Wait 'til next year ...
on dynasty talk

By Mike Batista

As the Steelers head down to the Big D for Super Bowl XLV, the "D" word is being thrown around.

A lot of yinzers and honorary yinzers are saying that if the Steelers beat the Packers in Dallas for their third championship in six years, they'll be a dynasty.

Would they currently be the model franchise in the NFL?

Yes.

Would they make a case to become America's Team and rip that accolade from the Cowboys right in front of Jerry Jones' plasticized face?

Yes.

Would they be a dynasty?

No.

Hold the boos, please (but I'll gladly accept any booze).

I have to stand by my original theory on this one.

In the past I have written that a dynasty is not formed until a team wins three championships in four years or four in six years. That ensures back-to-back titles. If you can't repeat as champions at some point, you're not a dynasty.

This means the Steelers need to win this Super Bowl and the next to become a dynasty.

After winning Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers didn't even make the playoffs the following year, handling success like Gerald Ford handled the stairs coming out of an airplane.

And look at how long Ford was president. Nothing dynastic about him.

The Steelers of the 70s were a dynasty by virtue of their four championships in six years.

The Patriots, who won three out of four Super Bowls from 2001-2004, were the NFL's last dynasty. And that dynasty has fallen to ancient ruins.

There is currently no dynasty in place in the NFL. Who says there needs to be one?

Comedian Bill Maher said the NFL's socialist concept of trying to keep every team competitive is the reason the league is so wildly popular in capitalist America.

That's not really conducive to a dynasty.

Whether they win or lose Sunday, the Steelers are the only team to reach three Super Bowls in the past six years. The Colts are the only other team to reach two.

The Steelers are closer than any team to being a dynasty. All they have to do is win Sunday, and avoid any Ford-like pratfalls next season.