PITTSBURGH — The story of the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season was released today when the team unveiled its annual season highlight film, "A Fine Line" at a special screening today at Heinz Field.
The film, which premiered in the stadium's East Club Lounge, details the Steelers' journey through the 2009 season which saw the team finish fifth in the NFL in total defense while recording a 4,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time in club history.
Though the Steelers were not able to successfully defend their NFL-record sixth Super Bowl title, the individual performances of many of the team's young stars combined with veteran leadership give Steelers' fans hope for the future.
The 23-minute film recaptures outstanding performances by outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley and tight end Heath Miller, who each earned their first trip to the NFL's Pro Bowl. Woodley led all Steelers with a career-high 13.5 quarterback sacks while recording a personal-best 84 tackles. Miller set career marks with 78 receptions and 789 receiving yards while scoring six touchdowns.
The Steelers were once again led by ageless veteran receiver Hines Ward, who registered his team-record sixth 1,000-yard season. However, 2009 also brought hope for the future with the performances on young players like second-year running back Rashard Mendenhall and rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace.
Mendenhall took over as the team's starting running back and recorded his first career 1,000-yard season (1,108 yards) while averaging 4.6 yards on 242 carries. Wallace, who averaged a league-leading 19.4 yards per catch on 39 receptions (756 yards), earned the Steelers' Joe Greene Great Performance Award as the team's top rookie.
"A Fine Line" was produced by Bethel Park-native John Weiss of NFL Films, his 20th Steelers highlight project. KDKA Radio's Larry Richert narrates the video, while the Steelers' broadcast team of Bill Hillgrove and former Steelers All-Pro Tunch Ilkin are featured in radio calls of game action.
