May 30, 2015 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – In the grand scheme of things, 10 years isn’t a bump in the road or a blip on the radar.

In the NFL, however, 10 years is nearly an eternity.

Players come and go. Dynasties rise and fall. Coaches change.

So it has been for the Steelers as they continued preparations for the 2015 regular season.

Ten years ago, the Steelers were preparing for the 2005 season after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s superb rookie campaign in which he led them to a 15-1 record and a spot in the AFC Championship game.

Linebacker James Harrison was a reserve who was released and re-signed three times in 2002 and 2003 before finally finding a role as special teams ace and top backup to Joey Porter and Clark Haggans.

Tight end Heath Miller and longsnapper Greg Warren were both taking part in their first offseason workouts, Miller as a first-round draft pick and Warren as a longshot to make a veteran-laden roster.

Little did they know it was the start of something big, as the team won the Super Bowl at the end of that season under then-head coach Bill Cowher.

Fast-forward 10 years and those four players are the sole holdovers from what is considered one of the great eras of Steelers football, one in which the team won the Super Bowl in 2005 and 2008, and lost to Green Bay in 2010.

But how much longer can they hang on?

The past few offseasons were particularly tough on the “two-ring group,” players who were around for both Super Bowl championships. Since the 2014 season ended, safety Troy Polamalu, cornerback Ike Taylor and defensive end Brett Keisel all either retired or were released.

“Yeah, that two-ring group is getting really small,” said Harrison, now 37. “It’s a young man’s game. You can’t play it forever. Nobody can. You have to be grateful for what you can get and move on from there.”

At least one of the holdovers is looking past 2015.

Roethlisberger, now 33, was signed to a five-year contract extension in March that will allow him to finish his career in Pittsburgh.

While he, Harrison, Miller and Warren are holdovers from the previous era, he hopes to be part of a new era of championship teams.

“We have a lot of new guys,” said Roethlisberger. “There aren’t a lot of the old guys around anymore. But in every phase of life or in this business there is turnover. There are new faces. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a new thing.”

Some adjustments were made, at least by the organization.

Roethlisberger no longer makes his living running around outside the pocket to make plays. He’s settled nicely in offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s offense, which emphasizes getting the football out of the quarterback’s hands quickly.

It’s far different from the deep passes longtime coordinator Bruce Arians preferred, but it was highly successful in 2014. He tied for the league lead in passing yards with a career-high 4,952 and also threw 32 touchdown passes with just nine interceptions.

“I haven’t changed my game at all,” Roethlisberger said. “Bruce Arians was known to go down the field and take shots. So you are going to have to hold onto the ball. We call a lot of plays (now) that get the ball out quick to receivers. Todd Haley’s offense is a lot about catching the ball, running and putting up yards after the catch. So I think that’s what it is more than me changing or anyone changing.

“I get the ball out and the guys make plays.”

Miller, 32, has long been one of Roethlisberger’s favorite targets. But a severe knee injury suffered at the end of the 2012 season robbed him of some of his speed, and he has two seasons remaining on his contract.

Warren, meanwhile, signed a one-year deal this offseason to stay with the team for an 11th year, though the Steelers aren’t in any hurry to replace the 33-year-old just yet.

Harrison, perhaps, has a better perspective on the end of his career than most.

He was released by the Steelers after the 2013 season – the fourth time they released him – in a cost-cutting move and played in 2014 for Cincinnati. He was released by the Bengals following that season and announced his retirement last summer, only to be coaxed back onto the field by Pittsburgh after outside linebacker Jarvis Jones suffered a severe wrist injury.

His position coach now? None other than Porter, whom he replaced as a starter in 2007.

“He’s a lot older than me. He’s about six, nine months older,” Harrison said of Porter, a smile crossing his face. “It’s not much of a difference for me. I still look at him as Peezy. It’s not much different than it was when he was here earlier.”

Trading a helmet for a headset on the sidelines is one way to stick around in the business. But for the old guys still hanging on, they savor each day a little differently than they did earlier in their careers.

“I’m almost 40 years old, out here playing a game with young men,” Harrison said. “I’m extremely blessed to be able to do that.”

The Steelers signed seventh-round draft pick Gerod Holliman Saturday and now have all eight of their draft picks under contract. … After completing three OTA sessions last week, the Steelers have seven sessions remaining, including three this week, Tuesday through Thursday.