In today’s parity-ridden NFL, a team can go from the dumps to the playoffs in one short season.

The 2004 Steelers are emerging as a legitimate Super Bowl contender before our very eyes – one year removed from an unimpressive 6-10 record.

Coming into the season, nobody expected the Steelers to do much, especially with an aging Tommy Maddox starting at quarterback. He is like the Kenny Banya of the NFL – how did he make it to the big time, and why did Jerry agree to be his mentor?

When Maddox was injured in Week 2, the Steelers put the fate of their season in the hands of a rookie signal caller who had played his college ball at Miami (Ohio) in the Mid-American Conference.

However, Big Ben Roethlisberger has proven he is wise and talented beyond his years.

This whole scenario sounds a lot like the 2001 New England Patriots, when incumbent Drew Bledsoe was hurt early in the season and young Tom Brady led the team to their first Super Bowl title.

I’m not saying Roethlisberger will lead the Steelers to the Promised Land this season, but the future looks bright for the guy that slipped into the Steelers’ lap at the 2004 draft.

After the Giants selected Eli Manning with the first pick, and the Chargers followed with Philip Rivers with the fourth selection, the Steelers were lucky enough to find Big Ben still available when their proverbial draft clock was ticking.

It seems as though a little bit of luck and a few key off-season moves can transform a team from pretender to contender in just one year.

The question remains as to whether this is good for the sport that has become America’s passion.

I suppose it is good for each NFL franchise, with the exception of possibly Arizona, to have playoff hopes at the start of each season.

The fans that have no hope at all before the start of their team’s journey can be pleasantly surprised by their squad’s sudden turnaround.

It had to have been a great feeling to be a Carolina Panthers fan last season.

Who knew that picking up Steven Davis in the off-season and starting Jake Delhomme at quarterback would result in a Super Bowl appearance?

This summer, I worked with a family friend who has been a lifelong Pittsburgh sports fan.

He never uttered a word about the Steelers the entire summer, and he only mentioned Pittsburgh sports when the Pirates put together a winning streak and almost reached .500 for the first time since 1926.

Now, of course, he has caught the fever. I think he wrote in Roethlisberger when he voted for president last Tuesday.

The days of perennial powerhouses and cellar dwellers are over. In the nineties, especially in the NFC, there was a clear distinction between the elite and the downtrodden.

Troy Aikman’s Cowboys, Steve Young’s 49ers and Brett Favre’s Packers all had a substantial run at the top of the conference during the decade.

These teams remained playoff contenders for many years and provided some stability to the league.

However, in this NFL, the parity is so great that a team might make its conference title game one year and finish in last place the following year.

The Panthers are off to a pathetic 1-7 start in this campaign, and it appears that their run to glory was a one-year aberration.

In recent memory, certainties in the NFL have been rare. Yes, the Eagles and Patriots have been dominant for the last three years, but other teams are stricken with inconsistency.

There is no longer anything to count on come Sunday.

Somebody give me a recount of Big Ben’s write-ins.

Jacob Bressler is a senior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].