PITTSBURGH — Super Bowl LX is about a week away, and 20 years ago the Steelers were about to win Super Bowl XL.

Back then, they had a blueprint other NFL teams were trying to emulate. But two decades later, the script is flipped on more than just the roman numerals to denote the game.

The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots have the juice now, and by virtue of their postseason runs, the rest of the league is playing catch-up. But when looking at those two organizations, what can the Steelers, specifically, learn from how they're constructed and why they've made it to the mountaintop?

Being really, really bad can be really, really good

From 2001-19, the Patriots never had a losing season. They won six Super Bowls, made the playoffs all but two seasons and generally dominated the sport.

But their dynasty began to unravel post-Tom Brady, and they finished under .500 two of the next three years. Things went from bad to worse in 2023, a 4-13 campaign that set them up for the No. 3 overall pick.

Drafting Drake Maye was simple enough, but the Patriots didn't try to hit fast-forward on their rebuild. They initially planned to keep Maye on the bench in favor of veteran Jacoby Brissett, who had minimal support around him. New England's leading receivers were tight end Hunter Henry, wideout DeMario Douglas and tight end Austin Hooper.

Their offense was the fifth-cheapest in the NFL, and their defense was firmly in the middle of the pack. So yes, they effectively threw Maye to the wolves in Week 6 when he got his first start, but they also carried over the third-most cap room from 2024 to 2025, according to OverTheCap.com.

The top-spending team in free agency this past offseason? That would be the Patriots, throwing loads of cash at defensive tackle Milton Williams, receiver Stefon Diggs, cornerback Carlton Davis, edge rusher Harold Landry, inside linebacker Robert Spillane, right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury, all key starters for the AFC champions.

No one is untouchable, and patience isn't always a virtue

First it was Russell Wilson. Then it was Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. General manager John Schneider hasn't been afraid to ship out pillars of the franchise or massively popular players, and he just was voted executive of the year by the Pro Football Writers of America.

Wilson was a Seattle icon, but he netted the front office a plethora of players and, more importantly, premium picks. The two first-rounders turned into starting left tackle Charles Cross and star cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Two others, Derick Hall and Boye Mafe, have been major contributors to a ferocious edge-rusher rotation.

The Metcalf trade helped the Seahawks move up to take hybrid safety/nickel back Nick Emmanwori, whose skill set has been crucial for their defense. And Smith's exit led to the signing of Sam Darnold, who has been a perfect fit in this offense.

Speaking of which, before shipping off their QB-WR tandem, they fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Grubb had held the same role in college at nearby Washington, but that experiment ended after just one season, and Klint Kubiak has been a massive upgrade as the play-caller.

Head coach Mike Macdonald, a 38-year-old defensive wizard, was not beholden to stability and continuity in that decision. His lack of patience was rewarded.

Many hands make good work

Each Mike — Vrabel and Macdonald — assembled a deep group of assistant coaches under them ahead of the season. Vrabel has 22 football assistants in New England (i.e., not strength or conditioning coaches). Macdonald had 24 before one took a leave of absence last month.

The Steelers had 18 football-specific coaches under Mike Tomlin last year, which was actually fewer than 2024, when former linebackers Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams were contributing on an unofficial basis. The only positions the Steelers have designated multiple coaches are the offensive line and the secondary, with two each.

Vrabel has three offensive line coaches and a longtime veteran assistant special teams coach. He also has Ben McAdoo, who has been an NFL head coach and two-time offensive coordinator, working with his defense this season.

Macdonald's staff includes a pass-game coordinator with no official positional responsibilities in Jake Peetz, who had most recently been categorized as the pass-game specialist under Sean McVay with the Rams. There are three offensive line coaches, one of whom is a run-game specialist, plus a run-game coordinator/senior offensive advisor in three-time Super Bowl champion Rick Dennison. Keller Chryst, a college quarterback at Stanford and Tennessee, has the title of "special projects" under the offense's umbrella.

Despite his defensive expertise, Macdonald has three coaches apiece for the linebackers and defensive backs. As a relative youngster running his own team for the first time, Macdonald also has an assistant head coach in Leslie Frazier, 66. Frazier was the Minnesota Vikings' head coach from 2011-13 and has had several defensive coordinator stints.

Don't underestimate the nerds

Vrabel and Macdonald both have a right-hand man they consider their secret weapon. Maybe now it's not so secret, nor is it a particularly hidden advantage, but the value is hard to deny given their seasons.

For the Patriots, John "Stretch" Streicher is their vice president of football operations and strategy. He's listed on their coaching page but didn't play college football, instead serving as an equipment manager at Ohio State, and doesn't teach players schemes or techniques.

But when Vrabel was hired by the Tennessee Titans in 2018, he brought on his fellow Buckeye as "assistant to the head coach." He became so integral to the decision-making process on the sideline that when the Titans fired Vrabel, McVay snagged Streicher for what he called a "game management coordinator." That entailed fourth-down decisions, challenges and timeout usage, among other duties.

Vrabel poached Streicher back from McVay upon returning to New England. In Week 3, during his offensive coordinator media availability, Arthur Smith even joked that Streicher is Vrabel's "henchman" and compared him to Tom Hagen, the Corleone family's consigliere from "The Godfather" series. Smith was adamant that Streicher would be watching what he said in his interview for strategic purposes.

In Seattle, Macdonald is no less complimentary of Brian Eayrs, director of football analysis and special situations. Macdonald credited Eayrs and his Friday night rules breakdowns for the team — specifically sideline and end-zone fumble recoveries — when backup running back George Holani knew to pounce on Kaleb Johnson's neglected kick return in a Week 2 win against the Steelers. Eayrs, a holdover from Pete Carroll's staff, received a game ball from Macdonald for his clock management with timeouts in the final minutes of an 18-16 win against Indianapolis in Week 15.

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