Steelers Aim to Repeat

NFL 2009 | Santonio Holmes extended his arms, kept his feet on the ground and held on to Ben Roethlisberger's perfectly placed pass deep in the right corner of the end zone.
Santonio Holmes' SB XLIII Winning Catch

"Number one in the world!"

Those were the words uttered by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker JAMES FARRIOR moments after wide receiver SANTONIO HOLMES' game-winning touchdown reception in Super Bowl XLIII, helping the Steelers capture their NFL-best sixth Super Bowl title.

"We're going down in history with one of the greatest games ever played in the Super Bowl," says Holmes, who was named Super Bowl XLIII MVP after his nine-catch, 131-yard performance. "We finished it up the way we needed to and brought another championship back to Pittsburgh."

Steelers Chairman Emeritus and Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN ROONEY, recently sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland, says the success of his storied franchise is owed to the players.

"Players are the ones that do it for you," says Rooney. "The players are it. You can't win without the players. Remember that. Every Super Bowl win is important. The first one was sort of special. The rest of them were all very good. You see these young players and see the talent and see how well they do. That is all important."

Steelers quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER, who already has two Super Bowl titles in his five-year career, passes the credit to the Rooney family for providing a winning environment.

"I think it starts at the top with the owners, the Rooney family," says Roethlisberger. "They find ways to always have great coaches who find ways to get great players. I think it's just wanting to play for a team, an organization and a city like Pittsburgh. It's a love."

The Steelers' defense played a big role in the team's success.

That unit, featuring AP Defensive Player of the Year JAMES HARRISON, allowed a league-low 3.90 yards per play in 2008, the second-fewest yards allowed per play in a season since the 16-game schedule was instituted in 1978.

The Steelers finished the regular season with a 12-4 record, winning their NFL-record 19th division title.

"The team kept going under MIKE TOMLIN's direction and it was great," says Rooney.

Tomlin became the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl (36 years, 323 days) and hopes to continue the Steelers' winning tradition. Entering his third season as a head coach, Tomlin knows that the defending Super Bowl champions will be a target for all teams this year.

"We simply are just going to prepare and attack the challenges that lie ahead for us," says Tomlin. "We know that things happened in the past and that may affect how we're judged from a perception standpoint. But it's not going to dictate how we work or how we approach our business. We have to be a driven group. We have to seek greatness."

Most Super Bowl Championships

Team Titles
Source: National Football League
Pittsburgh Steelers6
San Francisco 49ers5
Dallas Cowboys5
Five teams tied3

 

Most Division Titles Since 1970

Team Titles
Source: National Football League
Pittsburgh Steelers19
San Francisco 49ers17
Dallas Cowboys16
Minnesota Vikings15
Miami Dolphins13

 

Fewest Yards per Play Allowed since 1978

Team Year Yards / Play
Source: National Football League
Tampa Bay Buccaneers19793.89
Pittsburgh Steelers20083.90
Philadelphia Eagles19913.92
Baltimore Ravens19994.06
Los Angeles Rams19784.09
Minnesota Vikings19894.10

 

NFL 2009 Preview | Steelers Aim to Repeat