On the Threes

After stumbling and bumbling out of the gate to the tune of a 2-3 record, the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers are almost one third of the way to repeating a triennially historical event.  If the 1970's was the Golden Era of Steeler football, the period of 2001 through 2011 must be considered the Silver Era.  Ten seasons of .500 or better, eight playoff appearances, three Superbowls, two Lombardi Trophies.  A pretty good resume for those eleven years, most would agree.  Despite producing a competitive product nearly year in and year out, an extremely uncommon feat in today's NFL, the Steelers have managed three decline or reset years, all coming in three year increments: 2003, 2006, 2009.  Is 2012 the newest installment? 

Here's a snapshot of those terrible threes:

• 2003 - coming off a 10-5-1 record and a thrilling victory over the Cleveland Brownies in the wild card round, the 2002 team bowed out of the divisional round with a three point OT loss to (guess who), the Tennessee Titans.  The 2003 team rolled out of the gate with the underwhelming and overly confounding Tommy Gun Offense, while keeping big back Jerome Bettis's big backside parked on the bench for most of the early season.  The net result was a 6-10 record, no playoffs, and the rebirth of the most annoying and misused term in the sports dictionary "get back to Steeler Football".  If for nothing else, the forgettable 2003 team brought us one more thing - the recognition by ownership that the quarterback position must be upgraded mightily - enter Ben Roethlisberger and one of the most significant turning points in Steeler history.
• 2006 - after amassing 26 regular season wins through Roethlisberger's first two years, the team secured the 2005 Lombardi Trophy, the first new addition to the Heinz Field Great Hall trophy case.  Delivering the championship in just his second season, Roethlisberger became the youngest QB in NFL history to do so.  A few months later, the world got their first taste of the bad side of Big Ben drama when portions of his face were hosed off of Second Avenue following his June 13th motorcycle accident.  Despite escaping without major injuries, Ben lost most of the offseason to recuperating from the accident, and then an emergency (and most untimely) appendectomy.  The team limped through the first half of 2006, demonstrating true Superbowl hangover symptoms.  Despite a 6-2 second half, the team finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.  Head coach Bill Cowher resigned shortly after, although it's still unclear whether Cowher's fatigue contributed to the decline, or whether the decline prompted his exit.  Like 2003, the step down was not all for nought - as Cowher's vacancy was filled by a confident young black man whose poise is trumped only his vast collection of catch phrases, head coach Mike Tomlin.
• 2009 - similar to 2006, the Steelers started the 2009 campaign as the reigning Lombardi Trophy holder. Just like 2006, the 2009 season ended without a playoff berth, as the "unleash Hell" unit swooned through December with a five game losing streak, mostly to beatable teams.  The team compounded poor offensive line play with a season long nagging injury to defensive playmaker Troy Polamalu.  A brief winning streak to finish the season left the team with a 9-7 mark, missing the playoffs to the discretion of the tie-breaker system.  The silver lining takeaway?  The acceptance that the offensive line was mediocre at best, horrific at worst - enter Maurkice Pouncy, the next great Steeler center.

So what does history forbode for the 2012 team?  Considering that 2010 and 2011 were powerful playoff teams, the triennial script reads fairly familiar:  the off field distraction (Mike Wallace hold out/young money drama), the key injuries, the sloppy line play, the claims that the defense seems old and ineffective.   Let's hope that Tomlin and Co. can pull this season out of the litter box and string together enough wins to garner a playoff spot.  If not, we can look forward to the parting gift again.  Perhaps that next defensive playmaker, perhaps a new hot shot coordinator, perhaps another big blue chip guard to cement the youth movement on the offensive line.

In the modern NFL it's virtually impossible for teams to achieve winning records and playoff berths every season.  If there was a team that was an exemption to this truth, it would probably be the Steelers.  The Rooney family has created a machine that churns out winners nearly every season.  The operative word is nearly.  As the great 80's crooner, Meatloaf , once exclaimed "two outa three ain't bad".