Steelers: What to watch for in preseason game No. 3 at Buffalo

Because of injuries, the Steelers are a patchwork team at many positions, including outside linebacker. But those who are healthy will get a chance to test a game plan from new offensive coordinator Todd Haley when Pittsburgh plays the Bills on Saturday night.

The starters will linger longer, and for the bedraggled, repaired and retooled Steelers, that conceivably could be a problem.

Saturday’s game at the Buffalo Bills marks the true debut, preseason edition, of the Todd Haley offense with most of its working parts absent -- no Mike Wallace, no Rashard Mendenhall. The team approaches Game No. 3 as a road test for the regular season, practicing and traveling as they would in-season.

People to watch most keenly: the Steelers’ medical staff. If any of the current starters get hurt, it could spell trouble for a club already on its third right outside linebacker (with James Harrison and Jason Worilds recovering from surgeries), its backup nose tackle (with Casey Hampton working to return from knee and elbow procedures), its third halfback (with Mendenhall recovering from ACL surgery and Isaac Redman nursing a hip injury of unknown duration). And this is the preseason?

Hello, Haley-ball. This represents an unveiling for the new Steelers offensive coordinator -- and the then-Kansas City head coach (Haley) who fired the offensive coordinator who Saturday will be the Steelers’ opposing head coach (Chan Gailey). This is the first game that Haley has game-planned for. How will he and Ben Roethlisberger coexist? How will the running game fare without Mendenhall and possibly without Redman, who showed in Mendenhall’s place the final seven quarters last season that he can be their feature or co-feature back? How will the passing game fare without Wallace and lost-for-the-season TE/FB David Johnson? And how will the line play with its third different starting OL this preseason, Saturday marking the return of. ...

Hello, Max Starks. The longtime blind-side OT returns after an ACL injury and a camp that saw him on the PUP list until just last week.

Will the "other" CBs survive this test? Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown are basically the Nos. 2-4 CBs after Ike Taylor. If they can’t handle the Bills. ...

Who will punt? Incumbent Jeremy Kapinos continues to mend from back problems, so the son of former Bears placekicker Kevin Butler -- Drew Butler -- remains the de facto punter. The fact is, Butler has been bludgeoning the ball. He has averaged 47.5 yards per punt with a 41 net through two games. How will he perform under the closest preseason facsimile to a regular-season game?

Follow Chuck Finder on Twitter for real-time updates from Steelers training camp @CBSSportsNFLPIT.