January 25, 2009 21:42PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/
The five Vince Lombardi trophies on display at the Pittsburgh Steelers' facility stand as a constant reminder to coach Mike Tomlin of the success of the steel town's beloved football franchise.
On Sunday, Tomlin has a chance in his second season to add a trophy to the four won by coach Chuck Noll in the 1970s and the one secured three years ago by Noll's successor, and Tomlin's predecessor, Bill Cowher.Five Super Bowl trophies serve as a constant reminder to Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin of the team's history of winning.
"It's a source of inspiration for me," Tomlin told reporters last week, days after Pittsburgh secured a berth in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla., against the Arizona Cardinals. "I respect the work that has been done by the men that have been a part of this organization. They set a great standard for us to try to play to."
Dallas (in eight Super Bowl appearances) and San Francisco (five for five) have matched Pittsburgh's total for Super Bowl wins. Still, whereas the Cowboys and the 49ers foundered at times in the face of change, the Steelers stand alone in the collective areas of stability in ownership, coaching and playing style.
Adding a record sixth Vince Lombardi trophy to this bunch is the goal of the current Pittsburgh Steelers.The Steelers, founded by the late Art Rooney in 1933, struggled for most of their first 36 years, employing 13 head coaches before the hiring of Noll in 1969.
Noll went 12-30 his first three years, but the franchise stuck with him. That patience began to pay off in 1972 with a run of eight AFC Central division titles and four Super Bowl championships from 1974 through 1979.
All told, 22 Steelers took part in all four Super Bowl seasons, and nine players were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For these reasons, many consider the 1970s Steelers as the greatest team of all time.
Former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier (1968-1980) wouldn't dispute that.
"That's always going to be one of those arguable points," Bleier said by phone last week from Pittsburgh. "But I think that when you put it in the context of winning championships and winning four Super Bowls in a six-year period, it's pretty remarkable."
Former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Mike Current agrees. Current started 164 games during his career from 1967 to 1979 and faced the Steelers in three of their four Super Bowl seasons in the 1970s.
Sports Illustrated
This touchdown reception by Rocky Bleier during Super Bowl XIII helped Pittsburgh defeat Dallas 35-31 and made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Current, who lives in Silverton, played against the Steelers during their first Super Bowl season of 1974 and said many sensed even then they were developing something special.
"Back then, guys didn't jump around (through free agency), and you knew they were going to be intact," Current said. "Usually when you game-planned against a team, you can see a weakness here and a weakness there. They didn't have any."
Current's final game in the NFL was a loss with Miami to Pittsburgh during the 1979 playoffs, which ended with the Steelers winning their fourth Super Bowl. Current said he played against several other great teams during the 1970s, but for him, the Steelers stand alone as the best.
"There are a lot of teams that have come close to having the talent they had," he said, "but not the consistency."
Ageless style
Most of the current Steelers players weren't born when the 1979 franchise won that fourth Super Bowl 30 years ago, but the teams are connected based on their similar styles of play, which emphasize defense and the running game.
"We kind of set a standard of being a strong team, a Super Bowl team, a championship team, a hard-hitting, Jack Lambert, tough team," Bleier said. "And that style has created an aura that has not left the Steelers."
Pittsburgh's run in the 1970s began on the strength of its rushing attack until quarterback Terry Bradshaw and wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth developed into a Hall of Fame trio. Still, the Steelers were a run-first team, and in 1976 Bleier and Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris each rushed for more than 1,000 yards.
Associated Press Photo
Middle linebacker Jack Lambert (58) and defensive tackle Joe Greene (75) led a rough and tumble Pittsburgh defense that helped the Steelers win four Super Bowl championships in the 1970s.
Another staple of the team was defense. The Steelers ranked first or second in either points allowed or yards allowed in each of their four Super Bowl seasons.
Current said blocking the Steelers' front seven, which included Hall of Famers in defensive tackle Joe Greene and linebackers Jack Lambert and Jack Hamm, at times seemed impossible.
"I can't even stress how physical they were to play against," Current said. "They weren't too fancy. They just lined up and just came hard."
The 2005 Steelers ranked fourth in total defense and fifth in rushing offense. This season's team ranked first defensively, but 23rd in rushing offense. Still, the team has shown a commitment to the running game, ranking ninth in rushing attempts.
"That's one of the reasons why I like watching them," Current said. "They are like a throwback team."
Model of stability
The Steelers of the 1970s began to decline after the 1979 season. But Noll coached for 12 more seasons and won three division championships with three passing leaders not named Bradshaw before retiring on his own terms after the 1991 season.
The Pittsburgh franchise stuck with Bill Cowher through 13 up and down seasons before he delivered the Steelers their record-tying fifth Super Bowl championship following the 2005 season, his 14th. He retired following the 2006 season.
The franchise, still owned by the Rooney family, then turned to Bill Cowher as coach. He spent 15 years in Pittsburgh even though -- like Noll -- had some rough years, and his failure to win a championship prompted doubts about his coaching abilities from outside of the organization.
Cowher won division titles in his first six seasons, but failed to win it all, losing Super Bowl XXX to Dallas after the 1995 season.
Cowher went 7-9 in 1998 and 6-10 in 1999, but the hierarchy never flinched. Nor did it after a 6-10 year in 2003. In 2005, Pittsburgh became the first team to win three road playoff games and defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
Cowher retired after the 2007 season. Tomlin is the franchise's third coach since 1969.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, have had six coaches since Tom Landry was fired in 1989 by new ownership after having coached Dallas through its first 29 seasons. The 49ers have had five coaches since Bill Walsh retired that same year.
"A lot of times, if you look at it, firing a coach is a knee-jerk reaction," Bleier said. "Hopefully if you've gone through the process of hiring a head coach there is a reason why you hired him. If you have a quality person and the right philosophy, it still can take time to have success. You have to get the right personnel to win. If you're going to fire a coach, you have to ask, 'Is his replacement going to be any better?' If you did your job beforehand, the answer probably is 'no.' If you have good people you have to give them time."
For this and many other reasons, Bleier said he is proud of his connection with the franchise's rich history and is hoping to see the Steelers get that record-setting sixth Super Bowl win.
Certainly, Tomlin, and a host of other Steelers not a part of past championship teams, would like to stand with Bleier as the undeniable kings of the Super Bowl era.
"We simply try to honor what they've done with how we do our job," Tomlin said. "And to be considered to be a part of that group would be a serious honor, one that we would cherish."
Aaron Fentress: 503-221-8211 aaronfentress@news.oregonian.com
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