As the Black and Gold hordes anxiously clamor for their team to arrive in Latrobe, a decidedly unsettled aura surrounds the immediate future of the Steelers, in terms of what the impending season will hold.
The X’s and O’s have been drawn and redrawn, analyses have been spewed (much to the delight of the masses), and the depth chart has been speculated at length. It’s more than easy to prognosticate what the regular season record will be, and everyone has a healthy chance of being correct, numbers being what they are.
There is no crystal ball to offer the insight necessary to foretell where this year will take the Steelers. The intangibles are what make or break a team. Injuries, locker room disputes, contractual issues…these things are just a few of the items that can divide a team into its separate elements. A pre-season analysis is based solely on what is on paper.
Leadership leads to cohesiveness. A team needs a rallying cry; something to truly play for. The 2005 season is a shining example. Take Bettis Home. The entire roster was on board with The Bus rolling back into Detroit, site of the impending SBXL. Leading into week 12 of that season, the Steelers were coming off of three straight tough losses, leaving them at 7-5 with an outside chance of making the playoffs.
An early snowstorm coated Heinz Field the next Sunday as a mud-caked Jerome leveled Urlacher on his way into the end zone, and the rally began. The end result of that season is a history lesson that Yinzers everywhere will regale their children and grandchildren with for decades to come.
What will this year’s rallying cry be? Will the team find something worth putting forth their absolute best effort for, instead of just going out and doing what they are paid for? The NFL chews up and spits out teams that don’t collectively care or expect to win (see: Cleveland Browns). The Steelers’ leadership in the huddle and in the locker room are where this all starts. How seriously are these leaders taking their careers?
Photo Credit: Flickr.com/Brook Ward
