This past off-season gave us a smorgasbord of examples of why the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the finest organizations in professional sports. There was Mike Tomlin getting his contract extended through 2016, continuing the organization’s unparalleled tradition of head coaching stability under the Rooney family. There was Kevin Colbert, the most underrated if not outright best general manager in pro football, playing hardball with the restricted free agent Mike Wallace, a burgeoning star receiver but not someone the organization is going to overpay to keep. There was the other burgeoning receiver, Antonio Brown, being signed to a new six-year contract before his value escalated further. There was a renowned receiver, Hall of Fame candidate Hines Ward, being ushered into the sunset with a hero’s farewell.

There were more off-the-field stories about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, though this time of a flattering nature. The 30-year-old announced that he would soon become a father, roughly a year after marrying Ashley Harlan of western Pennsylvania. More importantly (from a football standpoint) were the stories of Roethlisberger hitting the books to learn the system of the new offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Haley’s arrival came after the somewhat bizarre dismissal of Bruce Arians, whom Tomlin claims he himself, and not Art Rooney II, decided to let go. The drama from that episode quickly blew over, as will the drama about whether Haley’s “fiery personality” can fit the Steelers’ culture. (He’s the first outside hire at offensive coordinator in 13 years.)

There were also the more mundane stories about the rehabilitation efforts of running back Rashard Mendenhall and nose tackle Casey Hampton, each of whom tore his A.C.L. in January. Many expect their replacements, Isaac Redman and the even lesser-known Steve McLendon, to have breakout seasons because, well, that’s just what happens when the Steelers promote from within.

The only un-Steeler-like story this past off-season was the draft Colbert put together. The Steelers usually find players who will start two or three years down the road. This year, he found two guys expected to start right away: the first-round guard David DeCastro and the second-round tackle Mike Adams. No need to worry about whether Colbert & Co. are starting to impatiently drift away from their modus operandi. This deviation is expected to turn the team’s only true weakness into a strength. That’s what makes the Steelers great: they stick to their methods without shackling themselves.

OFFENSE

Maybe Todd Haley does have a “fiery personality.” So what? He also has outstanding play-calling acumen. And in Pittsburgh he has something that he didn’t have in Kansas City: a great quarterback.

Three years ago, Haley probably couldn’t have worked with Ben Roethlisberger. The aloof young passer made his living off sheer physical talent and uncanny improvisational skills. His brute strength and raw throwing ability allowed for this. That’s something that is not talked about enough regarding Roethlisberger: his throwing. Because we can’t help focusing on the strength that allows him to run around and shed would-be sackers before making ugly but effective game-changing plays, we fail to recognize his brilliant passing on those plays. Roethlisberger doesn’t just make tough throws – he makes tough throws that are perfect in precision and velocity. Much of that is due to his ability to keep looking downfield while avoiding the rush.

Those are great athletic tools for a quarterback, but in the grand scheme of things, they’re often not enough to foster a sustainable offensive juggernaut. There’s too much randomness for the quarterback’s teammates and coaches to deal with. That’s why a player like Roethlisberger of three years ago would have driven a highly structured play-caller like Haley nuts.

Roethlisberger is different today. He is a much smarter and more fundamentally sound quarterback. He recognizes defenses better before the snap and thus is more willing to make timing-based throws within the structure of the offense. Yes, of course, he’s often a sandlot quarterback. That’s his style, and he should keep it until the day he can no longer move around (which, remarkably, does not appear to be on the horizon, despite the myriad hits and injuries he has sustained). But Roethlisberger is no longer only a sandlot quarterback, which is why the Steelers felt comfortable replacing his easygoing coach, Bruce Arians, with the more controlling but innovative Haley.

There’s a lot of undue concern that Haley will drastically alter a system that was really never broken. But Haley has earned a favorable reputation around the league because of his creativity in tweaking his system to fit his personnel. In Kurt Warner in Arizona, Haley had an ingenious field-reading quarterback with a quick release and a bad offensive line. So, he built a shotgun offense around three- and five-step drops. In Kansas City, Haley had an average quarterback in Matt Cassel but a superb backfield with methodical Thomas Jones and speedy Jamaal Charles. So, he built a multi-tight end offense focused on an exterior running game.

Expect Haley to blend his Cardinals and Chiefs systems in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger is very comfortable in the shotgun, and at this stage of his career, he can become an adept quick-drop passer (though on third downs, you’ll likely see him revert to his improvisational 13- and 15-step drops). Unlike in Arizona, though, Haley also has a robust rushing attack, and he can count on a stingy defense. Which is why the Steelers will strive for balance and control by continuing to use plenty of base two-tight-end personnel.

