by Dan Jackobs

Created on: July 16, 2010   Last Updated: July 17, 2010

Winning the Super Bowl can be seen as one of the greatest modern day sports accomplishments. Slogging through training camps, pre-season games, a brutal 16 game schedule then the post-season in an incredibly physical game is very tough to do, once.  To go back-to-back is extremely difficult for a few of major reasons.  

One is the Super Bowl winner is subject to a tougher schedule.  By virtue of winning the Super Bowl the winning team is rewarded with a tougher schedule (and the last pick in the College player draft). Instead of playing teams that were sub .500 the previous year, they are subjected to playoff contending teams or near playoff teams. Additionally, every year there is a team that will step up and be a contender. Scheduling and the breaks of those schedules can mean the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.

Returning players is another key ingredient to repeating as the Super Bowl champion.In the day of free-agency and motivation for players in the last year of their contract to step up their play, can either mean retaining that player, or losing that player in free-agency.  Teams are required to pay attention to the nuances of contracts because year-over-year the same player may not be on the team again. Skill positions, such as: quarterback, running back and wide receiver are the most widely contested positions to keep on the team. They are also the most expensive, meaning salary cap considerations.

Team continuity and consistency from the front office to the locker room is a necessity. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots have been two back-to-back winners because of their ownership group. The Rooney family is known as solid owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Besides owning the team for decades, they are known to take care of their players, and thus gain the respect of their players. This makes for better team chemistry.  Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots is known to show his strength in ownership by selecting the best possible talent and taking risks on his coaching staff. Again, this cultivates a spirit of consistency and pride among the team.

Finally, lucky breaks are also part of the repeatability of a Super Bowl champion, especially when it comes to injuries.  We saw when Tom Brady went down with a torn ACL in 2008, the Patriots were not the same team. Also, as LaDainian Tomlinson’s injuries built up in San Diego, their ability to make the playoffs went down. American Football is a brutal sport, but a popular one as demonstrated by the nearly 1 billion viewers who tune in for the spectacle known as the Super Bowl.

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