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Steelers hope to avoid repeat of 2006 season
By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, July 26, 2009
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_635340.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 35340.html[/url]
It may not quite be a riddle along the lines of why the wide receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson so desperately needs attention or why Brett Favre looks at retirement and sees a prison sentence.
But consider this when it comes to the Steelers: Their toughest opponent this season may not even appear on the schedule.
That is because the Steelers will arguably be playing against themselves as much as anybody in 2009.
The last time the Steelers played with the distinction of Super Bowl champions they couldn't get out of their own way — at least not during the first half of the 2006 season. And a 2-6 start prevented them from getting a chance to successfully defend their championship, something Steelers teams did twice in the 1970s.
"We definitely weren't ready for it," running back Willie Parker said. "Nobody knew what to expect, and we came and had a little disaster that next season."
Steelers receiver Hines Ward said he thought the team had the wrong attitude in 2006.
"I think we had that cockiness to where we can just walk over anybody," he said. "And then we ended up struggling. That's the most disappointing thing. You win the Super Bowl and come out the next year and don't even make the playoffs."
The Steelers report to training camp Friday, and Ward said you can soon expect one of the team captains to address the subject of what happened in 2006.
Two points that are sure to be driven home during that meeting: Last season better have been checked at the entrance of St. Vincent College, and be aware that the target on the Steelers will be bigger than nose tackle Casey Hampton's backside.
"I think there's a bull's-eye on your chest, and teams are gunning for you a little harder than usual," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said of Super Bowl champions. "Not that we're not used to that. As the Steelers, everyone's gunning for us. But hopefully, we've learned from it from last time."
The Steelers will have to deal with at least one distraction when training camp begins. Roethlisberger has been charged with sexual assault in a civil suit filed recently by a Nevada woman, who claims the incident happened in July of 2008 while Roethlisberger was playing in a celebrity golf event.
Roethlisberger has called the allegations "vicious" and "false" and vowed to fight them. The offseason had been relatively free of drama for the Steelers prior to last week, and the attention generated by the charges against Roethlisberger — and potential distractions that come with them — aren't likely to go away anytime soon.
The Steelers have to hope they don't set a tone for the season the way an accident involving Roethlisberger did in 2006.
Deconstructing a fall from grace
There were mitigating circumstances to the 8-8 record the Steelers stumbled to after winning Super Bowl XL. None were more significant than the offseason motorcycle accident that left Roethlisberger with multiple injuries and perhaps a damaged psyche.
Roethlisberger, who also underwent an emergency appendectomy less than a week before the regular-season opener and missed the game, threw a career-high 23 interceptions in 2006.
That season stands as an anomaly when compared to the rest of his Steelers career.
In addition to Roethlisberger's struggles, the Steelers also dealt with the season-long distraction of coach Bill Cowher's status. Cowher was in the final year of his contract, and he resigned after the season.
There may have been something else at work in 2006.
The Steelers had twice played in the AFC title game earlier in the decade and lost, both times at Heinz Field. In 2005, they finally broke through, and they did so in dramatic fashion.
The Steelers, who had all but had last rites administered to them in early December, reeled off a four-game winning streak to secure the final spot in the AFC playoffs. They then became the first No. 6 seed in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.
Perhaps a letdown after that was inevitable.
"There wasn't complacency, but we had been battling for so many years to take that step to win a championship and go to a Super Bowl, and then we get there, and we win it," said guard Alan Faneca, who played for the Steelers from 1998-2007. "Maybe that hunger died off a little bit, that attitude we approached everything with on a daily basis of being hacked off over screwing up another opportunity. Maybe that attitude that we brought to work with us every day subsided."
Myriad obstacles to overcome
If what transpired in previous seasons shapes what happens in a current one, then the Steelers will find out how much their Super Bowl run in 2008 took out of them.
"You essentially played a month longer than anyone else in the National Football League, and that's a month less recovery time," ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth said. "That's a month less time you have to heal from a grueling season."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the day after Super Bowl XLIII that he would have to monitor how hard he pushed the players during the offseason so they had ample time to recover and recharge.
