The 1979 Steelers were in the final stages of a dynasty: that team won its fourth Super Bowl in six seasons with a victory over the Rams. The 2004 Steelers are off to 9-1 start behind a quarterback nicknamed Big Ben who weighs more than 14 starters from those Super Bowl champs.
How much of things changed in 25 years? The heaviest offensive lineman on the '79 Steelers was 29 pounds lighter than the lightest starting linemen on the '04 Steelers.
A comparison of the Super Bowl lineup for the '79 Steelers and this year's squad:
| OFFENSE | ||
| Pos. | 1979 Steelers | 2004 Steelers |
| WR | John Stallworth, 6-2, 191 | Plaxico Burress, 6-5, 228 |
| WR | Lynn Swann, 5-10, 178 | Hines Ward, 6-0, 215 |
| TE | Bennie Cunningham, 6-5, 255 | Jerame Tuman, 6-4, 253 |
| RB | Franco Harris, 6-2, 230 | Jerome Bettis, 5-11, 255 |
| RB | Rocky Bleier, 5-11, 205 | Duce Staley, 5-11, 242 |
| QB | Terry Bradshaw, 6-3, 218 | Ben Roethlisberger, 6-5, 241 |
| LT | Jon Kolb, 6-2, 262 | Marvel Smith, 6-5, 321 |
| LG | Sam Davis, 6-1, 255 | Alan Faneca, 6-5, 307 |
| C | Mike Webster, 6-1, 250 | Jeff Hartings, 6-3, 299 |
| RG | Gerry Mullins, 6-3, 240 | Keydrick Vincent, 6-5, 325 |
| RT | Larry Brown, 6-4, 270 | Oliver Ross, 6-5, 322 |
1979 Steelers' average weight: 232 pounds
2004 Steelers' average weight: 273 pounds
| DEFENSE | ||
| Pos. | 1979 Steelers | 2004 Steelers |
| DE | L.C. Greenwood, 6-5, 245 | Aaron Smith, 6-5, 298 |
| DT | Joe Greene, 6-4, 280 | Chris Hoke, 6-3, 296 |
| DT | Gary Dunn, 6-3, 265 | Kimo von Oelhoffen, 6-4, 299 |
| DE/LB | John Banaszak, 6-3, 232 | James Harrison, 6-0, 242 |
| OLB | Dennis Winston, 6-0, 228 | Clark Haggans, 6-4, 242 |
| ILB | Jack Lambert, 6-4, 220 | James Farrior, 6-2, 243 |
| LB | Jack Ham, 6-2, 225 | Larry Foote, 6-0, 239 |
| CB | Mel Blount, 6-3, 203 | Deshea Townsend, 5-10, 190 |
| CB | Ron Johnson, 5-10, 200 | Willie Williams, 5-9, 194 |
| S | Donnie Shell, 5-11, 190 | Chris Hope, 5-11, 206 |
| S | J.T. Thomas, 6-2, 196 | Troy Polamalu, 5-10, 212 |
1979 Steelers' average weight: 226 pounds
2004 Steelers' average weight: 242 pounds
Total weight of starters
1979 Steelers: 5,038 pounds (average: 229 pounds)
2004 Steelers: 5,668 pounds (average: 258 pounds)
Illustrations by Kurt Snibbe. Sources: steelergridiron.com; ESPN.com