Herausforderungen » injury.Josh Mansour was finally able to

PITTSBURGH -- Todd Haley came up with a goal of averaging 30 points a game a year ago.And if the always tinkering, ever aggressive Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator is being honest, hes kind of surprised his group came as close as it did in 2015.No Ben Roethlisberger for four games. No LeVeon Bell for 10. No Martavis Bryant for five. No Maurkice Pouncey for an entire season. And still the Steelers managed to put up 26 points every week on their way to a second straight playoff berth.When you look back at the tape, even with the hands we were dealt, whether it was injuries, suspensions, whatever it was, to me it would have been a very attainable goal for us last year, Haley said.So why change it even with some of the same issues that plagued Pittsburgh a year ago -- Bell suspended for three games, Bryant suspended until next spring, tight end Ladarius Green out indefinitely with ankle issues -- popping up again ahead of Monday nights opener in Washington?As a coach, you are trying to set the bar high but at an area you can feel like you can achieve and attain, Haley said. I just think thats a number if we are able to get it done, it will give us the best chance to win week in and week out.The preseason provided a brief but perhaps telling glimpse of whats to come. Roethlisberger, Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown played all of two possessions together during an exhibition game.Both drives in Week 3 featured Roethlisberger working almost exclusively out of the no-huddle and finished with the Steelers in the end zone.Giving Roethlisberger the latitude to call what he wants when he wants -- akin to Peyton Mannings prime in Indianapolis -- is a sign of just how the relationship between quarterback and coordinator has evolved over the past four years.The trust level between the two is at an all-time high thanks in part to Roethlisbergers embracing of Haleys system that tasks the 34-year-old with getting the ball out of his hands (and hopefully keeping him healthy) to a skill group thats as talented as any in the league when its on the field at the same time.Its a collection that will include heavy doses of DeAngelo Williams until Bell returns in Week 4. Its a role he filled remarkably well in 2015 while running for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns at 32, a time when most of his peers are eyeing retirement if theyre still in the league at all. Williams looks as fresh as ever.DeAngelo does not lack confidence by any stretch of the imagination, but thats what you want, Roethlisberger said. You want a guy who is going to step up and be ready to go, try not to miss a beat. Last year, he showed what he can do, and I think well see the same thing.Williams even caught a career-best 40 receptions and remained one of the best backs in the league in pass protection. Hes hardly concerned about living up to Haleys mandate. Last he checked, the goal was to score as often as possible.Theres two types of pressure, you either apply it or you feel it, Williams said. Were applying 30 point a game rule because its what our offensive coordinator and head coach want us to do.Pittsburghs test will be an unfamiliar one. The Redskins spent the offseason upgrading a defense that finished 28th in yards allowed in 2015, though Washington somehow won the lackluster NFC East anyway.All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman comes over from Carolina and former Pittsburgh defensive end Ziggy Hood will try to revitalize his career after bouncing from Jacksonville to Chicago to the nations capital since leaving the Steelers after the 2013 season.The division remains wide open and slowing down Pittsburgh -- a club Washington hasnt beaten since its most recent Super Bowl-winning season a quarter century ago -- would be an ambitious start.Yet it may come down to the Steelers stopping themselves. For all the yards and the points they put up in 2015, Pittsburgh also turned it over 28 times, the 10th-most in the league. That number includes 16 interceptions by Roethlisberger, his most since 2006.We just gave the ball away too many times last year, Haley said. Our defense did a great job of getting it, so we stayed in the plus, but for us to be up over one-plus giveaway per game, thats too much for a group that wants to be great.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLRowan Wick Cubs Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Dillon Maples Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.cheapcubs.com/980t-bill-madlock-jersey-cubs.html .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. David Bote Cubs Jersey . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Steve Cishek Jersey . 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As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener.Veteran back-rower Sam Thaiday will undergo surgery in London on Tuesday after fracturing his cheekbone and eye socket during Australias win over England.Thaiday, sustained the injury in a collision with England prop James Graham in the second half of the 38-16 win at the London Stadium and immediately left the field.The Queensland and Brisbane NRL star will miss Sundays final against New Zealand at Anfield and becomes the second player in the Kangaroos squad to suffer a tournament-ending injury.Josh Mansour was finally able to fly home last week after sustaining torn anterior cruciate ligaments during a training collision with Josh Dugan at Burton a fortnight agoo.ddddddddddddThaiday, 31, will rejoin the squad in Liverpool later this week and it is hoped he will be passed to fit fly back to Australia next Monday (Tuesday AEDT) when the team returns home after almost six weeks in the UK.The head of Canterbury skipper Graham also inflicted a similar injury to his England teammate Sam Burgess during the 2014 NRL grand final.Thaiday has come off the interchange bench in every game of the tournament and his spot is likely to be taken by either Shannon Boyd or young Manly back-rower Jake Trbojevic. 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