Rashard Mendenhall News

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a much different feel this season. Gone are a number of longtime veteran starters that have left important voids on the field, meaning that there will be an infusion of new starters.

It's a new world for Steelers fourth-round pick Chris Rainey . His bubble has been burst since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April's NFL draft.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers asked David Johnson to convert from tight end to fullback full-time in time for the 2012 season, the burly 270-pound Johnson's first thought was "I need to go on a diet." A couple months and 20 pounds later, Johnson is embracing a move that could extend the former seventh-round pick's NFL career indefinitely.

This is the second article in the series about players who will help to define the Steelers ' 2012 season.

The Steelers head into the summer with a running game that is facing a number of questions.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart officially retired on Wednesday, saying he needed closure nearly seven years after playing his final NFL down.

The installation of Todd Haley as the Pittsburgh Steelers ' offensive coordinator has concerned some about the philosophical approach of coach Mike Tomlin's squad.

Between bringing in Todd Haley as the new offensive coordinator, the release and retirement of Hines Ward, the question marks at running back since Rashard Mendenhall's knee injury last year, Mike Wallace's hold out, and the remodeling of an offensive line that allowed 42 sacks last year, there has been very little that has not been scrutinized for ... (more)

Today's AFC North required reading includes breakdowns on the Steelers top two running backs, why the Ravens secondary is the best in the league, A.J. Green on leadership and more about the battle between Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden.

Community Voices blogs offer a cross-section of opinions and interests. The bloggers are not employees of the Post-Gazette, and their views are their own.

Farrior thinking retirement? : Agent Ralph Cindrich told KDKA-FM over the holiday weekend that client James Farrior , for a decade the Steelers' defensive captain and inside linebacker, hasn't fully decided if he'll retire.

With Todd Haley's run-first attack taking over the Steelers ' offensive playbook and Rashard Mendenhall out for presumably the entire 2012 regular season, has the opportunity to step into the starter's spot for a team that appears eager to get back to being a dominant rushing attack.

As the Steelers close out the first week of Organized Team Activities , several players who are either trying a new position or learning a new scheme have stood out as being very impressive.

The Sporting News is once again beginning their yearly power lists of all things NFL, and on Thursday they released their NFL Head Coach Rankings .A Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was ranked #4 on this years list, behind Tom Coughlin of the NY Giants, Bill Belichick of the Patriots, and Mike McCarthy of the Packers.A Tomlin was ranked ... (more)

With a presidential election looming in the fall of 2012, that will put the two prevailing political ideologies in the United States head to head more than ever, another clash of ideologies in Pittsburgh has led to an uprooting of the past four years of Steelers offensive football.

In a recent article by Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , Isaac Redman talked about the Steelers' Offense, and some of the different things to look for and expect this season from the unit under new Coordinator Todd Haley.A While there were quite a bit of interesting things discussed, the part of the article which got me particularly ... (more)

The Cleveland Browns are coming off another tumultuous season, finishing 4-12 in 2011.

By Sam Ingro Senior Writer For the past few seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been at the top of their game.

The odds are in Ray Rice's favor to get a new deal with the Ravens this summer, but it's doubtful he gets the $10 million/year he's asking for Larry French/Getty Images OTAs started around the league this year, but that's not the primary source of some of the biggest stories in the AFC North this week.

Roethlisberger admits to issues with new playbook : Ben Roethlisberger 's transition to new offensive coordinator Todd Haley's playbook is not going as smoothly as Steelers fans had hoped.