If the Steelers want to honor Mr. Dan Rooney the right way, they will do so with a Super Bowl victory

As I’m sure everyone reading this article saw Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be honoring the late Mr. Dan Rooney with a patch on their jerseys throughout the entire season. The patch will be worn starting in the regular season, and will remain until the 2017 season is officially in the history books.

The patch is emblazoned with Mr. Rooney’s initials, DMR, on the inside of a black shamrock outlined in Pittsburgh gold. A fitting depiction of how Mr. Rooney loved the city of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the country of Ireland.

Fans, and even players, took to social media to show their excitement regarding the honorary patch for the 2017 season, but I kept thinking one thing after seeing Ryan Shazier’s tweet Monday evening. But first, the tweet:

It gives you a great view of the patch which will be worn, but when reading Shazier’s short caption to the image, all I could think was, “If they want to honor one of, if not the, greatest men in Pittsburgh Steelers history, then win a freakin’ Super Bowl.”

The patch is great, and whomever designed it should be given a nice pat on the back, but how else do you honor the man who made the Steelers what they are today? By bringing home another Lombardi trophy to add to the ridiculously awesome trophy case in the team facility with Mr. Rooney’s name on the front of it.

Everyone talks about “Mean” Joe Greene, and how he is the only player/coach to have 6 Super Bowl rings, 4 as a player and two as a coach/scout/assistant, but Dan Rooney was there from Day 1. He stood beside his father as he watched him make mistake after mistake in hiring a head coach, and it was Dan Rooney who urged his father to hire Chuck Noll. There are plenty other stories like this one which show just how integral Mr. Rooney was in the sculpting of what we now know as the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it is easier for me to just say “the rest is history”.

With Mr. Rooney now gone, there is no better way for the team to honor a man who shaped so many lives on a daily basis, other than to go out and win it all.

Forget the New England Patriots. Forget whoever thinks they can stand toe-to-toe with the Steelers in the NFC. Forget the rest of the AFC North. Losing someone like Mr. Rooney can be a devastating blow to an organization and a fan base, but it can also have a very motivating and galvanizing effect on the team.

While fans flock to the NFL Shop, and other jersey dealers, to get their jersey with the DMR patch on the front, the team should be thinking about just one way to honor the late, great Mr. Dan Rooney...

Win the team’s seventh Super Bowl.