In fact, it will remain intact. The starting line of, left to right, Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Justin Hartwig, Darnell Stapleton and Willie Colon in the Super Bowl last month should remain the starting lineup when they open the 2009 season.

It did not come cheaply. The Steelers made Starks their franchise player at nearly $8.5 million for one year. Colon will earn $2.2 million with his RFA tender. Kemoeatu signed a five-year, $20 million contract with a bonus of nearly $4 million.

That line was not a very good one last season, but the Steelers hope it can mature together and improve with experience. Kemoeatu and Stapleton started for the first time, Hartwig joined them in 2008 as a free agent, and Starks was a former right tackle pressed into service on the left side when Marvel Smith was hurt. Colon was the only holdover starter from the previous season.

What the Steelers need now is offensive line depth. They have been trying to re-sign Trai Essex, an unrestricted free agent who can play guard and tackle and has started a handful of games. If they do, he would be their No. 1 backup at both positions. Tony Hills, their fourth-round draft choice last season, will be in the mix, as will Jason Capizzi, a 6-foot-9 tackle who has been on and off their roster and practice squad the past two seasons.

That's it. They're not expected to pick up any free-agent offensive lineman capable of starting. They will likely draft one or two and sign some rookie free agents.

The line was the most criticized aspect of the Steelers in 2008, especially because quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked another 46 times and their ground game ranked just 23rd in the NFL, the second-lowest ranking for Pittsburgh since it joined the AFC in the 1970 league merger.

But there were extenuating circumstances. Chief among them were injuries to running backs Willie Parker and rookie Rashard Mendenhall, Roethlisberger's tendency to hold onto the ball longer than most quarterbacks and an evolving change in offensive philosophy under coordinator Bruce Arians.

Bottom line: they won a Super Bowl with that offensive line, and they have kept it together and will try it again in 2009.

"I think we played with a chip on our shoulders all year," guard Darnell Stapleton said. "It may not look that way and it wasn't always pretty with our unit but that's no excuse to be sub-par. We came into work every day and we fought to get better."