What If?

[steelerchad]

Starks and Colon are completely healthy and both have great seasons, our 2 young wide receivers develop and have 2nd seasons similar to Wallace, Pouncey gets even better and dominates the center of our line, Ziggy Hood progresses and replaces Smith's run stuffing ability while adding a pass rushing aspect, Timmons has a true breakout season like 2010 started, and Ben, Mendy, Ward, Heath, Harrison, Woodley, Troy, Ike, and Clark all stay healthy and continue to produce.

Another SB run, maybe? For all that we were missing this year, 2010 was a really good season. 2011 has potential to be even better. The Steelers are always a factor.
Good to be a fan of a team who is always in the hunt.

[steelerjim58]

True, the Steelers "are always in the hunt", but because of the inconsistancy of the offense they could just as easily be a .500 team as a .750 team. I think they are a very good offensive line away from being a multiple Super Bowl winning team. And a top notch o.c. couldn't hurt.

[Steelthe#1dynasty]

Originally Posted by steelerchad

Good to be a fan of a team who is always in the hunt.

I agree. However, with all of the complaining that we do it is just to pass the time. The Super Bowl loss makes it even more difficult.

[TRH]

Originally Posted by steelerchad

Starks and Colon are completely healthy and both have great seasons, our 2 young wide receivers develop and have 2nd seasons similar to Wallace, Pouncey gets even better and dominates the center of our line, Ziggy Hood progresses and replaces Smith's run stuffing ability while adding a pass rushing aspect, Timmons has a true breakout season like 2010 started, and Ben, Mendy, Ward, Heath, Harrison, Woodley, Troy, Ike, and Clark all stay healthy and continue to produce.

Another SB run, maybe? For all that we were missing this year, 2010 was a really good season. 2011 has potential to be even better. The Steelers are always a factor.
Good to be a fan of a team who is always in the hunt.

Thats all possibilities, yes, but one thing we'll need to do is be able to beat elite passing teams such as NO, NE, GB, etc. Right now....we can't.
Until we get some needed improvements in the defensive backfield, forget it. The pass-attempts-per-game against us will increase, if not dramatically, next year. Everyone will try and throw on us.
If we get some help there, along with a healthier offensive line, then yes...i think we can be in the hunt next year.

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by TRH

Thats all possibilities, yes, but one thing we'll need to do is be able to beat elite passing teams such as NO, NE, GB, etc. Right now....we can't.
Until we get some needed improvements in the defensive backfield, forget it. The pass-attempts-per-game against us will increase, if not dramatically, next year. Everyone will try and throw on us.
If we get some help there, along with a healthier offensive line, then yes...i think we can be in the hunt next year.

Agreed - if your plan to get to the Super Bowl requires you to avoid playing New England in the playoffs and New England has made the playoffs 9 of the last 10 years you have some real problems with your plan until you fix why New England has your number.

[TRH]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

Agreed - if your plan to get to the Super Bowl requires you to avoid playing New England in the playoffs and New England has made the playoffs 9 of the last 10 years you have some real problems with your plan until you fix why New England has your number.

absolutely true! Leading up through the playoffs i was thinking "why's everone wanting to avoid NE???....if we have to "avoid" them...we're not the best team and we don't deserve the SB". Period.

[bornaSteelersfan]

I don't believe that NE has our number. We were really hurt against New England and they played some vicious ball that game last season. I saw alot of blocks they were doing to us very low (they finally got called for only 1 in the game) and then they knocked out Hines Ward (that bastard Bilicheat even contested the catch on the play so Ward didn't get to continue his streak...very unsportsmanlike). We will kick their asses next season!

[steeltheone]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

Agreed - if your plan to get to the Super Bowl requires you to avoid playing New England in the playoffs and New England has made the playoffs 9 of the last 10 years you have some real problems with your plan until you fix why New England has your number.

Having the the fortune to miss the Patriots in the playoffs has been Tomlins Godsend.

