Pittsburgh Steelers Information
The Steelers have been playing in Pittsburgh since 1945, and over the years, they’ve compiled quite a résumé. Since the NFL/AFL merger of 1970, the Steelers have won 16 division championships and have made 20 playoff appearances. They’ve turned those 20 appearances into five conference championships, and four of those trips resulted in a Super Bowl Championship. Chuck Noll coached in Pittsburgh from 1969-1991 and finished with a 209-156-1 record over that stretch (.572 winning percentage). The four championships in franchise history all occurred during his reign (74-75, 78-79). Noll enforced a philosophy on his Pittsburgh teams that centered on defense, and the championship defenses were given the nickname of the “Steel Curtain”. The Steelers had a monopoly on the 1970s, and they were the dynasty of the century. Starting in their championship season of 1974 and extending through their last trophy in 1979, the team finished first in the AFC Central each year and compiled a record of 67-36-1 and a .649 winning percentage. After Noll left the team, Bill Cowher stepped in as the new head coach. Cowher, best known for his constant scowl while roaming the sideline, has been with the team since 1992, making his the longest tenured head coach in the league. In his 12 seasons, Cowher actually has a slightly higher winning percentage than Noll but his teams have only advanced to one Super Bowl (1995).
Tommy Maddox was the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2003, but with the addition of Ben Roethlisberger through the draft, the position has a level of uncertainty to it. The team believes that Maddox will start until Roethlisberger is more prepared to step in and be a QB at the next level. The running back position was also one of confusion in 2003 and things got even more complicated in the off-season. Jerome Bettis, also known as “The Bus”, has been the main back in Pittsburgh since 1996, but in 2003, he was relegated to sharing carries with “Famous” Amos Zereoue. In the off-season, the team signed free agent running back Duce Staley out of Philadelphia. Staley has big play potential but fell out of favor in Philadelphia prior to last season. The receiver positions are the steadiest on the team with all-pros Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, and Antwaan Randle El each could post 1,000 yard seasons in 2004.
The defense has always been a priority in the Steelers organization and 2003 was no different. James Farrior and Kendrell Bell each posted 100 tackle seasons and led the team in tackles for loss. Kimo von Oelhoffen led the team with eight sacks and 11 different players forced a fumble for the Steelers. Brent Alexander led the team with four interceptions while Deshea Townsend and Chad Scott each returned one of their three interceptions for touchdowns.
With the first of their eight draft picks, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ben Roethlisberger, a quarterback out of Miami (OH). “Big Ben” excelled in the MAC, but a few experts have questioned him being a legitimate NFL starting QB, especially coming from a smaller college program. The Steelers took him with the 11th pick overall, and they really believe that he can be the piece of the puzzle that gets the team back into the Super Bowl picture. Their next pick came in the second round when they chose Ricardo Colclough from Tusculum with the 38th overall pick. Colclough, the first player ever to be drafted from Tusculum, is a smaller corner back with excellent speed. He isn’t afraid to get in a receiver’s face, and he has the speed to catch up if he’s beaten on the line. The Steelers took lineman with each of their last six picks in the hopes of reinforcing a weakness they’ve had over the last few seasons.