Haley plans on making his tight ends a bigger part of the passing game, which will give the offense even more dimension. The soft-handed Heath Miller is an excellent receiver underneath; don’t be surprised if he splits out more and runs routes farther downfield this season. Accompanying Miller will be Leonard Pope, who played for Haley in Arizona and Kansas City. Pope is a serviceable receiver, but like Miller, he’s an even better blocker. Also worthy of snaps is the third-string tight end Weslye Saunders, who created athletic mismatches, particularly in the red zone, as an undrafted rookie last season.

Obviously, as he did in Arizona, Haley is going to make the wide receivers the primary focus of his passing attack. Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders have a chance to be as good as Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Early Doucet were. People tend to think of Wallace as the No. 1 target because his long-striding speed and acceleration put fear in defensive backs. But the 26-year-old receiver has not progressed enough as a route runner. Wallace may have cracked 1,000 yards again last season, but his inconsistent mechanics explain why he was held to 70 or fewer yards in eight of his last nine games, including two with less than 20 yards.

Brown is actually the Steelers’ best receiver. He’s a tremendous route runner, both when things are structured early in the down and when things break down late. Last season, Brown was the guy Roethlisberger trusted most on crucial third downs. This season, Brown could share that role with Sanders, whom Roethlisberger seemed to grow fond of in multi-receiver sets down the stretch in 2010. Knee and foot problems hounded Sanders last year, but if healthy, he has the darting quickness and innate ball skills to dominate as a No. 3. Or, if Wallace stages a prolonged holdout, he’ll become the X-receiver (a k a the Larry Fitzgerald role). Rounding out the receiving unit is the steady veteran Jerricho Cotchery, who is very good over the middle.

The run game will likely feature Isaac Redman early on, as the former first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall is recovering from a Week 17 A.C.L. tear. Some believe that Redman, an undrafted third-year pro, will be better than Mendenhall anyway. He finishes his runs inside very physically. The question is: can he offer what the speedier and subtly powerful Mendenhall did on the outside? Aside from the diminutive fifth-round rookie Chris Rainey, the Steelers don’t have any options for outside running. The perpetually overweight Jonathan Dwyer, who appears to finally be in shape, is the No. 2 running back, with the converted fullback John Clay likely to be the third back until Mendenhall returns. Also, team observers are high on Baron Batch, who lit up camp as a seventh-rounder last season before tearing his A.C.L.

For the first time in ages, the Steelers expect to aid all of these skill position players with coherent, consistent blocking up front. The offensive line coach Sean Kugler must be salivating: four of his five starters are young first- or second-round picks. The only exception is Willie Colon who, before missing the past two seasons with injuries, was one of the brighter emerging players in the league. The short-armed Colon is moving from right tackle to the better-suited left guard spot, where he represents an upgrade over his predecessors Ramon Foster (who lacks quickness) and Doug Legursky (who lacks size and power).

As for the high-drafted young players, the smart, nimble center Maurkice Pouncey is the gem, having made first-team All-Pro in just his second season. The rookie left tackle Mike Adams has a world of talent; it’s just a matter of whether he continues to mature. The Steelers removed him from their draft board after he lied about drug use, but Adams requested a meeting with Colbert & Co. and successfully bid for a second chance. If he blows it, the Steelers can turn to the recently re-signed Max Starks, who always seems to find his way back into the lineup.

On the right side, the first-round rookie David DeCastro is considered the best guard in this year’s draft. At tackle, the 2011 second-rounder Marcus Gilbert improved his movement and balance as his rookie season wore on, but he still has plenty of room to grow.

DEFENSE

Unlike the offense, Pittsburgh’s defense has not changed much in recent years in terms of schemes. It hasn’t had to. The renowned defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau did, however, make one surprising alteration to his 3-4 last season. One of the fathers of the zone blitz concocted several game plans built around man coverage. Most notable was the wild-card game at Denver, which Tim Tebow shockingly made them pay for. (Can’t blame LeBeau and his players for going press-man in that game; the only way they could have lost was if Tebow made a few incredible throws that he had never made — he did exactly that.)

The man coverage schemes worked well at times (versus the Patriots, for example), but at their core, the Steelers are a zone defense and will play that way in 2012. The fact that they can mix their coverages more these days just speaks to their underrated talent at cornerback. It’s too bad that Ike Taylor had what may have been the worst game of his career on the big stage against Tebow; the 10-year veteran is really one of the best all-around defensive players in the N.F.L. Taylor plays the run well and routinely shadows the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver, often winning the battle with his strength early in the down. Unlike most corners, Taylor can be a shadow-man defender outside and inside.

