"Steeler Pride"

[SVN]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/damon_hack/12/06/steelers/index.html

i havent seen so many articles in a week waiting for the pats to lose...

 

[phimseto]

I actually like the Steelers organization, though this year has really irked me with Ward's pissy comments during spygate and Bettis'...quaint...recollections about who the better team was in the 2001 Championship Game.

I was brainwashed at an early age since I saw the Steelers help out Burt Reynolds in "Smokey and the Bandit II" and then watch some stuntman movies with him in "Hooper". What can I say? I was watching HBO before I was watching football.

By the 1990s, I was a big Patriots fan (started watching regularly during Rod Rust's season, so I've got my "street cred"). The Steelers started rising from the ashes at the same time the Pats did, so they were big rivals. However, I really liked Bill Cowher and I admired the way his organization would keep trading players away or lettign them go, and he would just coach up the next generation of all-pros. I watched in disgust with Steelers fans as Neil O'Donnell coughed up Super Bowl XXX and was happy to see Cowher finally win his a couple of years ago.

I've discovered that my respect for the Steelers organization only goes one way. Steelers fans hate us pretty good, and a lifelong Steeler fan fessed up to the ultimate reason a couple of years ago - the Pats are making a run to the top of the AFC pedestal where currently only the Steelers stand as the class of the conference. Couple that with the tough games we've played in the run, and the Steelers' fans have their blood boiling. Spygate has just allowed a lot of their fans to cross the thin line from gamesmanship to pathological hatred of the Patriots franchise. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that they're chanting "Patriots suck" at Penguins games.

Steelers fans are knowledgeable football fans, and I think I've seen a few level-headed ones around here. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, there are more goons out than normal fans. Even my buddy, the one I mentioned above, quotes from the Gospel According to Easterbrook at length these days. It's too bad.

 

[BSR]

The article states that Tomlin has never coached against Belichick before, which is true with him as a head coach. But wasn't Tomlin the D coordinator for the Vikings last year when the Patriots pasted them 31 to 7?

 

[BradyFTW!]

The two coaches not having coached against each other before harms Tomlin far more than it does Belichick. Belichick will just obsessively watch film, like always.

 

[phimseto]

Belichick will just obsessively watch film, like always.

This made me laugh out loud. In fact, I'm still laughing. I'm not sure why.

 

[PatsDeb]

Well, a Hack wrote this anyway. The Pats are the most riveting story in the NFL at the moment, so I guess we just have to live with it. I hope we bring our "A" game and crush the Steelers & their arrogance..whoops...I mean "pride."

(PS - why is it only our opponents play tough, physical football? We don't do that?)

 

[tuckeverlasting]

steeler pride? you mean the pride in introducing steroids into the league or the fact they have ex players living on the streets needing psychological and medical attention from the use of steroids or the pride in ex players dying from the use of steroids. do they mean that steeler pride ?

 

[FrontSeven]

I think they're a great organization.

That's not an original thought but for me it's important to give kudos where they are due, otherwise I feel fat and lazy-minded, a homer with no clue.

There is no harm in giving kudos where they are due. It's only being honest about it. To guys that shout, "The Steelers suck" I can only wonder what the hell they are eating for breakfast because it's got have some funny stuff in it.

No, the Steelers don't suck. They could be the team to do what no other team has been able to do this year.

 

[mdhprime]

The two coaches not having coached against each other before harms Tomlin far more than it does Belichick. Belichick will just obsessively watch film, like always.

Remember, it will be LeBeau coming up with the defensive gameplan against the Patriots, not Tomlin.

 

[sieglo]

The article states that Tomlin has never coached against Belichick before, which is true with him as a head coach. But wasn't Tomlin the D coordinator for the Vikings last year when the Patriots pasted them 31 to 7?

Ha, I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[Hollywood_Brady]

its amazing how it seem like almost every sports journalist wants (hoping) us to lose... and im hoping we wont, just to disappoint everybody...

 

[PatsRI]

The funniest thing in reading all the stories about the Steelers is that everyone seems to conviently forget the loses to teams that are .500 or worse. Maybe you could pardon this if one of them wasn't just 3 games ago as opposed to the "Pats looking vulnerable" in the last 2.

 

[Wildo7]

I'm so glad that everyone is back on the BB material bandwagon and is picking the Steelers* it's been a while since they had this kind of motivation to show up against another mediocre opponent.