[steelerchad]

Originally Posted by bornaSteelersfan

I don't believe that NE has our number. We were really hurt against New England and they played some vicious ball that game last season. I saw alot of blocks they were doing to us very low (they finally got called for only 1 in the game) and then they knocked out Hines Ward (that bastard Bilicheat even contested the catch on the play so Ward didn't get to continue his streak...very unsportsmanlike). We will kick their asses next season!

You can believe what you want, but there's no doubt that in the biggest games between the 2 teams, NE has owned us.
I'm sure Ravens fans don't want to believe that the Steelers have owned them either, but when they search deep into their soul, they'll come to realize that the Steelers always win in the big games. The Ravens big win against us came when our QB was not playing and the game turned out to be a pretty meaningless week 4 game.

Same can be said for us against the Pats, our 2 most recent "big" wins came in 2004 in the regular season, when they came back into Pittsburgh for the Championship game and beat us on their way to a SB and in 2008 regular season blowout in Foxboro against Matt Cassel, the year Brady was hurt and the Pats failed to make the playoffs. That kind of sounds familiar, a team only winning meaningless games or only winning when the other teams QB is out. Even if Ravens fans won't admit it.

Lastly, the Steelers have been to 3 SB's in the last 6 years and have avoided NE on all 3 runs. Maybe we would have won in the playoffs against them if we had to play them and this monkey would have already been off our backs. But recent history says we wouldn't have and I'm glad we didn't have to find out. Odds are, we may have had 1 or 2 less SB trips if we had to go through NE.

[Dino 6 Rings]

Originally Posted by steelerchad

You can believe what you want, but there's no doubt that in the biggest games between the 2 teams, NE has owned us.
I'm sure Ravens fans don't want to believe that the Steelers have owned them either, but when they search deep into their soul, they'll come to realize that the Steelers always win in the big games. The Ravens big win against us came when our QB was not playing and the game turned out to be a pretty meaningless week 4 game.

Same can be said for us against the Pats, our 2 most recent "big" wins came in 2004 in the regular season, when they came back into Pittsburgh for the Championship game and beat us on their way to a SB and in 2008 regular season blowout in Foxboro against Matt Cassel, the year Brady was hurt and the Pats failed to make the playoffs. That kind of sounds familiar, a team only winning meaningless games or only winning when the other teams QB is out. Even if Ravens fans won't admit it.

Lastly, the Steelers have been to 3 SB's in the last 6 years and have avoided NE on all 3 runs. Maybe we would have won in the playoffs against them if we had to play them and this monkey would have already been off our backs. But recent history says we wouldn't have and I'm glad we didn't have to find out. Odds are, we may have had 1 or 2 less SB trips if we had to go through NE.

I don't call it avoiding, I call it the Patriots not being good enough to get to play us in those years.

2001, the Patriots get to Pittsburgh after the "tuck rule" win over the raiders in the Snow, then Bledsoe, not Brady, and the NE Special teams beat the Steelers and Kordell Stewart. That was a week after the Steelers had just beaten the Defending Champs Ravens. Ok fine.

2002, the Patriots don't even make the playoffs. Steelers beat the Browns and lose to Titans.

2003 Steelers Miss playoffs, Patriots beat Titans and Colts on way to SB.

2004. Patriots the #2 seed, beat the Colts again, then come to Pittsburgh and beat the Rookie QB by 14 points.

2005, Steelers beat Bengals, Pats beat Jags, Pats then lose to Broncos, Steelers beat Colts and Broncos on way to SB. Who's fault is that? We'd have beaten the Pats that year, I don't doubt it.

2006, Steelers miss playoffs, Cowhers lame duck season. Pats beat Jets and Chargers and then lose to Colts after having an 18 point lead.

2007, Steelers lose to Jags, Tomlins rookie year as head coach, Pats beat Jags and Chargers on way to SB lose to Giants.

2008. Steelers Beat Chargers and Ravens on way to SB win over Cards. Pats not in playoffs.

2009, Pats lose at home to Ravens badly. Steelers not in playoffs.

2010, Pats lose at home to Jets, Steeles beat Ravens and Jets on way to SB.

So really, its all about one game, that everyone points to, Ben's Rookie year. Big deal. Just cause the Pats don't hold up their end an win the same years as us, doesn't mean we were "lucky" not to play them.