It's easy to get excited about the season ahead for the Steelers, particularly if you don't dwell on details like these...

• The Steelers' franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, has "a little torn rotator cuff," but claims it's no big deal. "It's OK, just sore." Roethlisberger has taken a beating like few other QBs, enduring 40 or more sacks in five of the past six years;

• Pittsburgh's No. 1 running back, Rashard Mendenhall, is recovering from ACL surgery not likely to be a factor in the opening month of the season. Meanwhile, understudy Isaac Redman is dealing with groin and hip injuries;

• The team's most dangerous receiver, Mike Wallace, is seeking a new deal, hasn't yet reported to camp, and can't be too pleased about the contract recently inked by No. 2 wideout Antonio Brown (six years, $43 million);

• Five-time Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison had his knee scoped last week, leaving him questionable for Week 1. Another five-time Pro Bowler, nose tackle Casey Hampton, is coming back from an ACL tear suffered in January.

But c'mon, if you can just forget about those things, and perhaps a few others, then you really have to be stoked about this team's outlook for 2012.

GET THE TOWELS IN THE AIR, people! WOOOO!

WOOOOOOOO!

No, seriously, they're dealing with some issues in Pittsburgh. It's not exactly going to be a year-long coronation for the Steelers in the AFC North. But despite the obstacles ahead for this team, there are still plenty of useful pieces for fantasy owners to pick through, even if some of them are slightly dinged.

Roethlisberger is the 14th quarterback off the board in an average draft (ADP 102.6), and he clearly has the potential to deliver a profit at that price. Yes, he's been mauled over the years — he's actually been sacked 83 more times than Peyton Manning, despite playing five fewer seasons — so there's a mileage issue here that dynasty owners will have to consider. But in a redraft, Ben is simply a nice one-year value play, an excellent quarterback at the controls of coordinator Todd Haley's offense.

And what will that offense look like in 2012? Here's a quick preview, from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Alan Robinson:

Todd Haley's offense has something for everyone. For Ben Roethlisberger, there's the promise of virtually free rein to run the no-huddle. ... The offense seems designed — paraphrasing Haley — to run when it has to run and pass when it has to pass. Roethlisberger, the NFL's most-sacked quarterback, should benefit from a system that's designed to keep him upright, in rhythm and on target all while getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible. Kurt Warner loved the Todd Haley offense and Haley seems confident Roethlisberger will, too.

Any comparison to the Warner-era Cards works for me. You might recall that before Haley was the guy who gave Thomas Jones too many carries in KC, he was dialing up a million passes for Arizona, where he served as OC. With weapons like Wallace, Brown and Emmanuel Sanders on the field, Roethlisberger has a shot at a big year.