There was Kevin Henry, an undersized defensive end, playing nose tackle for the first time in his career.
There was Mike Vrabel, an outside linebacker, lining up at defensive end for the first time in three years.
There was John Fiala, a backup inside linebacker, playing middle linebacker in the dime defense.
And there was Kimo von Oelhoffen, the team's new nose tackle, struggling in the heat, which seems odd for a person who grew up in Hawaii.
"A lot of us are going to be asked to do things we're not used to doing," Henry said.
Maybe the offense should have sustained some of the same disruptions.
Actually, considering the heat and the way the Steelers had to juggle their defensive players because of injuries, it's probably surprising that their 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens yesterday at Three Rivers Stadium wasn't more lopsided.
"We were really rotating a lot of players in there," Coach Bill Cowher said. "The defense was out there a long time."
And the defense really didn't get much time to rest in between appearances. Not when the offense managed just two first downs, 39 yards and had the ball for just 10 minutes, 56 seconds in the first half.
"You go out there and it's in-and-out, in-and-out, eventually it gets to you," said inside linebacker Earl Holmes.
What got to the Steelers in their regular-season opener was a compilation of ailments, beginning with an ankle injury sustained by backup nose tackle Kendrick Clancy on a first-quarter kickoff. That prevented the Steelers from rotating him with von Oelhoffen on a hot, steamy day.
What's more, Holmes and inside partner Levon Kirkland each got nagging ankle sprains in the first 20 minutes that limited their roles, as well. Kirkland returned from the locker room and played in the second half, but he came out in the dime defense and was replaced by Fiala because he couldn't drop into pass coverage.
"Everyone is tired," Vrabel said. "But you've got to play through it."
The injury to Clancy, the team's third-round draft choice, proved to be the most disruptive because it forced Henry, a 285-pound defensive end, to move to nose tackle when von Oelhoffen came out for a rest. And, with the temperature over 90 degrees on the artificial surface, the 310-pound von Oelhoffen needed several breaks.
At one point, even though the Ravens had third-and-1 at their 48, von Oelhoffen was so exhausted he had to come off the field. Henry moved to nose tackle in the short-yardage situation and ended up stopping running back Priest Holmes for no gain.
"I don't think it disrupted anything," von Oelhoffen said. "On the defensive line, you've got to be able to do it all."
But the heat, and the constant pounding by the Ravens' defensive line, took its toll on von Oelhoffen.
"This was the hottest day so far," von Oelhoffen said, referring to the period from when the Steelers started training camp. "I'm sure it affected us. It's something we tried to overcome. But regardless how hard you train, when you're on the line and you're playing the big boys, you're going to get tired."
The Steelers were already playing without Chris Sullivan, a free agent from New England who is out at least another two weeks because of back surgery. Before the game, they activated defensive end Jeremy Staat, who is the only other lineman who has played nose tackle. That left them with five defensive linemen against the Ravens. When Clancy got hurt on the kickoff after the Ravens' first field goal, it was down to four.
Rookie Chris Combs rotated with Aaron Smith at left end, but he moved to right end when Henry went to nose tackle. By the fourth quarter, Vrabel was lining up at left defensive end -- a position he hasn't played since he was a rookie in 1997.
And Vrabel was playing despite sustaining a twisted ankle on a seam in the artificial surface while on the punt-return team.
"I think that's one of the reasons I stay around here," said Vrabel, a fourth-year linebacker from Ohio State. "I can play there if something happens. I may not be able to play there at the level that Kevin [Henry] can, but I can survive. You don't hear Kevin complaining when they move him [to nose tackle]."
Complaining?
That might come if the offense continues to perform as it did against the Ravens. The Steelers finished with 12 first downs and 223 total yards, but they had just four first downs and 94 yards before the ill-fated drive to start the fourth quarter. That's when Cowher inserted Kordell Stewart to play quarterback after Kent Graham drove the team 86 yards to the Ravens' 1.
"As defense, we set goals, and if a team scores 16 points, we should win the game," said safety Lee Flowers. "Maybe we should set our goals higher. Maybe it should be 10 points."
Lackluster showing on offense puts heat on Steelers' defense 
