What a Super Bowl.
First, Kurt Warner looked to be immortalized in Super Bowl lore with his touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald that gave the Cardinals a stunning 23-20 lead. But leaving close to 3 minutes on the clock gave Big Ben Rothlisberger a chance to shine as he threw four straight passes to Santonio Holmes, the last one in the corner of the endzone, to steal the victory away 27-23 and capture the organization's NFL-record 6th Super Bowl Championship. Taking notes Danny?
What I have learned watching the Pittsburgh Steelers is how smart an organization they are. When you see a team that won a Super Bowl with Bill Cowher in 2006 make the turn around to come back in such a short amount of time with a new coach, you know you have great ownership and coaching. Let's take a more detailed look at the success of the Steelers and the failure of the Redskins:
(1) The Steelers have had three coaches since 1969
Chuck Knoll (1969-1991); Bill Cowher (1991-2007) and Mike Tomlin (2007 - Present).
Result: 6 Super Bowl Championships between three coaches (Knoll - 4; Cowher 1; Tomlin 1).
The Redskins have had a dozen coaches since 1969
Vince Lombardi (1969); Bill Austin (1970); George Allen, Sr. (1971-1977); Jack Pardee (1978-1980); Joe Gibbs (1981-1992); Ritchie Pettibon (1993); Norv Turner (1994-2000); Terry Robiskie (2000); Marty Schottenheimer (2001); Steve Spurrier (2002-2003); Joe Gibbs (2004-2007) and Jim Zorn (2008-Present).
Result: 3 Super Bowl Championships from one coach: Joe Gibbs.
Analysis: What this shows me is the Pittsburgh Steelers organization knows how to search for what they are looking for in a coach. No gimmicks, no luring of star powered coaching. They find the right man for the given system and let them run the show with no distractions.
Ever since Joe Gibbs three Super Bowl wins (last one in 1991), the Redskins have never found a coach like him. Heck, they even brought him back into the modern NFL which tarnished his prestine legacy. In the Snyder era, there have been six head coaches with Snyder hiring the coaching staff before the head coach! Last I checked, the head coach usually brings a staff or hires his own to make sure the system that will be in place works effienciently.
2) The Steelers know how to draft while the Redskins struggle
Picture this. In 1994, the Redskins had the third overall pick in the NFL Draft and selected QB Heath Shuler from the Tennessee Volunteers. Everyone was excited and hoping to see shades of Mark Rypien or Doug Williams. Instead, they had a QB that held out for a 7-year $19.25 million contract only play two full seasons before late-round pick Gus Frerotte took over at QB. Shuler bounced around to New Orleans and Oakland before fizzling out. He is now a U.S. Congressman in the state of Tennessee.
Picture this. In 2004, the Steelers had the 11th pick in the NFL Draft and selected QB Ben Rothlisberger from the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks, not the first choice many would have made. In his first season as Steelers QB, Rothlisberger started the season as the #3 QB behind Charlie Batch and Tommy Maddox. With an injury to Maddox at the start of the season, Batch stepped in to start with Ben as his backup. After seeing Batch totally get destroyed the first two games, the Steelers made a gutsy call to put Rothlisberger in as starter and the rest is history. He made one of the most storied runs for a rookie QB and made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. Then in 2005, Rothlisberger delivered Pittsburgh's fifth Super Bowl Championship in only his second season.
Those are just two glaring examples between how the Steelers and the Redskins draft. You build a team around a defense and then a franchise QB. You get the lineman, safeties, corners, etc. With the Redskins, the last few drafts have been abismle. Last season, they proceeded to draft all offense in two Wide Receivers, a Tight End and yet another Quarterback. First, they have Chris Cooley so why did they need another tight end? Second, when you draft wideouts make sure they can memorize/read a playbook and can run the routes. Lastly, when you give a starting quarterback a chance to start for two seasons and he doesn't deliver, why is he still around?
3) The Steelers have class, team unity and show it. The Redskins only wish they had both.
This past season, the Redskins had turmoil every week. After their shocking 6-2 start, they fell back to earth going 2-6 the rest of the season and ending at 8-8. During this span, running back Clinton Portis called out coach Jim Zorn for not giving him the ball enough and even insulted him on radio shows. When your team has individuals like that disrupting the team chemistry, he has to go.
The Steelers are not perfect but they are far from the Redskins in class and unity. Winning championships is not about the indivudal as Coach Tomlin knows. His team sticks together and the defense is annually ranked in the top 5. When you know the game like the Steelers do, you keep winning.
The moral of all this is that Daniel Snyder needs to take a long look at the Steelers organization from top to bottom. See what makes them tick. What makes them successful and the winningest franchise in Super Bowl Championships. It just might make watching the Redskins bearable if they could take something away from this glorified franchise. Congratulations Steelers and their fans!
One last note: Springsteen was the best halftime show in a long time. Long live the Boss!
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