2009 Steelers - Super Bowl Or Bust

“Supper Bowl. Write it down.”

The above malapropism was supposedly written on a blackboard at Steelers training camp approximately 20 years ago by quarterback Bubby Brister. Brister was never known for his intellect, but in hindsight if we can understand his writing we can see he was predicting the beginning of an era of Steelers football that has suffered through only four losing records in the last 20 seasons.

But this year is different. This isn’t 1989, where Steelers fans were just elated to be in the playoffs after a five-year hiatus, or 1992, when Pittsburgh won their first division title in eight years, or even 2001 and 2004, when despite playing poorly in the AFC Championship game the Steelers’ respective 13 and 15 victory seasons out of nowhere could hardly be called disappointments.

This is a season where the Pittsburgh Steelers should be improved from last year’s World Championship season. Where the key returning players are all in their prime, the schedule is easier, and with Rashard Mendenhall coming back from injury it could be argued Pittsburgh will reap the benefits of having two new first-round draft choices contribute this season.

Super Bowl. Write it down.

True, the New England Patriots have been installed as the Vegas favorite to win Super Bowl XLIV.

But the demands of Pittsburgh Steelers fans will not allow them to call another division title with home field advantage a successful season should the Patriots beat them in the playoffs for the third time this decade and fourth time in five postseason meetings dating to 1996.  That would allow the Patriots to officially clinch the title of “Team of the Decade,” if they haven’t already.

More importantly, should New England go on to win their fourth Super Bowl this season, it would allow this era’s Patriots to be favorably compared head-to-head with the Steelers of the Seventies. And with five conference titles in a decade compared to the four Pittsburgh won from 1974-79, one can argue the Steelers’ championships were more concentrated, but . . .

Fear not, fellow Yinzers! The Steelers will again win the Super Bowl because -

• There are no key roster losses. Offensive tackle Marvell Smith? He only played in five games last season and the team won the Super Bowl. Bryan McFadden? He only played in 10. Nate Washington and Byron Leftwich? They didn’t even start. And while inside linebacker Larry Foote has left for Detroit, do you honestly think when Foote recorded 63 tackles as a starter and heir apparent Lawrence Timmons collected 65 as a backup it is a regression?
• There are plenty of roster gains. Maybe the draft did underwhelm, but didn’t the selection of a defensive lineman and right guard seem wise on a team where all the starting defensive linemen are more than 30 years old and the team allowed 49 regular season sacks? What can’t be denied is the return of Rashard Mendenhall to run between the tackles, Daniel Sepulveda to punt instead of Mitch Berger or Paul Ernster, or the fact defensive backs Keiwan Ratliff, Keenan Lewis, and Joe Burnett figure to combat the loss of McFadden, who was hardly the sole reason the defense finished at the top of the league’s statistical rankings last year.
• The schedule has to be easier. While it’s true what was billed as “the league’s toughest schedule” referred to the opponents’ 2007 records and not 2008, the strength of the Steelers schedule still was the second toughest ever for a Super Bowl champion and seventh overall in the league. Pittsburgh played seven games against playoff teams in the regular season, posting a less-than-impressive 3-4 mark, though it should be mentioned Baltimore was 2-5 against foes that made the playoffs and Arizona 1-4 during the 2008 regular season. What’s more impressive is that outside the division Pittsburgh played only one team with a losing record (Jacksonville) and indirectly kept Dallas and New England out of the playoffs, while preventing both Houston and Washington from having winning seasons. This year’s slate features eight games against opponents with losing records in 2008. Finish 7-1 against them and the Steelers need only play .500 against the big boys to finish 11-5.
• The best players are all in their prime. Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller, and Troy Polamalu are all veterans and are all younger than 30. Tell me these aren’t five of the Steelers’ six best players.
• The offensive line can’t be any worse than it was last year. Can it?

If you’re dead set on playing the pessimism game, yes, James Farrior will be 35 by the time the playoffs roll around. Hines Ward and Aaron Smith are 33. Deshea Townsend will be 34.

But have any of their performances shown significant signs of a future rapid decline? One might argue Ward, who caught only two passes in the Super Bowl, but he caught nine passes during the postseason, second only to Holmes’ 13 on the team, and averaged 18.7 yards on them despite a knee injury.

And, yes, if the offensive line continues to allow more than three sacks a game and Roethlisberger is lost for the season, it will be difficult for the Steelers to repeat, just as it would be difficult for any team to overcome the loss of their starting quarterback.

But all things considered, the 2009 Steelers figure to be better than the 2008 squad.

Of course, so do the 2009 Patriots with Tom Brady. That’s why a Super Bowl championship is the only way the 2009 Steelers can be called successful by their demanding fans.

The franchise’s legacy depends on it.