Steelers Gab

No one since the Denver Broncos have been to the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons, but that isn’t stopping some Steelers led by last year’s Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes thinking that the 09 season will once again belong to the Black and Gold.

Yes, Holmes thinks the Steelers are going to be Super Bowl bound once again, and told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that the team is going to be back in the big game in 2010 when it’s played down in Dolphins Stadium in Miami (or should I say Landshark Stadium).

“We’re not wondering will we make it back, if we’ll make it back,” said Holmes. “We look forward to going back to the Super Bowl.”

Holmes is not the only one that has a strong opinion that the Steelers will once again be very good in 2009. Fellow linebacker James Farrior, who was a key player on the leagues number one defense last year, also feels that the club could get out of the AFC and make it to the dance.

“We definitely feel like we have a great opportunity ahead of us,” linebacker James Farrior said. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We’ve just got to focus on the job at hand and take it through the proper steps, and we feel we can have another good season.”

Le’ts not forget though that the Steelers had similar thoughts in 2006 after winning Super Bowl XL in Detroit over the Seahawks 21-10, but a 2-6 start and a lot of off the field problems like coach Bill Cowher’s pending step down as head coach derailed a repeat from that team making it to the dance. CB Ike Taylor remembers that 06 season which ended with an 8-8 record, and says they won’t let that happen in 2009.

“We remember how that felt and (are) trying not to let it happen again,” Taylor said. “We have enough players on the team who went through it and have it in the back of their heads what it’s going to take to have success. We’ve got a good mix on the team of young guys and old guys. I like us. We have the confidence and the swagger.”

The Steelers are a brash, but very good bunch, and while they are already doing a lot of talking off the field, there’s no doubt they seem headed to being a force to be reckon with on the field. Now we’ll see in about a month if all the talking will be backed up or not by this solid group of players.

Steeler fans already know just how lucky they are to root for the best football team in the world. Now, ESPN the Magazine has put out their “Ultimate Standings” for the best franchises, and the Steelers rank a very high third overall on the list. Here is the presser from ESPN on the Steelers ranking:

• Affordability – from tickets to apparel to parking to concessions – what it costs to be a fan of a franchise:

• # 1: Tampa Bay Rays
• # 122: Toronto Maple Leafs

• Coaching – quality of on-field coaching/managing for the franchise:

• # 1/Tie: San Antonio Spurs & New England Patriots
• # 122: Los Angeles Clippers

• Fan Relations – how the teams and owners interact with the local fan base:

• # 1: Detroit Red Wings
• # 122. Cincinnati Bengals

• Ownership – overall commitment and effort owner makes to players, coaches and fans, as well as a willingness to spend money and commit to winning:

• # 1: Detroit Red Wings
• # 122: Phoenix Coyotes

• Players – effort given on the court, field or ice, in addition to how likable they are off them:

• # 1: Cleveland Cavaliers
• # 122: Los Angeles Clippers

• Stadium Experience – the cleanliness, parking, security and promotions at the home venue:

• # 1: Green Bay Packers
• # 122: New York Islanders

• Title Track (winning) – how successful and dedicated the team has been in pursuing and winning championships:

• # 1/Tie: Los Angeles Angels & Detroit Red Wings
• # 122: Golden State Warriors

• Bang for The Buck – wins over the past three years, measured against the money it receives directly from fans:

• # 1: New Orleans Hornets
• # 122: St. Louis Rams

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com has come out with his annual list of the Top 50 NFL players, and the Steelers have 3 players on the list, including the number ten overall. Here’s the Steelers on the list:

10. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers: Two Super Bowl titles in five seasons is amazing. He seems to grow as a passer each season. The game can be won on his right arm, which he showed in the Super Bowl.

15. James Harrison, OLB, Steelers: He’s the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He can rush, and he showed in the Super Bowl that he could cover with his pick for a score. He plays a nasty game.

35. Troy Polamalu, S, Steelers: He bounced back from a sub-par 2007 season to have a good 2008 season. He has improved in pass coverage greatly from his early days.

The Steelers today got just a bit closer to getting all their 2009 draft picks inked, as they signed offensive lineman Kraig Urbik. He was the Steelers first of three third-round draft picks, and was taken with the 79th overall pick after a deal with Denver. Reports say that Urbik signed a three-year contract.

Right now the only player not signed from the 09 draft class is first round pick DE Ziggy Hood from Missouri. Once some of the other first round picks start signing, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Steelers get a deal done with Hood before training camp kicks off July 31st.

Urbik could compete for the starting right guard spot with Darnell Stapleton. He is 6-foot-5, 328 pounds, and played both right guard and right tackle at Wisconsin. He made 50 starts in college.

The Steelers have done a nice job this offseason getting some veteran players inked, such as Hines Ward and James Harrison, and now they may be on the verge of getting another veteran signed to a deal. Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network says the club is in talks with safety Ryan Clark about an extension on his current deal.

Clark, who is a solid vet in and out of the locker room, played in 14 games last season with 52 tackles and one interception. The report says that Clark and the team both would like to get a deal signed before the start of training camp. Clark will be 30 this October, and for sure has a couple good seasons left and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him ink a 3-4 year deal.

The time appears to have officially come for Steelers owner Dan Rooney to move on, as the Tribune-Review has reported that Rooney was officially confirmed Thursday by the Senate as the new ambassador to the Republic of Ireland.

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney was confirmed Thursday night by the Senate as ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. The nomination of Rooney, 76 — who was lauded this week by Sens. Bob Casey of Scranton and Arlen Specter of Philadelphia as a natural diplomat, caring philanthropist and doting father — was approved by a voice vote. Rooney, a North Sider who still walks to work at Heinz Field, has agreed to step down from his daily role as chairman of the Steelers, his only employer since 1955. Steelers President Art Rooney II, his son, said the team’s operations won’t change.

The talking has finally paid off, as the Steelers today finally came to terms with their franchise player, OT Max Starks. The tackle signs a deal that will go though the 2012 season, and ESPN’s John Clayton reports that the deal will pay him $26.3 million.

The deal also includes a reported $10 mil in guaranteed money. Being the franchise player, Starks had accepted a deal to play him an 09 salary of $8.45 million. “We were very fortunate to have him,” Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. “A transition on a backup probably didn’t make a lot of sense, but we didn’t feel like we would have been as good a team without him. We wanted to do a long-term deal (in 2008) but we couldn’t get it done.”

The 27-year-old has had an up and down career with the Steelers, as he was the starting right tackle during the 2005 season, and then ended up sitting the bench at the start of this past season, only to have injury force him back on the field for the final 11 games of the regular season and the teams three playoff games.

Now Starks will be along long-term, and the Steelers hope the stability will pay off with him playing as well as he did at the end of the last season as the team won their 6th Super Bowl.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus announced earlier today that cornerback Fernando Bryant will not be coming back in the 2009 season, instead retiring. Bryant joined the Steelers last season after he was let go by the Pats after appearing in every preseason game for New England. He made little to no impact, as he didn’t even suit up for the three playoff games. He was resigned after the team lost Bryant McFadden to the Cardinals.

PFT.com reports that the Steelers have come to terms with 7th round pick TE David Johnson:

The Pittsburgh Steelers are closing in on signing their entire rookie draft class, and are now two shy of reaching that goal after agreeing to a three-year contract with seventh-round tight end David Johnson. A former Arkansas State player drafted 241st overall, Johnson registered 45 career receptions for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season as a senior, the 6?2,” 260-pounder caught a career-high 22 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns.