Season Recap - 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers

Final Record: 12-4 (2-1)

Finished: 1^st Place in the AFC North; Lost Super Bowl XLV

2011 Draft Position: 31^st

Preseason Ranking:   13
Preseason Letter of Misfortune (by Scottie V):

Hope springs eternal in Latrobe, PA. Despite an offseason of turmoil and bad pub, this too the Steelers will survive. It seems that every year I’m shocked and saddened to see some of their better players leave in pursuit of a bigger payday. I love (but perhaps the players don’t) how the Steelers’ organization sticks to its principles and seldom overpays its players. They accomplish more with a lower payroll than probably any other team in the league. Kind of reminds me of my favorite college team (except replace “payroll” with “stars”… don’t want to get anyone in trouble). “Hip, Hip, Hooray” for frugality!

Now, about that offseason of turmoil and bad pub. Ben Roethlisberger has undoubtedly soiled his reputation with these latest incidents. It is somewhat unclear exactly what happened with these ladies. We know for sure that, at best, Big Ben is Bigtime Careless. At worst, Big Ben is a Big Creepy Criminal. The truth is probably somewhere in between. On the football side of things, Ben and the Steelers have a suspension to worry about. On the human side of things (which I care a little more about), I hope the suspension is long enough to get Ben’s attention and have him re-think his life a bit. That being said, I really hope that about two weeks is long enough to do the trick!

Now, for a very illogical and bold prediction: Big Ben’s suspension will actually help the Steelers in the long run – hopefully this season, but if not, down the line. For too long, the Steelers have played down to their competition and I blame Ben for this – not directly, but indirectly. I think Ben’s penchant for leading the team to a dramatic comeback has subconsciously caused players to let their guard down, thinking that the offense can get it done at any given moment. Often they do, but sometimes the magic just isn’t there. I witnessed this first-hand last season when the Steelers played the Chiefs in Kansas City. Ugh. The biggest test of the first six games of the season will be when the Ravens come to town in Week 4. Big Ben will likely still be out of action, but fortunately the Steelers will have a raucous home field advantage. I like our chances.

If the Curtain can survive the first six weeks (five games, three of which at home) without Ben, it should benefit them for the rest of the season. Hopefully, that time can be spent establishing the ground game which has been atrocious at times the last couple seasons. I like what I see from Rashard Mendenhall, but he hasn’t been as much of a focus of the offense since they have a playmaker such as Big Ben at quarterback. The suspension will force the Steelers to look elsewhere for offense… and they will find it in Rashard. Defensively, the Steelers should be solid as usual. Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith are back in action (both missed most of last season) which will make the unit that much better.

By Steeler standards, the roster stayed relatively unscathed in the offseason. Losing Santonio Holmes will likely turn out to be an addition by subtraction scenario. The Willie Parker departure initially tugs at my heartstrings, but he’s been on the decline for a few years now. Deshea Townshend has been solid lately, but the Steelers seem to always find good corners to plug into their system… Perhaps Keenan Lewis will be next in line to step up? The addition and return of Antwaan Randle El adds some intangible flair to both the offense and special teams. Love cheering for that guy.

And let’s not forget the greatness of Steelers past whose shadows these modern day heroes are playing under. First the great - [EDITOR'S NOTE: Scottie V has gone where no fan should go, so, in the interest of brevity, I’m stepping in and fast-forwarding through his Letter a bit… Let’s see… two pages about the Steelers of the 70s… three pages cut extolling the virtues of Terry Bradshaw's intelligent commentary... fast forward... 6 Super Bowls, yadda, yadda, yadda... moving on to page 7... decal on only one side of the helmet, funny historical lesson, but no... page 10... in depth discussion of how the Steelers beat the Cowboys in two Super Bowls just to annoy me, absolutely not... fast forwarding to Super Bowl XXX, the only piece of Steeler history worth talking about... another two Super Bowl championships… yes, we understand you’ve won a few…oh, good, he’s finally wrapping things up…]

My Prediction, through Black-and-Gold Colored Lenses: In spite of Ben’s absence for the first few games of the season, the Steelers galvanize as an offensive unit and establish Rashard Mendenhall early, with him averaging over 100 yards per game. Big Ben returns in week 6 to lead this now fully operational offensive powerhouse. Pittsburgh wins the AFC North, sweeping both contests against their bitter rival, the Ravens. The world rejoices.

