Is The Buzz Around the Steelers Positive or Negative?
- Not good

By Jerry DiPaola, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

I wasted the better part of a treasured day off trying to think of some nice things to write about the Steelers.

Here it is:

The big-time quarterback with child-like tendencies promises to be a good boy.

Then, I drew a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. On the other side, I listed the team's major problems:

Image, an old roster, the quarterback (yeah, he's on both lists), lack of wide receiver depth, a questionable offensive line, the secondary and no reliable second set of legs at running back.

The Steelers report to training camp July 30, and the eager anticipation from the community isn't there.

The reason is simple: Ben Roethlisberger spent as much time this year acting like a fool, defending himself and promising to do better as he did watching film and preparing for the season.

You think Peyton Manning ever spent such an offseason? Tom Brady? The only dark rooms they frequented were the video rooms at their respective training facilities.

Steelers fans feel betrayed by Roethlisberger, and some of them even believe the Rooneys sold out by keeping the $102 million quarterback to better chase another Super Bowl.

Will fans ever forgive? Probably, but it will take exemplary behavior from Roethlisberger and a long string of success.

Meanwhile, coach Mike Tomlin must prepare two starting quarterbacks, including Byron Leftwich. Who gets the bulk of the snaps? What if Roethlisberger doesn't get enough, and he comes back from his suspension woefully ill-prepared?

What if Leftwich, one of 18 Steelers who are 30 or older, plays like he did last season when he completed 54.2 percent of his passes for Tampa Bay?

Further, what if we finally get the dreaded answer to why the Cardinals were so eager to trade cornerback Bryant McFadden?

Who will replace Santonio Holmes' 1,248 receiving yards? Veterans WRs Antwaan Randle-El and Arnaz Battle may not offer weekly reliability, and no one knows what to think of rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, drafted in the third and sixth rounds.

Maybe some fans aren't looking forward to training camp because what could be the next act – another season with no playoff berth -- scares them silly.