#1 Cochran - PSR Showdown
Will the Steelers Repeat in 2006?

Chances are good
By Tim Benz
WXDX-FM & Fox Sports 970-AM

It would be crazy to flat out predict that any team will win back to back Super Bowls. Why? Well it's pretty darn hard to do, that's why. The 2004 Patriots were special for a reason.

But here are a couple of reasons why the Steelers are a good pick to do so this year.

1. ANYBODY BETTER? Of the other contending teams who challenged the Steelers last year, have any of them improved that much? Come to think of it, are any of those other teams even as good as last year? Are the Seahawks better without Steve Hutchinson and Joe Jurevicius? Are the Colts better without Edgerrin James? Are the Bengals better with Carson Palmer coming off a knee injury and the rest of the team coming off multiple arrests? Granted, the Steelers aren't better without Bettis, von Oelhoffen, or Randle El. But it seems like most of the teams that really improved themselves (Arizona, Washington, Miami, New Orleans) still have at least one more step before challenging a Super Bowl champ.

2. THE QUARTERBACK: Motorcycle or not, Ben Roethlisberger looks poised to get even better. A team that has already attained elite status with the most important player on the field still improving… that's reason for optimism.

3. THE COACH: If this really is Bill Cowher's last season-and it probably is-Cowher isn't going let him or his team rest on its laurels even after attaining the heights of the NFL mountain top.

4. LIKE THE PATS: If the Steelers are to pull the same repeat trick that the Patriots pulled a few years ago, then they have a New England model in place. Steady, efficient, burgeoning quarterback. Good running game. Sound front office. A coach who the players believe in. And perhaps most importantly, a coach/defensive coordinator combination that never ceases to come up with something new.

No doubt, the Steelers have massive hurdles to overcome if they want to start the quest towards "one for the other thumb." But they seem pretty well equipped in a pretty appropriate atmosphere for a repeat.

Tim Benz co-hosts Bendel & Benz on Fox Sports 970 AM weekdays from 3-7 p.m. He also hosts the 105.9 WXDX-FM morning show from 6-10 a.m.

Odds are against them
By Joe Bendel
Fox Sports 970-AM

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs knows a thing or three about trying to repeat as a Super Bowl champion.

"It's not that easy to do," he said.

Gibbs has first-hand knowledge. He is 0-for-3 in title defenses, having failed to lead his teams to repeats after Super Bowl championships in '82, '87 and 91. I asked Gibbs in March what makes it so tough. He responded by using the word "turmoil,' which the Steelers have had enough of since beating Seattle in Super Bowl XL.

(See: motorcycle-gate, Santonio-gate, no-contract-extension-for-Coach-Cowher-gate, et. al).

I already know the counter-argument to Gibbs' claim: The Patriots won back-to-back titles in '04 and '05. Ditto for the Broncos in '98 and '99 and the Cowboys in '93 and '94.

Three repeat champions in less than 13 years - not bad, but I'm going with the percentages.

In the past decade, there have been two repeat champions - the Patriots and Broncos. There have also been six teams that have failed to hold onto the Lombardi Trophy.

Going back to Super Bowl XXX, here's a glance at what Super Bowl winners did the ensuing year:
o Dallas 30 - L in divisional playoff.
o Green Bay 31 - L in Super Bowl.
o Denver 32 - Repeat.
o Denver 33 - missed playoffs.
o St. Louis 34 - L in wild-card.
o Baltimore 35 - L in div. playoff.
o New England 36 - missed playoffs.
o Tampa Bay 37 - missed playoffs.
o New England 38 - Repeat.
o New England 39 - L in div. playoff.

The Steelers are next on the docket and the beauty of it is, they get a chance to write their own script. They can make history by becoming the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls three times. With the luxury of returning 19 of 22 starters, including a quarterback who elevated his status exponentially in the 2005 playoffs, they have a legitimate shot.

But I'm going with Gibbs on this one. There are 31 teams out there who want to take what the Steelers have.

Too many things have to go right for a repeat. And the word "turmoil" has already seeped into Steelers Country.

Sorry, but I'm taking the rest of the field in 2006.

Joe Bendel co-hosts Bendel & Benz on Fox Sports 970 AM weekdays from 3-7 p.m.