Coach Eric Musselman tweeted the following article from USA Today (Nate Davis) on the success formula for the Pittsburgh Steelers:The NFL is a copycat league, as teams look to the Super Bowl winner for the answers.
So why are 11 teams entering the season with new head coaches? Why did 128 free agents switch jerseys during the summer? Why are so many clubs installing new looks on both sides of the ball?
And why aren't more teams mimicking the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The Men of Steel begin their unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title defense Thursday against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.
In a league known for secrecy, much of the Steelers' blueprint for success has been on display for years:
•Treat your people right.
•Retain your core players into their prime years. But consider parting with them when they've peaked, and replenish the roster through the draft instead of free agency.
•Stick with the head coach. The Steelers have had three since 1969. The latest, third-year coach Mike Tomlin, who turned 37 in March, is the youngest to win a Super Bowl.
•Don't stray from your identity: an ever-evolving but dominant defense and a methodical ground game.
"We believe that there's value in continuity," Tomlin says. "It's easy to be stable when you win."
Championship rings, eight-figure contracts and high-profile endorsements are draws for players. But don't underestimate the allure of playing for an organization run by the Rooney family for three-quarters of a century.
"Guys want to stay. Guys want to play for the Steelers," says Ben Roethlisberger, who has quarterbacked the team to two titles since being drafted in the first round in 2004. "The coaches do what they can to try and keep the players. The Rooneys do everything they can to keep guys they call Steeler players around. And that's a big deal.
"The family that the Pittsburgh Steelers are is important."
Read the entire lengthy article at:
