On the morning following a historic victory in Super Bowl XLIII, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said it is too early to talk about an encore next season.

"You won’t hear me say words like repeat or defending because it will be brand new," Tomlin said in the wake of his team’s thrilling 27-23 win in Tampa.

"This group will always be special to me, but sometime soon, that group will assume its place with others in history.

"It will be just that — history."

The 36-year-old Tomlin became the youngest coach to lead a team to a world championship, guiding one of the league’s flagship franchises to a record sixth Super Bowl title in his second year at the helm.

It was the second Super Bowl crown in four years for the Steelers, who won four championships in a six-year span in the 1970s.