LeGarrette Blount is confident that the Pittsburgh Steelers will boast an "explosive" offense this season.
An impressive showing from the team's wide receivers over the past month has offensive coordinator Todd Haley similarly optimistic.
Despite the loss of Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery, Haley stated near the end of offseason practices that his current wide receiver corps is as deep from top to bottom as any he has ever coached.
"I think some guys that are pretty good football players," Haley explained, via ESPN.com, "probably won't make the team."
Haley oversaw the impressive trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston that carried the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2009. He also coached the Terrell Owens-Terry Glenn combination in Dallas.
His recent proclamation is more about the progress of a pair of 2013 draft picks in third-rounder Markus Wheaton and sixth-rounder Justin Brown.
While Wheaton checked in at No. 20 on our "Making the Leap" countdown, it's Brown who seems to have reached an epiphany in his second offseason.
"He really doesn't look like the same guy. He's made a transition," wide receivers coach Richard Mann said of Brown. "He's changed and matured. He understands the concepts. (He's) smoother. His body language is different. He's just a different guy."
Ben Roethlisberger recently singled out Brown for a "great" minicamp.
Throw in a standout offseason from former Saints receiver Lance Moore, and intriguing fourth-round size-speed prospect Martavis Bryant will have trouble cracking the rotation. Darrius Heyward-Bey is no longer a good bet to even make the roster.
The Eagles and Panthers were the only NFL teams with a better record than the Steelers in the second half of last season. Once Le'Veon Bell and Heath Miller recaptured pre-injury form, Pittsburgh averaged four more points per game than New Orleans' high-octane offense over that same span.
In other words, Blount's assessment is right on the money.
In the latest episode of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys discuss Rob Gronkowski's expected return to action and Cordarrelle Patterson's potential rise this season.