Opposite Taylor will likely be Keenan Lewis, a fourth-year pro who was promoted from nickel back after the departures of Willie Gay and Bryant McFadden. Lewis’s promotion puts a strain on Pittsburgh’s depth, though the Steelers believe that last year’s mid-round picks, Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen, will be ready to step up. Really, only one of them has to, considering the Steelers use the backup safety Ryan Mundy as a dime back. (Expect Allen to get the nod – many believe he could even challenge Lewis for starter’s duties.)

Playing ahead of Mundy is the future Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and the widely admired veteran Ryan Clark. Both players can operate in the box or back deep in space. Polamalu’s unique talent lends him unprecedented freedom to roam around and play his own game. He couldn’t operate this way if not for the highly intelligent Clark stabilizing the rest of the secondary. This season, Polamalu’s freelancing needs to generate more turnovers. Shockingly, the Steelers last season ranked dead last in this department, despite having the league’s No. 1-ranked defense in points and yards allowed.

Consider the low turnover count an aberration, perhaps caused by injuries at outside linebacker (LaMarr Woodley missed six games and James Harrison five games, one because of a suspension). That took some of the edge off this normally ferocious pass rush. If Woodley and Harrison are healthy, this defense will be fine. Both are tremendous power players who are still fast enough to turn the corner. They’re not one-dimensional, either. LeBeau is more than willing to have them set the edge for run support or even drop back to cover the flats (a staple of the zone blitz concept). If either player becomes unavailable at some point, the Steelers can turn to their sinewy Woodley ersatz, Jason Worilds. Also, in a bind, inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons is capable of sliding outside.

Though Woodley and Harrison can be vicious bookend pass rushers, the Steelers prefer to generate pressure primarily through design, not execution. When the Steelers are in their base 3-4, this is a fairly mundane defense. It’s in the 2-4-5 and 3-3-5 sub packages that this team gets in its complex attack mode.

Polamalu is usually a big part of the attack mode, as is Timmons and his fellow inside ‘backer Larry Foote. In fact, Timmons, with his explosive first step and momentum-building speed, is one of the best inside blitzers in the game. Foote, like James Farrior used to be, is very good at choosing angles and timing his burst. Those are critical skills to have in a system that relies heavily on the teamwork of guys opening up pass-rushing lanes and eating blockers for each other. Foote should play tons of snaps this season, though coaches are said to be high on the third-round rookie Sean Spence.

One reason the Steelers were burned in Denver was that they played Cover 0, which meant they brought both safeties into the box for run support, leaving risky one-on-ones for the cornerbacks. You can’t help wondering if LeBeau would have reacted this aggressively to a rushing game like Denver’s the previous year, when Pittsburgh had the league’s No. 1 run defense. Pittsburgh’s run defense fell to eighth last season, mainly because the front seven struggled against the lateral movement of good zone-blocking teams.

Having nose tackle Casey Hampton out of the lineup early doesn’t figure to help matters. However, fans may be pleasantly surprised by his replacement, Steve McLendon. The undrafted fourth-year veteran was listed at just 280 pounds last year (at least 40 pounds less than Hampton), but he is said to be tipping the scales at well over 300 these days. McLendon proved excellent at stalemating and disengaging from blockers in spot duty last season. The bigger question is whether the fourth-round rookie Alameda Ta’amu can contribute right away, as McLendon will likely need to rest every third series.

The key to Pittsburgh’s run defense has always been the defensive ends’ ability to win in two gaps. Brett Keisel does this in unusual fashion, relying on agility instead of power. Keisel will start on the right side, while the recent first-round picks Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward compete on the left. Hood claims he replaced 18 pounds of fat with 20 pounds of muscle over the off-season. That’s good – he needs to get tougher in close quarters. Maybe now he’ll play with consistent leverage. That’s also what Heyward was missing as a rookie last season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Shaun Suisham was just 23 of 31 on field goals in 2011. Can’t just blame the notoriously unfriendly kicking environment of Heinz Field; four of Suisham’s misses came on the road. With Daniel Sepulveda unable to stay healthy, the Steelers have turned over their punting duties to Jeremy Kapinos. He averaged a respectable 45 yards last year. Antonio Brown is coming off the first-ever 1,000-yard return season for a 1,000-yard receiver. Brown averaged 10.8 yards on punts and 27.3 yards on kickoffs, though Emmanuel Sanders could resume kick return duties this season.

BOTTOM LINE

The offensive line should make a big leap over the course of 2012. That could make the offense as a whole borderline unstoppable. And this for a team that should again have one of the league’s stingiest defenses.

Predicted Finish: 1st A.F.C. North, Super Bowl appearance

Follow @Andy_Benoit

e-mail andy.benoit@nfltouchdown.com