TAMPA, Fla. -- He was sacked 46 times during the regular season -- second most in the NFL -- but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has never criticized his offensive line and he’s not about to start now, not with the Steelers one win away from a record sixth Super Bowl Championship.

“A lot of people have talked bad about them and they’ve been playing the underdog card all year, which is good for them,” Roethlisberger said of the criticism the offensive line has drawn throughout the season. “They kind of like when people talk bad about them because I think it fuels them.”

But the Steelers offensive line has been a work in progress, with only three players starting every game this season.

The Steelers had primarily two centers from 1988-2006 -- Dermontti Dawson (1988-2000) and Jeff Hartings (2001-06) -- but they’ve been through that many in the past two seasons alone.

After Hartings retired following the 2006 season, the Steelers signed Sean Mahan, a free agent from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to a 5-year, $17 million contract to play center.

But the Mahan experiment lasted only one season, with the Steelers signing veteran center Justin Hartwig from the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2008 season.

Mahan was traded back to the Bucs, while Hartwig has started every game at center this season.

“He [Roethlisberger] relies on us and we rely on him, but we do get upset. We take it personal when we lose and when Ben is on the ground,” said Hartwig.

Injuries also plagued the unit early in the season.

Veteran right guard Kendall Simmons suffered a season ending Achilles tendon injury in the fourth game of the regular season, thrusting second-year player Darnell Stapleton into the lineup.

Stapleton, who was inactive for all of the Steelers’ 16 regular season games last season, has started every game at right guard since Simmons was injured.

Tackle Max Starks, designated as the team’s transition player in the offseason, was expected to perform in a backup role this season, but starter Marvel Smith (back) was inactive since an Oct. 5 game against Jacksonville and was eventually placed on injured reserve.

After losing his starting right tackle job to Willie Colon, Starks has rebounded at left tackle, protecting Roethlisberger’s blind side.

“It’s five brand new guys playing together, but because of that, I think it kind of brought us together. We hung out, we did more things outside of football, as well as the stuff we did inside football, that made us grow closer,” said Starks.

Perhaps no one has had bigger cleats to fill than first-year starter Chris Kemoeatu, plugging a gaping hole left in the offensive line by the departure of Alan Faneca.

Faneca, a five-time All-Pro who spent 10 seasons with the Steelers, left for the New York Jets via free agency in the offseason.

Despite losing two veteran mainstays to injury and another to free agency, the Steelers offensive line has helped get the team, and its battered quarterback, to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII.

“I’ve been behind them all year, even before the season started -- always will be. They’re my guys, they protect me,” said Roethlisberger.

And as for the criticism the line has heard throughout the season, that’s fine with head coach Mike Tomlin.

“I’ve appreciated that. It’s helped me do my job. Please continue to do that. We’ll squeeze one more performance out of them. Hopefully it’s a winning one,” said Tomlin.