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Examining the ongoing transformation of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense

As training camp gets rolling, much attention will be paid to a transforming Steelers offense that will have to compensate for the loss of Antonio Brown. Talented as the mercurial Brown is, count me among those who believe his absence is a blessing in disguise. I am optimistic his production will be duplicated as Ben Roethlisberger spreads the football among a deep group of receivers and coordinator Randy Fichtner finds creative ways to use his promising young running backs.

A more complex transformation has been at work on the other side of the ball for a few seasons now, as the defense has moved away from its reliance on a base 3-4 scheme towards more of a hybrid philosophy.