Dan Rooney shares his thoughts
Steelers chairman Dan Rooney weighs in on some people who were key factors in the Steelers advancing to Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals in Tampa, Florida and also talks about going back to the Super Bowl and football coming first.
It was just two years ago that you hired Mike Tomlin to coach the Steelers. Did you think then that in two years he would be coaching the team in the Super Bowl?
I am not surprised at all. Mike has done everything that he should have done. Nobody is perfect, but he has been terrific. He does the right thing. He handles the team well. He works with everybody here. He has been excellent. I am not surprised.
This is the second time that Ben Roethlisberger has led the team to a Super Bowl. Can you talk about what he means to the team?
Ben has been an excellent player and a really good person. He comes from a great family. He worked hard when he first got here and continues to work hard. He has been excellent. He was a great addition to this team. He is an athlete. He can do so many things. He can make things happen.
What about Kevin Colbert, what does he mean to the team?
He is a real football guy who is away from the coaching end of it. He knows the game. He knows players. He has done an outstanding job. I can't say enough about him. He is invaluable.
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Is your philosophy here that the football product comes first?
We're here for football. We are here to have a winning team. Everything else is fun. We try to have fun. The game is what counts. That is what separates us from all sports.
How you feel about the Steelers being in the Super Bowl again?*
Every time we come to the Super Bowl it is a game in itself. I don't want to lessen the fact that we are here. I felt that way. What I said three years ago is this is a great game for these young players and our fans. This is a new bunch too. Less than half of the players were here before. I look at it that way and it's great.