While impossible to quantify how draining it is on teams that play in the Super Bowl, consider this: The last eight teams that lost in the Super Bowl failed to make the playoffs the following season.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots are the only team this decade that has successfully defended a Super Bowl title.
Among the obstacles that must be overcome by reigning champions are free agency, which chips away at or even strips teams of their cores. There are also increased demands on players' time, including media and endorsement opportunities that are part of the spoils of winning the Super Bowl.
"I think another thing that comes into play is some guys become satisfied," said Schlereth, who played on three Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1990s. "I won a championship, now I'm playing for money. I won a championship, now I want mine. How many times have you seen a team win a Super Bowl, then three or four guys want new contracts, they're not happy?"
The Steelers have thus far been fortunate in that area.
They have a number of veterans going into the final year of their contract, but none made any demands during the offseason.
Whether the Steelers suffer a letdown or what is commonly referred to as a Super Bowl hangover remains to be seen. But memories of what happened in 2006 — along with strong veteran leadership — should better prepare them for what lies ahead.
"I think everybody has to understand that you've got to start back over," inside linebacker and defensive captain James Farrior said. "Nobody cares what you did the year before, so it's going to take that same effort to put you where you were before."
Slow start
When the Steelers lost six of their first eight games in 2006, it pretty much ended any chance of defending their Super Bowl title. Here are the games they lost in the first half of that season:
Date — Opponent, Score: Skinny
9/18 — at Jaguars, 9-0: Big Ben anything but sharp after missing opener because of emergency appendectomy.
9/24 — Bengals, 28-20: Colclough's botched catch on a punt return proves to be the turning point.
10/8 — at Chargers, 23-13: Steelers blow early 10-point lead; Rivers outplays Roethlisberger.
10/22 — at Falcons, 41-38 (OT): Vick torches Steelers with four TD passes while Roethlisberger (concussion) is knocked out of game.
10/29 — at Raiders, 20-13: Roethlisberger is intercepted four times, two for TDs, in perhaps the worst game of his career as the Steelers remain winless on the road.
11/5 — Broncos, 31-20: Javon Walker burns Steelers for three TDs - and has barely been heard from since.
By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, July 26, 2009
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_635340.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 35340.html[/url]
It may not quite be a riddle along the lines of why the wide receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson so desperately needs attention or why Brett Favre looks at retirement and sees a prison sentence.
But consider this when it comes to the Steelers: Their toughest opponent this season may not even appear on the schedule.
That is because the Steelers will arguably be playing against themselves as much as anybody in 2009.
The last time the Steelers played with the distinction of Super Bowl champions they couldn't get out of their own way — at least not during the first half of the 2006 season. And a 2-6 start prevented them from getting a chance to successfully defend their championship, something Steelers teams did twice in the 1970s.
"We definitely weren't ready for it," running back Willie Parker said. "Nobody knew what to expect, and we came and had a little disaster that next season."
Steelers receiver Hines Ward said he thought the team had the wrong attitude in 2006.
"I think we had that cockiness to where we can just walk over anybody," he said. "And then we ended up struggling. That's the most disappointing thing. You win the Super Bowl and come out the next year and don't even make the playoffs."
The Steelers report to training camp Friday, and Ward said you can soon expect one of the team captains to address the subject of what happened in 2006.
Two points that are sure to be driven home during that meeting: Last season better have been checked at the entrance of St. Vincent College, and be aware that the target on the Steelers will be bigger than nose tackle Casey Hampton's backside.
"I think there's a bull's-eye on your chest, and teams are gunning for you a little harder than usual," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said of Super Bowl champions. "Not that we're not used to that. As the Steelers, everyone's gunning for us. But hopefully, we've learned from it from last time."
The Steelers will have to deal with at least one distraction when training camp begins. Roethlisberger has been charged with sexual assault in a civil suit filed recently by a Nevada woman, who claims the incident happened in July of 2008 while Roethlisberger was playing in a celebrity golf event.
Roethlisberger has called the allegations "vicious" and "false" and vowed to fight them. The offseason had been relatively free of drama for the Steelers prior to last week, and the attention generated by the charges against Roethlisberger — and potential distractions that come with them — aren't likely to go away anytime soon.
