Cannon Firing Line
WWBD vs. WWMD
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

Not to bust up your bubble, but there was a time not long ago - like last April - when how the biggest event of the NFL offseason would play out around here was a foregone conclusion.

Not anymore.

Face it, regardless of where the Steelers picked in the draft, you had a pretty good sense of what their M.O. would be. Make the first pick available on trade market, use it for need. Future starter/developmental guys through the rest of the first day and the initial selection they held on Sunday. The rest of the picks were flyers.

Considering they'll go into the final stages of their draft preparation with presumably a similar process and scouting personnel, perhaps that familiar scenario will again unfold. Kevin Colbert has his guys and process in place, knows how he likes to work the board and certainly has the flexibility to approach the draft with the kind of willingness to adjust that has made him successful.

But there's one major difference: Mike Tomlin. Or Bill Cowher, depending on your point of view.

Which, if you think about it, is a microcosm of just about how about everything with the Steelers will play out through the 2007 season. Until Tomlin has that first year under his belt, most of the folks out there will be comparing everything to WWBD (What Would Bill Do?).

And, in the minds of that same public, that begins in earnest at this month's draft because Cowher was always perceived to have a significant role in how things played out over that weekend.

And now it's Mike's turn, which instantly makes this entire process filled with much more interest, if not intrigue, as we begin to watch his future teams take shape. Indeed, after having a pretty good idea of WWBD under just about every circumstance, we're about to learn WWMD (What Will Mike Do?)

Believe me, people will be captivated by those two questions - a lot.

Only the real hardcore followers, and perhaps us media types, will find interest in just how the process unfolds, and any changes that have come with the new era. But the vast majority of the Nation will have much less interest in that, at least initially, and find more suspense in another question: Do the draft picks mean the Steelers are going to a 4-3?

It should be clear the Steelers will emphasize a different defensive scheme than under Cowher, if not in direct contrast and if not immediately. The first glimpse of that will be seen when the 15th pick is on the clock. And, from that moment forward, particularly if the name announced begins and ends with Louisville Amobi Okoye - THE story in this year's draft - the process of WWBD will slowly evolve into WWMD, but with less of a question mark after "D".

And that, after years of knowing the answer beforehand, promises to make this year's Steelers' draft - and the changes it will signify - as interesting as any we've seen in a long time.

Ellis Cannon's SportsLine Pittsburgh" airs weeknights, 6-8 p.m., on FM NewsTalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on the "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 on KDKA-TV.