Moments after the Pittsburgh Steelers won the 2009 Super Bowl, coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that there are no repeat champions in sports. “We are not attempting to repeat,” Tomlin said. “That special group of men in that locker room last night— that’s gone forever. A lot of the faces will be the same, but nothing stays the same in this game.”
Tomlin’s prediction came to fruition on Sunday when the reigning Super Bowl champions were eliminated from playoff contention on the last week of the NFL regular season. The team finished with a 9-7 record, but struggled to regain its command in the AFC after losing five games in a row.
While Tomlin and the Steelers are forced to be spectators during the playoffs, Jim Caldwell and Marvin Lewis are the only black coaches who still have a chance to lead their teams to Super Bowl XLIV. Caldwell and the Indianapolis Colts have compiled a 14-2 record and are the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals bounced back from a 4-11 record in 2008 to become AFC North champions with a 10-6 record in 2009. Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals will face the New York Jets next week in a Wild-Card playoff match-up, while Caldwell and the Indianapolis Colts have earned a first round buy. –amir shaw
