The 2007 NFL preseason kicks off on Sunday, August 5 when the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate their 75th anniversary by taking on the New Orleans Saints.
The neutral-site game at Canton, Ohio will mark the first time in more than a decade that the Steelers take to the field without Bill Cowher on the sidelines. New head coach Mike Tomlin will hope to get his career started with a win, but seeing how this is a preseason game, he'll more likely be happy to get through the game without an injury to one of his key players.
Neither the Steelers nor the Saints made any huge moves on the field during the offseason. The Saints didn't have much retooling to do after winning the NFC South last year, but the Steelers looked due for a few changes after a disappointing 8-8 season.
Unless an injury crops up in training camp between now and game time, expect most of the usual starters to see action early on in this game before giving way to the backups by at least the second half.
Ben Roethlisberger will likely be looking to get some kinks out of his game during the preseason this year after getting off to an awful start last season. Roethlisberger will see a few series with his usual receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, but don't be surprised if running backs Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport do most of the heavy lifting.
The Saints offense, led by Drew Brees, will be looking to pick up where it left off last season when it boasted the best offense in the NFC. Marques Colston will be out to avoid a sophomore slump after a breakout rookie campaign, while Devery Henderson and rookie Robert Meachem will battle for the starting job vacated by Joe Horn.
As good as the Saints are through the air, they may actually be even better on the ground. Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush form a formidable one-two punch out of the backfield, which could be even harder to stop if Bush gets more active this season.
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