Art Rooney Sr., the founder of the , once said that building a championship team is like making Irish Stew. "You must blend the ingredients properly," "I have no idea how to make Irish Stew, but in sports you must have a blend of good coaching, good players, and good luck."The Chief may have let more qualified cooks make him his Irish Stew, but Rooney knew better than anyone the challenge of building a championship roster. Rooney, after all, watched the Steelers toil in mediocrity for nearly four full decades before his team finally won its first playoff game. But after all that losing, Rooney's team rewarded his patience by reeling off a run of succe s that remains unparalleled in the era. Four times in a six-
Mike Piazza Jersey year span, his team was crowned the Super Bowl champion. Twice, his team won back-to-back Super Bowls. The '79 Steelers, the last of those championship teams, remain the last team to win the Super Bowl with a roster solely comprised of homegrown talent.While football has changed in the years following the Steelers' 1970s heyday, building a championship roster continues to depend on having good coaching, players, and a little bit of luck. The 2020 Steelers, on paper, appear to have the right blend of coaching and players to win Super Bowl LV. Bill Cowher, who will receive his gold jacket next summer, often said that teams create their own good fortune. While the ball didn't bounce their way enough in 2019 (particularly at the end of the season), the return of , along with several other key additions, should lead to Pittsburgh creating its own good fortune this season. With the start of the regular season upon us, here are the three main reasons why the Steelers will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 7.1. The quarterback situationThis time a year ago, the Steelers had a 16-year veteran at quarterback who, unbeknownst to anyone outside the organization at the time, was dealing with lingering i sues with his throwing arm. Those i sues came to the forefront after he suffered a severe elbow injury two weeks into the season. The Steelers were then forced to play the following 14 games of the season with two quarterbacks who had never taken a regular season snap prior to the 2019 season. While they often won in spite of their quarterback play, backups and did enough to help the Steelers go 8-5 before Pittsburgh ultimately ran out of gas and healthy bodies
Hyun-Jin Ryu Jersey .This season, the Steelers will not have to hide their quarterback. Conversely, Pittsburgh should be getting an even better version of Big Ben following last September's surgery. Roethlisberger recently said that his arm feels better than it has in several years. He added that he is lighter than he has been in over a decade after undergoing a rigorous training regiment. While Big Ben should be a better version of himself in 2020, the same can also be said of Rudolph, who started off the 2019 season on a good note before
Clayton Kershaw Jersey suffering a concu sion during Pittsburgh's Week 6 lo s to Baltimore. Rudolph was never quite himself after that, and an offseason of recovery and preparation should make him a considerably better player as he enters his third season. Playing behind Rudolph is Josh Dobbs, the Steelers' No. 2 quarterback during the 2018 season. Dobbs, who replaced Hodges on the depth chart (Hodges is currently on Pittsburgh's practice squad), is a highly intelligent player who will make life easier for Roethlisberger when it comes to his weekly preparation.Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert has also put his quarterbacks in position to have more succe s in 2020 with the selections of rookies , Jr. and . A standout receiver at Notre Dame, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Claypool gives Roethlisberger his coveted big, athletic receiver that can help stretch the defense. McFarland, a speedy running back out of Maryland, will start the season ahead of on the depth chart. McFarland is right behind second-year running back , whose role is expected to increase this season after he arrived in camp lighter and faster than he did as a rookie. Dotson, the first player selected in this year's draft who was not invited to this year's combine, showed enough promise during training camp to earn a spot on Pittsburgh's 53-man roster. He is part of a semi-retooled offensive line that also includes , a starter on two of the last three Super Bowl champions.Colbert also gave Big Ben a new tight end to throw to in , who is just two years removed from catching 13 touchdowns pa ses from now retired quarterback . Roethlisberger will also look to gain a rapport with second-year receiver , who paced Pittsburgh in touchdown receptions during his rookie season. , who led the Steelers in receiving in 2019, will look to continue to build on his chemistry with Roethlisberger, while , the team's 2018 MVP, is hungry to show that last year's struggles were merely a fluke. The same can be said of starting running back , who, like Smith-Schuster, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Pittsburgh's quarterbacks will continue to be protected by arguably the best offensive line in football, a line that is anchored by eight-time Pro Bowl center , two-time Pro Bowl left tackle , and five-time Pro
Julio Urias Jersey Bowl right guard, . While there will be a new face in the starting lineup this season ( will start at right tackle, with moving over to left guard), Pittsburgh's offensive line should still be able to provide solid protection for Big Ben. PIT QB #7 Big Ben anchored the NFL's top-ranked red zone offense in 2018, his last healthy season. 2. The defenseAfter having a dominant defense during the first half of his career, Roethlisberger spent the mid 2010s without that luxury. While Pittsburgh's "Killer B" offense lit up the scoreboard, its defense (specifically the pa s defense) was not up to par with the offense. The result was some extremely exciting seasons that ultimately came up short of expectation.Pittsburgh's gradual defensive improvement, which began in 2015, made a significant jump in 2017 with the signing of , who gave the Steelers' secondary a much-needed No. 1 cornerback. The '17 season also brought the arrival of T.J. Watt, whose presence has helped the Steelers lead the in sacks over
Matt Kemp Jersey the past three seasons. Pittsburgh's defense, one of the league's best 12 games into the '17 season, took a significant step backwards after losing Pro Bowl linebacker . Shazier's lo s was not only a major reason why the Steelers were upset by the in the '17 playoffs, it was a big reason why Pittsburgh mi sed the playoffs in 2018 after blowing several fourth quarter leads. The Steelers finally addre sed the lo s of Shazier in 2019 with the selection of former Michigan linebacker . An immediate starter, Bush, and played a big role in the Steelers' defense finishing in the top-five in sacks, points allowed, turnovers forced, pa sing yards allowed, rushing touchdowns allowed, and averaged yards per carry allowed. A
