National Football League

Patriots, Steelers battle for 'Team of Decade' title

Published Sep. 9, 2009 6:44 p.m. ET

Alex Marvez

The on-field skirmishes between Rodney Harrison and Jerome Bettis are finished.

But both retired stars will gladly engage in a war or words when asked about one of the NFL's hottest topics entering the 2009 season: Should New England or Pittsburgh be crowned the unofficial "Team of the Decade" if the Steelers repeat as Super Bowl champions?

"Tell him hands down it's the Patriots," Harrison boasted in a telephone interview.

Countered a laughing Bettis: "Being brainwashed in the (Bill) Belichick system, you expect him to say that."

Although such ribbing is good-natured, the strong feelings both have about their former teams is understandable. Harrison was a standout Patriots safety and leader on two of the franchise's three championship squads this decade. Bettis — the NFL's fifth all-time leading rusher — played 10 of his 13 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh. He also was a key cog in the ground attack that helped the 2005 Steelers win Super Bowl XL before retiring.

Bettis acknowledges Pittsburgh must match New England's three Super Bowl titles since 2000 to make a legitimate "Team of the Decade" boast. If that happens, Harrison and Bettis both have strong arguments.

New England has a better overall record in the past nine years. The Patriots have an NFL-best mark of 102-42 in the regular season and 14-3 in the playoffs, including victories over Pittsburgh in the 2001 and 2004 AFC title games. The Steelers are 94-49-1 and 10-4 respectively. New England's six division titles also edge Pittsburgh's five in that span.

Until February 2008, New England was considered a "Team of the Decade" shoo-in like predecessors Dallas (1990s), San Francisco (1980s) and Pittsburgh (1970s) — even after the Spygate controversy. The 2007 Patriots became the first team to enter a Super Bowl with an 18-0 record since the NFL adopted a 16-game regular-season schedule in 1978. And in its championship seasons of 2003 and 2004, New England strung together a league-record 21-game winning streak that ended at the hands of — you guessed it — Pittsburgh.

"To accomplish two things that have never been done before speaks volumes," said Harrison, who played with New England from 2003 to 2008 after spending his first nine seasons in San Diego.