The Steelers have to hope they don't set a tone for the season the way an accident involving Roethlisberger did in 2006.
Deconstructing a fall from grace
There were mitigating circumstances to the 8-8 record the Steelers stumbled to after winning Super Bowl XL. None were more significant than the offseason motorcycle accident that left Roethlisberger with multiple injuries and perhaps a damaged psyche.
Roethlisberger, who also underwent an emergency appendectomy less than a week before the regular-season opener and missed the game, threw a career-high 23 interceptions in 2006.
That season stands as an anomaly when compared to the rest of his Steelers career.
In addition to Roethlisberger's struggles, the Steelers also dealt with the season-long distraction of coach Bill Cowher's status. Cowher was in the final year of his contract, and he resigned after the season.
There may have been something else at work in 2006.
The Steelers had twice played in the AFC title game earlier in the decade and lost, both times at Heinz Field. In 2005, they finally broke through, and they did so in dramatic fashion.
The Steelers, who had all but had last rites administered to them in early December, reeled off a four-game winning streak to secure the final spot in the AFC playoffs. They then became the first No. 6 seed in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.
Perhaps a letdown after that was inevitable.
"There wasn't complacency, but we had been battling for so many years to take that step to win a championship and go to a Super Bowl, and then we get there, and we win it," said guard Alan Faneca, who played for the Steelers from 1998-2007. "Maybe that hunger died off a little bit, that attitude we approached everything with on a daily basis of being hacked off over screwing up another opportunity. Maybe that attitude that we brought to work with us every day subsided."
Myriad obstacles to overcome
If what transpired in previous seasons shapes what happens in a current one, then the Steelers will find out how much their Super Bowl run in 2008 took out of them.
"You essentially played a month longer than anyone else in the National Football League, and that's a month less recovery time," ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth said. "That's a month less time you have to heal from a grueling season."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the day after Super Bowl XLIII that he would have to monitor how hard he pushed the players during the offseason so they had ample time to recover and recharge.
While impossible to quantify how draining it is on teams that play in the Super Bowl, consider this: The last eight teams that lost in the Super Bowl failed to make the playoffs the following season.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots are the only team this decade that has successfully defended a Super Bowl title.
Among the obstacles that must be overcome by reigning champions are free agency, which chips away at or even strips teams of their cores. There are also increased demands on players' time, including media and endorsement opportunities that are part of the spoils of winning the Super Bowl.
"I think another thing that comes into play is some guys become satisfied," said Schlereth, who played on three Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1990s. "I won a championship, now I'm playing for money. I won a championship, now I want mine. How many times have you seen a team win a Super Bowl, then three or four guys want new contracts, they're not happy?"
The Steelers have thus far been fortunate in that area.
They have a number of veterans going into the final year of their contract, but none made any demands during the offseason.
Whether the Steelers suffer a letdown or what is commonly referred to as a Super Bowl hangover remains to be seen. But memories of what happened in 2006 — along with strong veteran leadership — should better prepare them for what lies ahead.
"I think everybody has to understand that you've got to start back over," inside linebacker and defensive captain James Farrior said. "Nobody cares what you did the year before, so it's going to take that same effort to put you where you were before."
Slow start
When the Steelers lost six of their first eight games in 2006, it pretty much ended any chance of defending their Super Bowl title. Here are the games they lost in the first half of that season:
Date — Opponent, Score: Skinny
9/18 — at Jaguars, 9-0: Big Ben anything but sharp after missing opener because of emergency appendectomy.
9/24 — Bengals, 28-20: Colclough's botched catch on a punt return proves to be the turning point.
10/8 — at Chargers, 23-13: Steelers blow early 10-point lead; Rivers outplays Roethlisberger.
10/22 — at Falcons, 41-38 (OT): Vick torches Steelers with four TD passes while Roethlisberger (concussion) is knocked out of game.
10/29 — at Raiders, 20-13: Roethlisberger is intercepted four times, two for TDs, in perhaps the worst game of his career as the Steelers remain winless on the road.
11/5 — Broncos, 31-20: Javon Walker burns Steelers for three TDs - and has barely been heard from since.
