Will the Steelers Repeat in 2009?

**Sir Blitzelot** · 02-21-2009, 03:38 PM

It was February 1st when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23, in one of the most dramatic finishes in Super Bowl history. The victory gave the Steelers their sixth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Now, the confetti has finished falling, and the questions about the 2009 NFL season have begun. The first question that comes to everyone’s mind is, will the Steelers repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2009? Only eight teams in the history of the NFL have won the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons, and there is no reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot be the ninth.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still a relatively young team. The core players like Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Willie Parker, and James Harrison are now in the prime of their careers. The Steelers also have a nice group of young players who will continue to grow and become more successful at their positions. Santonio Holmes, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons, and Limas Sweed are all players who have bright futures with the Steelers. In particular, Santonio Holmes and LaMarr Woodley made tremendous strides last season. Both players have the potential of being great, and are players to keep our eyes on in the seasons to come.

The Steelers are fortunate in the fact that their coaching staff will virtually remain the same for the 2009 season. This means that defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau, will be returning next season, so fans can expect the defense of the Steelers to once again be a dominating force for teams to contend with. In 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers had statistically the toughest schedule in the NFL, and posted an impressive 12-4 regular season record. Next season, the Steelers have the easiest schedule in the league, playing the AFC West and the NFC North. This will greatly improve the Steelers’ chances of making the playoffs in 2009.

Then there is Ben Roethlisberger. In his five-year career, Roethlisberger is 56-24 with an 8-2 record in the playoffs. Plain and simple, he wins football games. Sometimes it seems as though he makes plays that no one else on the field can make. With nineteen come-from-behind wins to his credit, Roethlisberger always plays big when he needs to. With already two Super Bowl victories under his belt, Ben is quickly building a Hall of Fame resume, and may find himself in Canton Ohio when it is all said and done. As long as Roethlisberger is the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team will have a realistic chance at a Super Bowl every season.

Michael C. Smith aka MCS513
SteelerAddicts.com
Will the Steelers Repeat in 2009?

**AZ_Steeler** · 02-21-2009, 04:10 PM

Big Ben is definitely the key to the Steelers success. All one needs to do is go back to the 2006 season when Ben wasn't really all there... the win loss record showed it that year. I know I get mad when he holds onto the ball for too long, but he's a playmaker and is trying to make something happen. More often than not he's successful with turning nothing into something.

Nice article!

**Black@Gold Forever32** · 02-21-2009, 04:25 PM

The NFL season always had unexpected twists and turns.....Key players getting hurt across the NFL is a big factor on the out come of a season.....Free agency hasn't started yet so I say its way to early to say if the Steelers will repeat.......The Steelers have a great chance to do so......They will be one of the favorites heading into the season no doubt.....

**Steelerlyn** · 02-21-2009, 04:29 PM

Great article

**ejsteeler** · 02-21-2009, 06:56 PM

They'll be favorites to repeat for intelligent fans and the minorityof the media. The rest will grab onto to brady's jock strap and scream about how great he is. I want to see these two in the AFC championship this year. Then we can put to bed the comparisons between them...

**Troyisabeast_43** · 02-21-2009, 07:12 PM

I do believe this team has an excellent chance of repeating next season and it's pretty much for the all the reasons you have mentioned, and I dont need to really add too much more. Plus, I think going back to what happened in the 2006 season when the Steelers went 8-8 I think there will be a much greater focus this time around all the way across the board. Mike Tomlin will not let this team get complacent much like Bill Cowher did the season after they won in 2005 where Cowher pretty much knew he was retiring and didnt really have the heart or desire to win again and be really serious about trying to repeat. There are still a lot of players coming back next season that won this past Super Bowl against the Cardinals that also won Super Bowl XL in 2005. Guys such as Ben,Ward,Parker,Farrior,Harrison,Troy,Ike,Aaron Smith,Keisel,Hampton,Deshea, Heath Miller, Hoke,Kirschke,Starks just to name a few.

That's a pretty big group of core players and key players as well. They know more so now what it will take to repeat and how the focus will have to be even greater this time around and I think a lot of those guys that I just mentioned there in that group will thrive off of that and be much better because of that this time around.

**BlitzburghNation** · 02-21-2009, 07:21 PM

Got a great chance,,,,that's for sure with our weaker schedule.

But anything can happen in the playoffs and I love our chances,especially with our core of players