Back in 2008, Steelers running back Willie Parker was unhappy with how well the team's rushing attack, ranked 20th in the league at the time, was performing.
He made his displeasure known in the media.
The next day, Mike Tomlin responded with a now-classic quote.
"Every morning I come to work, I walk past five Lombardis, not five rushing titles. The issue is winning," Tomlin said, referring to the five Lombardi Trophies that then stood in the entry way to the team's offices at the UMPC-Rooney Sports Complex.
The Steelers, who finished the 2008 season ranked 23rd in rushing, would add a sixth Lombardi Trophy at the end of that season.
Fast forward to 2020. The Steelers (9-0) heading into their game next Sunday in Jacksonville against the Jaguars (1-8) are 24th in the NFL in rushing at 101.8 yards per game after rushing for less than 50 yards in each of their past three games. But they've won all three of those games, becoming the first team since 1940 to rush for less than 50 yards in three consecutive games and win them all.
It begs the question, does running the ball matter when it comes to winning?
The Steelers are certainly concerned about their ability -- or lack thereof -- to generate a rushing attack the past few weeks.
"We've spent a lot of time talking and thinking about that in an effort to move forward," Tomlin said Tuesday. "One of the things I'll acknowledge is that as a team, you always go through lulls where components of your game are lacking, and it requires a recenter of attention and focus. I believe that's where we are in regard to the run game right now. We'll get about that task this week. The only thing that's perfect about our team is our record. We acknowledge that. There will always be things we need to work on."
Looking back at that 2008 team, the Steelers with their 23rd ranking in rushing offense -- they averaged 105.6 yards per game in 2008 -- aren't even an outlier. Over the past 20 years, the Super Bowl champion has finished an average of 14th in rushing offense in the league at 116.8 yards per game. It's a modest total when the league leader in rushing offense over those same two decades has routinely been at 160 yards per game or more.
And there are quite a few instances where the team that won the Super Bowl was below average running the ball, starting with the 2019 Chiefs, who ranked 23rd, averaging 98.1 yards per game, more than 100 yards less than the league-leading Ravens.
That's not even the lowest ranking in recent years. The 2011 Giants were dead last in rushing at 89.2 yards per game, while the 2010 Packers, who beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl, ranked 24th at 100.4 rushing yards per game.
Nine times in the past 20 years, the Super Bowl champions have been in the bottom half of the league in running the ball. There have also been nine champions who were in the top 10 running it, with the 2005 Steelers and their 138.9 yards per game average being the best.
Both most of the time, those teams that didn't run the ball well possessed a potent passing game coupled with an opportunistic defense. Sound familiar?
The 2020 Steelers have those factors working in their favor. The passing game has produced 22 touchdown passes, good for fifth in the league, leading to an offense that is averaging 30.1 points per game, which would be a franchise record and is currently tied for fourth in the NFL. The defense, meanwhile, leads the NFL with 36 sacks and 17 takeaways and is third in points allowed at 19.0 per game.
But that running game, which was working early in the season when the Steelers averaged 129.8 yards per game in their first six games, has been non-existent of late.
Opponents have crowded the box more to combat the short passing game Ben Roethlisberger has been so efficient utilizing. Roethlisberger is getting rid of the ball in 2.31 seconds, the fastest in the NFL. But that number is actually up from a week ago, as Roethlisberger took 2.58 seconds to get rid of the ball in last week's 36-10 victory over the Bengals.
That was because Cincinnati loaded the box against the Steelers on a windy day at Heinz Field, knowing Roethlisberger hadn't practiced all week because he was on the reserve/COVID list after being in close proximity to tight end Vance McDonald, who had tested positive for the virus.
"I was not surprised in the commitment that Cincinnati had in packing the line of scrimmage," Tomlin said. "We stepped into a stadium where we hadn't seen our quarterback all week. So, it's reasonable to expect them to have an agenda to push us toward that in an effort to check his readiness and our cohesion in that area."
The Steelers can expect opponents to continue to do that, as they don't seem inclined to get away from a passing attack that is working well.
So, that means the team needs to address the way it is running the ball. While some don't feel running back James Conner -- whom Tomlin reiterated is the team's lead back -- runs as well out of a shotgun set, the numbers don't bear that out.
Conner has run 59 percent of the time this season out of the shotgun and averages 4.2 yards per carry in those sets. When Roethlisberger is under center, Conner averages 4.3 yards per attempt, so there is not much of a difference there.
But running wide, where Conner's 4.65-second speed in the 40-yard dash appears to be a problem, especially with so many defenders close to the line of scrimmage. Conner's top two runs against the Bengals -- 16 and 11 yards -- came on a draw or straight handoff when he immediately went straight up the field.
His two biggest losses -- minus-5 and minus-6 yards -- came when he was trying to get to the edge that wasn't set well.
It added up to a game in which he produced 36 yards on 13 carries, and the Steelers just 44 overall rushing yards, a season low.
"It's generally usually a combination of all of the above," Tomlin said.
"Sometimes, we're just not doing good enough, as well. It's a combination of those things. We'll roll up our sleeves and get about attacking it this week."
It goes to the team's identity. The Steelers' identity has always been, as Parker was alluding to all the way back in 2008, a team that grinds opponents down and plays defense.
But Tomlin has different ideas about that. And really, his mantra hasn't changed in that regard from 2008.
"Hopefully, out identity is winning," Tomlin said when asked about this team's identity, before adding, "we need to be diverse and versatile enough to be what we need to be just about in any circumstance. ... We've got to have enough talent across a wide variety of areas to play a certain style of play when circumstances or opponents dictates it. But more than anything, I want our personality to be that of a winner."