10 Super Bowl appearances. Two wins, eight losses.
For what is described by many as the greatest quarterback draft class ever, the 1983 trio of John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly were ultimately losers!
Aside from Elway, Marino and Kelly were 0-5 in the big game.
Yes, it took Elway four tries to win his first Lombardi trophy, but he won. He won two in fact.
Fast forward to 2004. Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Three Super Bowl appearances, all victories.
Regardless of their remaining careers, Manning, Rivers, and Roethlisberger have outdone their predecessors in five seasons. Which leads us to the 2009 NFL season!
Coming off their second Super Bowl victory in four seasons, sixth overall, the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers look to do what they failed to accomplish following their Super Bowl XL victory—first, make the playoffs, then repeat as champions.
This year's version of the black and gold returns 20 of 22 starters from a year ago. The entire offensive line-up returns, minus third receiver Nate Washington, who departed to Tennessee via free agency in the off-season.
The defense returns nine of eleven starters, though cornerback William Gay and linebacker Lawrence Timmons saw significant action during last season's title run.
Some would argue Timmons is superior to the man he replaces, Larry Foote, who signed with his hometown Detroit Lions.
Gay is the question-mark for a defense which ranked first in the league last season.
Add to the mix a healthy Rashard Mendenhall, the return of punter Daniel Sepuvleda and a draft class which includes promising first-round pick Evander "Ziggy" Hood, and the Steelers on paper may be better than the defending Super Bowl champs.
Their offensive line is a year more mature, although injuries to Justin Hartwig and Darnell Stapleton early on in camp may set the unit back a bit.
Outside of those concerns, Mike Tomlin enters his third year, sans any pressure whatsoever. It took Tomlin two years to accomplish what it took Bill Cowher 14 to do, win a Super Bowl for the Rooney's.
The entire coaching staff returns, which means Dick Lebeau is poised to have the Steelers primed to be the best defense in the NFL once again this coming season.
The scary thought is that this defense may be better, if possible, than last years. The simple measuring stick is if the Steelers can go "number 1" across the board, a feat they narrowly missed last season (they ranked 2nd in rush defense to Minnesota.)
As for the Super Bowl runners-up, the Arizona Cardinals are in a great position themselves. Winning the NFC West and making a return to the playoffs is easily within reach.
The Cardinals only competition in the division will be the resurgent San Francisco 49ers.
Say what you will about the Seahawks and Rams, but the Cardinals offense, and surprisingly strong defense are poised to make another deep playoff run in 2009.
As for the rest of the 2009 NFL season, here is how this opinion sees things playing out.
In the AFC, the "super-human" Tom Brady returns to the New England Patriots. Brady has new weapons, including Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor.
The Patriots also reloaded on defense as they brought in linebacker Tully Banta-Cain from the 49ers and cornerback Shawn Springs from the Redskins.
It still remains to be seen if Brady's knee can support not only himself, but a defense which was 10th in the league last season.
Other AFC storylines include Jim Caldwell assuming head coaching duties for the Indianapolis Colts, Rex Ryan taking over the same title with the New York Jets, and the return of Shawn Merriman to the San Diego Chargers.
Here, it says that the AFC will be ruled by the familiar faces it has been over the past decade.
The AFC North will be controlled by a poised Steelers team. I can't see where the Ravens, or any team in the division, can make up the ground needed to overthrow the Steelers. The Ravens subtracted from a defense that couldn't contain Ben Roethlisberger in three attempts last season.
Furthermore, as the Ravens took a step back on defense—losing Bart Scott and Jim Leonard, as well as their defensive coordinator—the Steelers, as previously mentioned, strengthened their roster, while Joe Flacco didn't receive the help on offense he needs to beat the Steelers.
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