Roethlisberger is a Grade A, top tier QB. Now,
imagine that Roethlisberger was unavailable in 2009 and replace him with any good, Grade B QB (say Batch or Leftwich) in the five games the Steelers have played to date. Now tell me what the Steelers’ record would be against the same opponents? 1-4? 0-5? Clearly, it would not be as good. Ben compensated for a lot of offensive deficiencies in the O-line and receiving corps last year; this year, he must compensate for glaring defensive and special team deficiencies. His superb play masks a number of real problems with the team.

A great QB is a delight to have, but not essential to getting to the Super Bowl. In past years, several good teams have made the Super Bowl without a Grade A QB. In fact, in Super Bowl XL, Ben was still learning and played like a Grade B QB at best. And the year after the Ravens won their Super Bowl, they actually replaced their QB. So good, well-coached teams can and do win consistently without a top tier QB. But the 2009 Steelers are not in that category right now. Without Ben, the team would be lucky to finish 8-8 this year. And that is a measure of how much work Tomlin and his staff face in trying to raise the Steelers’ performance level back to playoff caliber in 2009.

Football is a team game. Right now, the Steelers are playing like a Grade B team at best, due largely to special teams and continued use of the ‘prevent’ defense on 3rd and long. The deficiencies are fixable, but the coaches just don’t seem to get it. The complacency or hubris that often follows Super Bowl success can affect coaches as surely as players. I can’t think of any other reason why a team that is more talented than it was last year, and blessed with an easier schedule, must struggle to win against bottom dwellers like Detroit. What a difference a year makes indeed.