Steelers Super Bowl Special
Extreme Efficiency
By John Mehno

You know what was the craziest thing about the Steelers winning their sixth Super Bowl?

It was the idea that they even made it to the big game in Tampa.

Think about it. What topics burned the phone lines for talk show conversation before training camp started, then continued throughout the season?

It seemed like there were always significant obstacles to keep the glass half empty:
o They had the NFL's toughest schedule.
o The offensive line was leaky.
o They had done such a poor job of managing the offensive line situation that the team's highest-paid player, tackle Max Starks, was cast as a backup before injuries forced him into starting duty.
o No. 1 draft pick Rashard Mendenhall didn't make it out of the season's first month because of a broken shoulder.
o With Mendenhall out, the Steelers got virtually no help from the 2008 draft.
o Willie Parker was sidelined with injuries, and the running game was reduced to situational back Mewelde Moore for several weeks.
o Ben Roethlisberger had more dents than a '77 Chevy from all the bumps he took while running for his life.
o And, oh yeah, Big Ben holds the ball too long.
o They weren't efficient in short-yardage situations.
o They went through three punters after starter Daniel Sepulveda was knocked out for the season in training camp.
o There was no quality depth at receiver. Nate Washington upgraded from awful to average, but Limas Sweed was a lost cause in his rookie season.

Who could have guessed a season with this many flaws would wind up with a championship?

And yet, there was Dan Rooney again holding the Lombardi Trophy and, as always, showing all the emotion of a man accepting a certificate of appreciation from the Jaycees.

Rooney has aged into the avuncular role his father filled in the old days. His clothes are rumpled, he always seems to have bed hair and the glasses don't quite fit.

But he runs a no-nonsense organization that believes in basics, no matter what everybody else is doing. The Steelers have always eschewed glitz and frills because they don't help anything.

This is instructive for the future. In today's NFL, a team doesn't have to be great, it just has to be efficient at the right times.

Put together a good defense, find a way to score enough points on offense, and you're in business. This year's defense took things to an extreme in the Super Bowl with James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a game-changing touchdown just before halftime.

The defense covered up so many flaws through the season, it was probably fitting that this one finally ended with a huge play from the offense.

The game wasn't great football (penalty flags were flying as much as Terrible Towels), but it was great drama.

Santonio Holmes made the leap to grab the great pass from Roethlisberger, then managed to keep both of his feet in bounds to assure the winning touchdown. NFL Films will freeze that one in slow motion for the ages.

With that acrobatic catch, the Steelers didn't just win another Super Bowl.

They wrote the perfect ending to the imperfect season.

John Mehno can be reached at johnmehno@lycos.com. His latest book "The Best Pittsburgh Sports Arguments," is available now in stores and through online retailers.