The 2015 NFL Season is only three months away and the Pittsburgh Steelers will mark their 83rd season as a franchise as they attempt to win their first Super Bowl since 2009.
The Steelers will open their campaign away to the New England Patriots at the Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts on Thursday 10th September, 2015 and will be hoping to start with a big win that could set the tone for their season. The 2014 Season ended in disappointment for the Steelers as they suffered a 30-17 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Playoffs after topping the AFC North table.
Mike Tomlin will enter into his ninth season as the head coach of the Steelers with Kevin Colbert acting as the general manager for the sixteenth consecutive season. Both men will be desperate to improve on last season and recapture the magic that came when they beat Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII.
A lot of responsibility for galvanizing the roster into competing for the Super Bowl will rest on the shoulders of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “Big Ben” had already enjoyed two Super Bowl wins with the Steelers and has also won three Pro Bowl titles during his tenure with the franchise. He was also chosen as the Steelers MVP during their 2009 Super Bowl victory to show that if the Steelers are to reach their full potential then Roethlisberger will need to be at his best.
Roethlisberger is not the only offensive threat from the Steelers. Pundits and commentators have been tipping the Steelers to possess the most lethal set of triplets in the NFL for this coming season. The trio of Roethlisberger and both running back Le Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown give the Steelers a potency in the offense that has rarely been seen by an NFL franchise in recent years. In fact, Steelers fans are even suggesting it is the best triplets line up the franchise has had since Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and Lynn Swann. Only the Green Bay Packers triplets of Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, and Jordy Nelson and the Seattle Seahawks triplets of Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and Jimmy Graham are generating anywhere near the same buzz as the Steelers triplets.
However, it is often stated that Super Bowl titles are won by the defense. The 2014 Steelers defense failed to match expectations set before the season started. It conceded 5,654 yards, only averaged 353.5 yards per game, and gave up an average of 23 points per game. If the Steelers are to make progress on last season then those stats will have to show to be improved upon. Worryingly, last season was co-ordinated by the experienced Dick LeBeau with defensive end Brett Keisel, franchise icon and safety Troy Polamalu, and outside linebacker Jason Worilds all forming the defensive set up. All four of those big names have been dropped from the 2015 roster. Keith Butler has been assigned the job of defensive co-ordinator. Polamalu officially retired on 9th April, 2015 meaning he will play no part in a Steelers season for the first time since 2002. He will be replaced by Shamarko Thomas and even though Thomas has big boots to fill, Steelers fans will be hoping he can create his own legendary status within the franchise. Arthur Moats is being lined up to fill in for the retired Worilds and Stephen Tuitt will be given the duty of replacing Keisel. There is concern that losing so many big names from the Steelers defense will be too big a blow but, on the contrary, it is being seen as a chance for the Steelers to get rid of the aging deadwood and give youthful blood a chance to create their own chapter in history.
The Steelers are currently listed at odds of 28/1 with most bookmakers to win Super Bowl 50. Since 2009, the Super Bowl betting has grown and grown (see here for Nevada figures alone) and many fans are now enjoying the online options in the US.Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens are all favoured more but for a franchise that is completely restructuring its defensive line, it offers hope for Steelers fans that they are being considered as dark horses to win the Super Bowl. The fact they are ranked as the 9/4 second favourites behind Baltimore Ravens at 7/4 to win AFC North shows that expectations are not as high as last season but that could work in favour of the Steelers.
Ultimately, if the Steelers are to push on and win this season’s Super Bowl then they will need the starring triplets of Roethlisberger, Bell, and Brown to deliver the goods on the offense but they will also need their newly formed defensive line to greatly improve on last season’s poor stats. It could turn out that with all eyes on Roethlisberger to guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl, a less likely hero could rise from defense and a new era of Steelers success may well be on the horizon. The Steelers have their doubters but it would not be the first time they’ve proved everyone wrong.
