The Steelers return 20 of 22 starters, which makes them strong contenders to repeat as Super Bowl champions. They still have Dick LeBeau running the defense, and his players call him “The Wizard,” which reflects the schemes and creativity he brings. The offense still has Ben Roethlisberger under center and returns RB Rashard Mendenhall after a season-ending shoulder injury last year.

The morning session was closed, but this afternoon it is open. More than 7,000 fans are here. They sit in bleachers, on hills and some bring their own chairs and blankets. A sea of black and gold on green.

Pick your top 20 current players, regardless of position, as I did. It’s more difficult than you think. There’s one caveat — these aren’t ranked in order — but here’s a look at my top 20 as they popped into my head.

The bar has been set with the recent success of the Cowboys, Patriots, Ravens, Chargers and Steelers’ 3-4 defenses, and now it has become vogue to run the scheme. As many as 15 teams are either making the switch or infusing elements of the 3-4 defense, but can they be successful? Here are five key ingredients that will make or break the transition.

Steelers starting cornerback Ike Taylor has restructured his contract to create more salary cap space.

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison signed a six-year deal Monday worth $51.7 million with $20 million guaranteed, according to his agent, Bill Parise.

James Harrison and the Pittsburgh Steelers are closing in on a contract extension that could be finalized as early as Monday, according to Bill Parise, the agent for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Parise says all parties involved agreed to get past the Easter holiday before consummating the deal.

Steelers team president Art Rooney II said he is “optimistic” that the team will reach a long-term deal with LB James Harrison, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Friday.

Steelers LB James Harrison made arguably the biggest play in Super Bowl XLIII to follow up winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Now comes the contract renegotiation. Harrison has one year left on his current deal, but his agent, Bill Parise, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he already has held discussions with the team. Parise said he’s hoping for $100 million for his client, though he said that with a laugh.

Carolina is not going to have an easy time stopping the run today, even though the Saints have deactivated running back Pierre Thomas. Panthers defensive tackles Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu were both deactivated, leaving Carolina short-handed against the run.

DT Nick Hayden, a 2008 sixth-round pick from Wisconsin, should make his first NFL start for the Panthers.

Missing James Harrison is huge for IDP players, but shouldn’t hurt the Steelers team defense which has a great matchup against the Browns. Coach Mike Tomlin wants to end the season on winning note, so he will play all of his starters, but for how long if the Steelers turn this one into a laugher?

A bit of good news for the Steelers — LB James Harrison, who left the game during the first quarter with a hip injury, is back on the field.

As good as the Ravens defense is, it actually could have been even better.

Back in 2004, when Baltimore was finalizing the roster it needed to bring to training camp, it decided to release a linebacker it had allocated to the Rhein Fire that spring. But it felt it had little choice. The Ravens needed to bring another tight end to training camp so they said goodbye to linebacker James Harrison.