Lawrence Timmons

Lawrence Timmons

Ten Reasons The Steelers Could Be Super Bowl Champs Again!

Repeating a Super Bowl championship is a hard task. Few teams have been able to repeat as Super Bowl champs in consecutive seasons. We know there are loads of reasons why a team is not suited to do it, but let me bring to mind just a few that relate to the Pittsburgh Steelers chances of doing it. They are listed in reverse order of importance.

#10 The Steelers have a winning tradition. Out of the 43 Super Bowls played, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most Super Bowls with six. That's one more than the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers who each have five Super Bowl championships a piece. Out of the seven NFL teams that have won Super Bowls back to back, the Steelers are the only team to do it twice with wins in Super Bowls 9 and 10 and then after that in Super Bowls 13 and 14. The other teams to win back to back just once were the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. The Pittsburgh Steelers have additionally won 2 Super Bowls in the previous 4 years, Super Bowl XL and XLIII. They just lost 1 Super Bowl out of the 7 they played in. Doesn't that sound like an organization that knows how to win?

#9 The Pittsburgh Steelers will have almost the same players they had in 2008. The same team that won Super Bowl XLIII. They have 20 of the 22 starting roster returning from last year. Bryant McFadden and Larry Foote are gone from the defense and the deprature of third receiver Nate Washington gives the Steelers a loss of depth on the offense, but these losses shouldn't have any affect on the team's performance.

#8 The return game could kick into gear this year. It was almost gone after Randel El left. Even though they won the Super Bowl, the Steelers were next to last in the league in punt returns with 6 yards per return. That was well under the Buffalo Bill's league-leading 15.5 yard average and they were 4th from the bottom in kickoff returns with a 20.3 yard average. This year Mike Tomlin knows that the Steelers may at long last have found some kick returners that have the capability to break for lengthy gains. One of the swiftest players on the team, wide receiver, Mike Wallace has been getting most of the kickoff returns in the pre-season, but Stefan Logan can also return kickoffs. Logan,  in advancing from the CFL to the National Football League, appears to have upgraded the Steelers in one of their worst areas (returning punts). It looks like Logan will open the season as the Pittsburgh Steelers' kick returner.

#7 The running game of the Pittsburgh Steelers may be gearing up for a renewal this year. Rashard Mendenhall's damaged shoulder and Willie Parker's busted leg has sabotaged the Steelers ground game recently. Both backs seem to be relatively healthy this year. Mewelde Moore has filled in nicely as a third down back, but the future may lie with the rookie from UNLV, Frank "The Tank" Summers. A number of the Steeler fans are hopeful Summers will be another Jerome "The Bus" Bettis. He's big and has quick feet like " The Bus", but only time will tell if "The Tank" can run like "The Bus".

# 6 The Steelers offensive line has gained a full year of experience. Although they permitted 46 quarterback sacks a year ago which was the 2nd most in the NFL. Regardless, they still won the Super Bowl. Since they have a full year of playing together and are working to improve at shielding the quarterback and opening up the ground game which was ranked 23rd in the NFL last year, we should see good results. "Were one of the youngest position groups on the team, but having that year under our belts speaks volumes," offensive lineman Max Starks told The Tribune Democrat. "The offensive line is a unique position. You need chemistry. You need experience. This offensive line is a very close-knit unit. We have set a lot of goals for ourselves. There are some things we have to clean up from last year, so we're just taking it one day at a time and hoping to get better and better."

#5 They have a tough quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger who knows how to win! He has won 2 Super Bowls while with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last 4 years. Ben has proved to be a  winner. Big Ben lead his college team, Miami of Ohio to an undefeated season, a #10 national ranking and a victory over the University of Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl prior to coming to the NFL. Roethlisberger brings his winning outlook into the 2009 season ready to repeat last year's feat. He's a tough competitor and he'll contend for another championship this year.

#4 The Steelers head coach has gained some valuable experience in his first two full seasons. Mike Tomlin is in his third year and already has two Division titles, one Conference Championship and a Super Bowl Championship under his belt. His confidence level must be through the roof. After two years and a 22-10 record, Mike Tomlin is the winningest coach according to percentages  (68.8%) in Steelers history. He should be able to  transmit that experience and confidence into another Super Bowl ring.

#3 The schedule looks a lot easier this year than last. Almost everybody agreed that the Pittsburgh Steelers had the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2008. With that schedule all they did was go 12-4 and win the Super Bowl. This year's Steelers schedule seems a lot more manageable. Look who's missing from the 2009 schedule, the New England Patriots, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas cowboys. Those teams are replaced by the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins. Who would you prefer to play?

#2 The Steelers have a 12th man and that's the Steeler fans. The Pittsburgh Steelers boast a fan base that is unbelievable. They give support to their team like no other collection of fans. The Pittsburgh Steelers fans were ranked the best fans in the league by ESPN in 2008. The Steelers have sold out 299 home games in a row. That's all home games since 1972, 37 years so far! They are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and vocal fans who wear Pittsburgh Steelers apparel and wave the "Terrible Towels". These fans travel better than any other fans in the league. These fans are used to winning and seeing good smash-mouth football. These are the kind of fans that can just about will the Steelers to a win!

And the #1 reason I think the Steelers could repeat as Super Bowl champions is their "defense". Last year the Steelers had the number 1 defense in the league and under Dick Le Beau. I'm positive they will be just as good if not better this year. Even though they lost 2 players on defense, they haven't skipped a beat especially at the linebacker spot where they promoted Lawrence Timmon's. Most Steelers fans would argue it's the defense that kept them in most of the games they were able to win last year. I don't expect that to switch now. This defense prides itself on being able to shut down the opposition. They will do everything to accomplish that. These players totally put it on the line and as we all know "Defense wins championships".

There are probably more reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best chance to go back to the Super Bowl and win it, but I think we have enough to start with. You can bet against the Steelers repeating in 2009 if you like to, but my money is on " The Black and Gold"! Get quality  Steelers gear at our Pittsburgh Steelers Store.

About the Author

Jim Lane writes about the Pittsburgh Steelers on his Steelers blog and Steelers Fan website at http://www.steelers-fan.com . See the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule , roster and a great selection of Pittsburgh Steelers Merchandise .

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