DETROIT — When Cedrick Wilson became a free agent, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the first team to call. The interest was mutual.

The Steelers needed a wide receiver after losing Plaxico Burress to free agency following the 2004 season. And Wilson needed a team upgrade after playing four seasons with the downward-spiraling San Francisco 49ers.

"They knew what type of guy I was," said the former University of Tennessee wide receiver. "Our defensive coordinator (Billy Davis) was (in Pittsburgh) with Bill Cowher before he came to San Francisco. He told Coach Cowher a lot of things about me."

Meanwhile, Wilson was doing his homework on the Steelers.

"My agent, Tom Condon, was telling me, 'They have a good, young quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) and he can't do anything but get better,' " Wilson said.

The team, which went 16-2 last year, was as appealing as the quarterback. Wilson played on a national championship team at UT and a state championship team at Melrose High School in Memphis. He liked the idea of joining a Super Bowl contender.

Once the Steelers expressed an interest, Wilson didn't look elsewhere.

"If I had waited it out, I could have gotten more money (as a free agent)," Wilson said. "I didn't even look (at other teams), because I felt there was a void that I could fill here. They were one game away from the Super Bowl last season, so I knew they would have a pretty good shot this year."

The Steelers' Super Bowl shot keeps looking better.

After a three-game losing streak during the second half of the season, the Steelers have won seven in a row. Only one of those victories was by fewer than 12 points, and their average margin of victory was 16.6 points.

After winning three consecutive playoff games on the road, they're a four-point favorite to defeat Seattle in Super Bowl XL on Sunday at Ford Field.

Wilson only caught 26 passes for 451 yards — compared to 47 catches for 641 yards in his last season at San Francisco — during the regular season. But he had his best game with the Steelers in the AFC title game against Denver. He caught five passes for 92 yards and one touchdown.

Wilson has fit in nicely with the Steelers' versatile receiving corps, which includes starters Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El. All three are former quarterbacks. Ward (at Georgia) and Randle El (at Indiana) played quarterback in college, and Wilson was an all-state quarterback at Melrose.

Don't be surprised if any one of the three throws a pass in the Super Bowl. The Steelers have a fondness for gadget plays, which complement their devotion to power football. The receivers play a role in the power game, too.

Ward is regarded as the best-blocking wide receiver in the NFL, and Wilson also takes pride in his blocking, just as he did at UT.

"It seems like the more I block, the more passes I catch," Wilson said. "It just gets you more involved in the game."

Wilson also is getting involved with the Pittsburgh community, where he makes his home.

"San Francisco is a huge city," he said. "There's a lot going on.

"Pittsburgh is kind of like Knoxville. The fans in Pittsburgh can't live without the Steelers. A down day on Sunday is a down week for Steelers fans."