They are two of the most successful and well run organizations in all of professional sports, let alone the NFL. They are two of the last family run business in professional sports. And both organizations have high aspirations heading into the 2010 season. Yes, I'm talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Football Giants, who are set to square off in what will be the second preseason game for both squads.
There is a bit of extra significance in this one in that it will be the first appearance by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Whether or not he will start remains to be seen, but head coach Mike Tomlin stated earlier this week that Big Ben will in fact be under center tonight after sitting out all of Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions.
Other story lines to keep an eye on this evening include:
* How will rookie Antonio Brown fare handling kick and punt return duties? If he looks good, incumbent PR/KR Stefan Logan's days could be numbered.
* How will the Steelers three rookie linebackers look? Jason Worilds, Thaddeus Gibson and Stevenson Sylvester all have a chance to earn a helmet this year, particularly if they can look good on coverage units on special teams.
* A small but interesting thing to keep an eye on is how Daniel Sepulveda fares with kickoff duties. Rumor has him potentially taking over for Jeff Reed if he can prove he's more likely to boot it into the endzone.
* Can Isaac Redman continue his mastery of the preseason and make one more big step towards finding his way into the rotation at RB?
* There's a whole slew of young defensive backs trying to differentiate themselves. Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, William Gay and Crezdon Butler are all still in the mix.
* What will you be looking for tonight when the six-time Super Bowl champions return to the field against the Giants?