Written by Albert Breer at MMQB
The Steelers were still in stretching lines on Monday afternoon when the players broke into song, and the chorus of “Happy Birthday” was thick enough for the fans on the hillside at St. Vincent College to join in.
Cut DeAngelo Williams a break, if he was a little embarrassed. It wasn’t actually his birthday, but his teammates have been belting that out to him every day to remind him he’s 33, old by NFL standards and ancient for a tailback. And you should understand too if the Steelers brass smiled at the sight.
No longer is seeing a player of that age so common around here.
The ripping-off-of-the-Band-Aid—moving away from the core that went to three Super Bowls and won two between 2006 and ’10—hasn’t been painless, but the process now is nearing completion. What’s left is to figure out whether the current nucleus, which still has some growing to do, can come close to the accomplishments of its predecessor.
“There were just years we weren’t good enough,” GM Kevin Colbert said before Tuesday’s workout, on a perch above the fields. “Whether we were too young or the replacements weren’t ready, I’m not sure. It’s really a combination of everything that goes into why you have those dips. It was a dip, but it wasn’t a valley. You never want to get to the point where we totally bottom out to have to rebuild it.”
The Steelers didn’t. And it’s at least starting to feel like they’re close to being back.
Seven players remain from the 2010 AFC title team, and only five of those guys are projected to start the opener on Sept. 11. Only five players are left from Pittsburgh’s last Super Bowl champion, and two of those (James Harrison, William Gay) left and came back.
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