 sacks to go along with 100 tackles. Harrison also placed his stamp on the Super Bowl, taking an interception 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game's first half. Also returning opposite on the outside is LaMarr Woodley, who added 78 tackles and 11 1/2 sacks last year. Woodley set an NFL record by posting at least two sacks in four straight playoff games, including the Super Bowl. The only different look this year will be 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons taking over one of the inside spots vacated by Foote. James Farrior (146 tackles, 3.5 sacks) rounds out the unit on the inside.

DB: While 16-game starter Ike Taylor (75 tackles, 1 INT) returns to the lineup, William Gay will be expected to step in for McFadden. Entering his third season, Gay notched 38 tackles and an interception while appearing in all 16 games last year, while McFadden tallied 54 tackles and two picks. Deshea Townsend, 33, offers experience as a backup, but he is the only one after Fernando Bryant retired. Keenan Lewis, the last of three third-round picks for the Steelers in 2009, will make the Steelers breathe easier if he jumps ahead of the learning curve, while former Colt Keiwan Ratliff was also brought in this past offseason. The corners do have their backs covered by one of the best in strong safety Troy Polamalu (87 tackles, 7 INT) as well as capable free safety Ryan Clark (113 tackles, 1 INT). Tyrone Carter and Ryan Mundy back up.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Pittsburgh welcomes back punter Daniel Sepulveda after he missed all of last season with a knee injury. The Steelers struggled in the punting game last year with a net average of just 35.6 yards per kick. The Steelers are set at kicker with Jeff Reed (27-for-31 FG), who missed just one field goal try inside the 40 last year and who knows how to kick in Pittsburgh's brutal weather conditions. Holmes (6.6 punt return avg.) handled the bulk of the punt returning duties last year, a role the Steelers would like to keep him out of this year because of his value to the offense. Moore (18.5 kickoff return avg.) should fill that role while also helping out the rookie Wallace on kicks. Greg Warren is the long snapper.

PROGNOSIS: The Steelers know the road they face, as recent history says a trip back to the postseason isn't guaranteed a season removed from a title. But, with Pittsburgh returning the bulk of its starters from last year, this team isn't really built for a letdown. The key will be how Roethlisberger handles his off-the-field issues and keeping Pittsburgh's thin secondary healthy. While two games against the Ravens, who the Steelers defeated in last year's AFC Championship Game, as well as early contests against Chicago (on the road) and San Diego (at home) figure to test Pittsburgh, it is certainly worthy of the team-to-beat label that will attach itself to the franchise this season.