Week 1: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 15-9

Ranked – 7

Head and shoulders above the Falcons

Week 2: Defeated the Tennessee Titans, 19-11

Ranked – 4

It doesn't matter how ugly the victory, just that it's a victory. A trip to undefeated Tampa Bay will help separate the contenders from the pretenders.

Week 3: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-13

Ranked – 1

Without Big Ben the Steelers have played lights out defensive football. Now throw in a little offense and Pittsburgh is nigh unstoppable. A tough division test against Baltimore looms where anything could happen.

Week 4: Lost to Baltimore Ravens, 17-14

Ranked – 9

3-1 without Roethlisberger is more than most fans hoped for.

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Ranked – 6

3-1 without Roethlisberger. Guess what? He's back.

Week 6: Defeated the Cleveland Browns, 28-10

Ranked – 4

Big Ben is back and the Steelers win again.

Week 7: Defeated the Miami Dolphins, 23-22

Ranked – 4

Sometimes good teams need to be lucky as well. The Steelers were lucky on Sunday.

Week 8: Lost at New Orleans Saints, 20-10

Ranked – 4

Despite the loss on the road, Pittsburgh will be in every game as long as their defense continues to hold up under fire.

Week 9: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-21

Ranked – 1

Offense, defense and special teams. The Steelers are winning with all facets of their game.

Week 10: Lost to New England Patriots, 39-26

Ranked – 8

The curse of Creative Misfortune's #1 ranking? Sorry about that, Steelers fans, but it's not my fault you can't beat Brady in the friendly confines of Heinz Field.

Week 11: Defeated the Oakland Raiders, 35-3

Ranked – 5

Open-handed cheap shots aside, the Steelers recovered nicely from the embarrassing loss to the Patriots. A tune-up game against Buffalo will set the stage for Pittsburgh's week 13 tilt against the Baltimore Ravens.

Week 12: Defeated the Buffalo Bills, 19-16

Ranked – 4

For the second time this year the Steelers scored 19 points in a victory. I don't know what that means, but it's got to be of some cosmic significance.

Week 13: Defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 13-10

Ranked – 3 (ROCKY WEEK!)

            Coach Tomlin: Ben, your nose is broken.

Ben Roethlisberger: How does it look? 

            Coach Tomlin: Ah, it's an improvement.

Week 14: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-7

Ranked – 3

Unless New England stumbles, Pittsburgh has no shot at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but there is no reason they shouldn't be sitting at home during the Wild Card games, resting for their Divisional matchup.

Week 15: Lost to New York Jets, 22-17

Ranked – 5

Lose and still clinch a playoff spot? Not the best way to punch a ticket to the post-season, but they'll take it. A first-round bye is theirs to lose.

Week 16: Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 27-3

Ranked – 4

A win and a week off will provide enough motivation for the Steelers to put away the Browns.

Week 17: Defeated the Cleveland Browns, 41-9

Ranked – 3

Hard-fought victories and veteran leadership will make the Steelers a well-rested, deadly foe once they take the field in two weeks.

Wild Card Game: BYE WEEK

Ranked – 3

Pittsburgh has had a week to get rested up before they take the field against their bitter division rivals in what will most definitely be a hard-hitting, slugfest. The extra rest may prove the difference once the game reaches the fourth quarter.

Divisional Game: Defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 31-24

Ranked – 2

No team has won more Super Bowls than the Steelers and no AFC team has played in more championship games this decade. Not only can their defense match up with New York's offense, the Pittsburgh offense can play the down and dirty style needed to overcome the Jets' rough and tumble defense.

Championship Game: Defeated the New York Jets, 24-19

Ranked – 1

The Steelers only needed one solid half to beat the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional game. Against the New York Jets they only needed one solid half to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Can you imagine how scary good this team could be if they ever played a full 60 minutes? Why, their appearance in the Super Bowl alone is enough to bring a tear of joy to Scottie V's eye.

Super Bowl XLV: Lost to Green Bay Packers, 31-25

Final Rank - 2

Tomorrow, the 2010 Super Bowl Champions – the Green Bay Packers…