1. Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers of the free-agency era have developed a trend of exceeding low expectations and failing to meet high ones. In 2006, the Super Bowl champs didn’t make it back to play in January. A year ago, with no one expecting much from a team breaking in only its third head coach in nearly 40 years, the Steelers won the division.

This year, expectations are high again—especially with the Bengals imploding, the Ravens rebuilding, and the Browns generally regarded as overrated. In other words, the stage is set for the Steelers to fail.

If they do, it will happen because of an offensive line that got much worse after the departure of left guard Alan Faneca. Although the team used its first two draft picks on high-profile skill-position players (Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed), these rookies won’t make much of an impact with no one to block for them. The defensive line received no real upgrade despite the team’s desire to do so, and the linebackers and defensive backs are getting older but not necessarily better.

In all, six of 11 starters on defense will be 30 or older by the end of September. That’s not a good sign for a team that will need strong performances from the traditional strength of the franchise to prop up an offense that might not score points in bunches.

The Steelers have been though this before, but it appears that the agent for Anthony McFarland is again trying to get his client in a black and gold uni.  Karl Bernard is suggesting that the Steelers sign the big D-linemen, this after he already was set to come to the Steelers in late March before failing a physical.  The Steelers had interest, but backed off due to the knee injury that stopped the 30-year-old from getting an offer.  Mike Tomlin has a history with McFarland, as he was an assistant with the Bucs when McFarland was a starting DT.  With that, maybe the Steelers will give “Booger” another look, but in the end, proceed with caution.

New Steelers running back Rasheed Mendenhall, who was the teams top draft pick two weeks ago, was robbed at gunpoint in Chicago early Monday morning according to the Chicago Sun-Times.  Mendenhall, who was not injured, was walking along the South Side lakefront around 2am when two people robbed him of his phone, cash and wallet.  “It was obviously a scary moment,” said his agent, Mike McCartney of Priority Sports. “But he is fine. He is doing great. He said he doesn’t have anything that is worth his life.”

Mendenhall was in Pittsburgh for the teams recent mini-camp, but sat out some of the later sessions with sore a hamstring.  He left Illinois after his junior year to enter the draft, and was regarded as one of the top running backs in the draft, and was the third back taken with the 23rd overall pick.  Reports say that the robbers that robbed Mendenhall wore black hoods and ski masks.  As of the late afternoon, no one was in custody.

Hashmarks is live this weekend at Steelers minicamp. Here are some observations from Day 1:

-Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger asked for bigger targets during the off-season and the team is trying to accommodate him. Outside of the starters, most of Pittsburgh’s receiver group resembles an NBA basketball team. Rookie Limas Sweed (6-foot-4), Matt Trannon (6-6) and Dallas Baker (6-3) are all lanky. So are tight ends Heath Miller (6-5) and Matt Spaeth (6-7).

-Veteran receiver Hines Ward did not participate because he’s recovering from minor knee surgery. He had a slight PCL and MCL tear in his knee that he played through most of the season. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu also sat out to rest his knee.

-First impression of rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall is impressive. He’s thick, stays low to the ground, caught the ball well and made some nice moves out of the backfield.

-The most jubilant player in Pittsburgh’s locker room today was rookie and former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon. Although he’s only “85 percent,” today was Dixon’s first action since a major knee injury ended his Heisman Trophy campaign. Dixon, who will be limited this weekend, was a fifth-round pick of the Steelers and likely will be used in the “Slash” role on trick plays.

“The doctors back in Oregon say they could fully release me in about a month,” Dixon said. “I want to do more than what I’m doing now, but the doctors are trying to keep it cool and calm, which I understand.”

-For all the hardcore Steelers fans, the rookie jersey numbers for 2008 are in. Mendenhall will wear No. 34, Sweed No. 14, Dixon No. 2 and linebacker Bruce Davis will wear No. 53.

It looks as if the Steelers Draft over the weekend gets the seal of approval from franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger.  In today’s Tribune-Review, Big Ben spoke out about what the Steelers did over the weekend that he liked.  “I like the draft. We did a good job all around,” he said.  What had to please Ben the most was the weapons the team picked up on offense - first round RB Rashard Mendenhall, and second round WR Limas Sweed.  A “tall” wide out is something that Ben wanted, and it was something the Steelers gave him in Sweed.

With that though, Ben admitted he doesn’t know a whole lot about Sweed.  “I think he only played a couple of games last year and then he got hurt,” Roethlisberger said. “I know the name. People talk about him — I know that much. I don’t know much else.”  When it comes to Mendenhall, it gives the Steelers their best 1-2 punch at running back they have had since the days of Eric Pegram and Bam Morris.  That team went to the Super Bowl in the 1995 season.  “There was some talk a little bit about trying to get a pound-it guy (at running back). We’ve got guys. It’s not like we don’t have running backs,” Roethlisberger said. “Same thing with the wide receiver. We’ve got guys, so there’s no real rush to push anybody into the starting spot. If they develop into it, I guess they develop into it.”