Many of us hoped we would get this far; few actually believed that we would. I don't pretend to know who will win next week. And I'm too superstitious to say so if I did. But there are a few points we can emphasize right now regardless of the outcome of SB 43.

Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year. The case for other coaches have weakened since the playoffs began as the case for Tomlin looks better every day. Smith is still a strong candidate because a year ago it looked like the the Falcons were on their way to Hell on an express train. It also appeared that they would be there for quite some time. These types of rags to riches stories are what people seem to prefer. Tomlin's case is more subtle but very compelling.

Most of the more sophisticated observers among The Nation and in the local and national media felt that the Steelers were a year away at best from being in their current position. The arguments were difficult to refute: insufficient talent, experience or both at several positions, but especially the offensive line. Lack of depth on the defensive line. The Steelers were heavily criticized for doing little or nothing to address these concerns through free agency and the draft. Further complicating matters was their schedule that was universally considered to be brutal. Making the playoffs at all seemed beyond this team's grasp. To do so would require a good deal of luck concerning issues such as injuries, that the schedule would be a paper tiger and that the team might gel at the right time to overcome what would be, at best low seeding in the playoffs.

Circumstances did not turn in favor of Coach Tomlin and his team. The injury bug hit hard, depriving the team of it's punter and second string QB in preseason; the two most experienced offensive linemen were lost to IR, as was its #2 running back; the 'thin' D-line would lose two of  three starters at the same time for a couple of weeks, as well as both the starting and backup left cornerbacks; the #1 running back would miss about a third of the season and be only marginally effective for another third; the #1 QB would play hurt most of the season. As for the schedule. While teams like the Pats, Colts and Jags were at less than their best, the Steelers would play seven games, just short of half their schedule, against playoff teams, breaking even against them and sweeping the rest. Thus they also  demonstrated a much overlooked characteristic of championship caliber teams; beating all the teams they are supposed to beat and getting their share of wins against equal and superior competition. Not only did the team survive their bad luck and inadequacies, it thrived; earning a 2 seed into the playoffs and now the favorite to be the last team standing.

Now here's the deal ( to paraphrase Dennis Green); The 2008 Steelers are who we thought they are. A team with considerable flaws but with superior coaching and great team chemistry is on the brink of a championship. All but the lunatic fringe/crazy uncle faction of Steeler Nation realizes this. Tomlin for COTY.

The coming personnel headache. Question: How do you justify firing anybody from a world champion team? Something for the gathering lynch mob seeking to dispose of BA, Coach Z and others at the end of the year. But that's just the appetizer. A world championship would also make pretty much all of our free agents more expensive on the open market. Let's, just as an example, look at the situation at wide receiver. Lots of folks seem to thing that Nate Washington is expendable and we should let him go. However, I think that last Sunday's championship game eerily illuminated our WR issues. Hines is a great player who is increasingly vulnerable to his all out style of play as he ages. He could go down at anytime. Limas Sweed remains a huge question mark (I wouldn't give up on him at this juncture, but if he drops another ball like Sunday I want to be at the head of the line to disembowel him). So, imagine a scenario where Santonio is isolated among a group of clowns at wideout. Meanwhile Nate with his slower learning curve (that's how it can be with UDFA. Remember Deebo was not made in a year) could have a Pro Bowl year somewhere else. Why is it that people think that he has peaked as a receiver? Now repeat the exercise with the O-line and the defensive secondary and you'll know why I use the term 'headache'.

And lets not forget the draft. We're drafting in the 30's folks whether we win next week or not. What that could mean is that we could be drafting Best Player Available (BPA) if no player drops down that could clearly help us maintain champion level status even if it is glaring area of need. On the other hand we could do quite well in the free agent market; think a Ryan Clark or Mewelde Moore type player who might prefer to work for a stable organization that regularly gets the opportunity to compete for championships, has a great working environment and a coach who may be flirting with greatness.

Another consideration is the economy. If you are assuming that the sports/entertainment industry is recession (depression) proof you just may be wrong. The price of tickets are or will be going down. The President just froze the salaries of his top officials. The Rooneys have been working with a depressed economy (rustbelt) for years and every indication is that things are trending in that direction for everyone else. The idea that any but a small number of players will continue to be able to demand continually escalating salaries may be an idea that has come and gone. Sorry to inject that bit of reality into the discussion, but the sports/entertainment bubble is another that is primed to burst sooner or later. The 'good' news is that this trend favors organizations that are practiced in frugal behavior. Low cost of living in the Pittsburgh area may prove beneficial as well.

Finally, who wants to wager that there will be a conversation at season's end about a contract extention for Tomlin (Sorry RE).

Regardless of how things turn out in Tampa it has been an extraordinary year. But if this group manages to prevail it will have gone a long way toward creating a legacy every bit as impressive as the teams of the 70s. And they may have the opportunity to collect just as many rings.