More often than not, at this time of the year I am feeling pretty good about my beloved Steelers. Last year, of course, was just disgusting, but the fact that we were that bad made it easier to deal with than just falling a little bit short. When Dodd writes “as for this year, well, I’m just glad it’s over,” I know exactly what he means. Join the Black-n-Gold bandwagon for a couple weeks, Dodd- I was rooting for Raider Nation a couple years ago.
This year, however, I have the most confidence in the Steelers than I have had in years. They just seem to find ways to win, and that is a sign of greatness. You can have all the talent in the world on a team, but if they don’t know how to win- they just won’t. Ask the Eagles, who have fallen short three years in a row in the NFC Championship Game (and this is no knock on the Eagles- getting there three times in a row is something special).
At any rate, you have to learn how to win, and I think the Steelers finally have the right mix to make it pretty deep into the play-offs. My confidence was boosted by our performance in Buffalo, in which our 2nd and 3rd team handily beat up the ‘red-hot’ Bills. Before the game, I was about to explode if I heard how the Bills were ‘super hot’ and had won 6 games in a row. Six in a row is a little bit less than 13 in a row, so why were the Steelers not considered ‘red-hot?’
At any rate, a whole new season has started, so all I can do is cross my fingers and keep the faith in the guys. Go Stillers!
Dodd
Sorry, John. I appreciate the kind invitation but I’m rooting for Indy this year. I want to see an end to the “Peyton chokes in the Big Game” myth and I have little doubt that Big Ben will get a chance to win a SB before too many more years pass (though I think his chances will diminish somewhat for the near term if Plexico leaves town).
That said, if it comes down to Pitt and NE in the AFC Champrionship, I will root for Pitt. That’s an *easy* promsie to make. :-)
Steve
Peyton will choke in Foxboro, as always. Then we get the real superbowl in Pittsburgh, the Patriots and Steelers. If it was in Foxboro, I’d feel good about a Pats win, but it should be a great game. Note to Ben R, no quarterback since 2000 has won vs. the Patriots the second time he faced them that season.
B. Minich, PI
While I want to see the Steelers win this year, I think that if Plex leaves and Randel-El stays, Ben will do fine. That, and if Randel-El and Ward stay, well, that’s pretty darn good.
jeff
“Choking” is a vague term that can mean various things when it comes to sports, but if you look at Peyton’s record and numbers in A) the four games he played against florida in college B) his bowl games and c) the NFL playoffs, they’re not very good.
Slartibartfast
Peyton usually only choked against FL. And a good deal of that was Phil Fulmer getting brain freeze every time he went up against Spurrier. You can be the best quarterback in the world, but if your coach starts drooling a couple of hours before gametime, things aren’t going to go well.
B. Minich, PI
I have On Demand from Comcast, and they have 10 minute highlights from the past week’s football games (and all the local ones, which was a bonus because both the Redskins and the Ravens are local, and they played the Steelers 3 times this year). However, they always use the home team’s commentators for the play-by-play to go with the video. We all know what this means.
“And Hmm-Haw, them Stillers have gone yoi and double yoi!”
That’s right, even in Maryland, Myron Cope cannot be escaped. For those of you who don’t know, Myron Cope is the . . . interesting color commentator who generally rants during games in what seems like a drunken stupor. He’s like John Madden with a gravely voice and a Pittsburgh accent. You cannot know Myron Cope until you’ve heard him – I’ve used him as an example when I still lived in Western Pennsylvania of what a Pittsburgh accent is. That, and we marvel on how a man like this ended up on the radio.
He was broadcasting Steelers games when my Mom was a kid. That was 30 years ago. So add to all of this that he is old as the hills, and slowly going senile.
The worst thing I’ve ever heard from Cope was him singing . . . yes, SINGING (Steeler fans will know how horrid THAT would sound) for his post-game show. Well, singing isn’t really the right word. Let’s just say he tried and failed.
And yet, I wouldn’t have any other commentator – because Myron Cope is pure Pittsburgh. That, and he did come up with the Terrible Towel (or at least his name is on it). So hmm-haw.
jeff
Pittsburgh has some interesting announcers.
Who was the guy who used to do Penquins games (maybe he still does) and would scream things like “SCRATCH MY BACK WITH A CHAINSAW” or “HOW MUCH FRIED CHICKEN CAN YOU EAT” after Penguin goals?
I live in Philly but I was in Pittsburgh several years ago when the Flyers were playing the Penguins in the playoffs and, even though i hate hockey, i went to a bar in Pittsburgh to watch the game and Mario went off that night and scored like four goals and the team had about eight. Imagine hearing that guys stupid lines eight times in a playoff game if you’re rooting for the other team.
Sinbad
Pittsburgh wasn’t considered “red-hot” because notwithstanding the 13-game winning streak, they spent the last month of the season barely getting past some remarkably crappy teams. Compare and contrast with Buffalo, which over that same month, had been punching above its weight every week.
Jim Henley
Myron Cope absolutely invented the terrible towel. I listened to the very broadcast (WTAE 6 O’Clock News, I think) in which he did it. It was in the runup to an important game against the Browns (v 1.0), and Cope ranted about how Browns orange was the same color as the flags used by the highway guys holding you up on your morning commute. By a train of Copean logic I can no longer recouple, that meant that Steeler fans must – simply MUST – take dishtowels to Three Rivers that weekend and wave them at every opportunity. This was before official branded TTs existed. They came later.
John cole
Sinbad-
I disagree. The Bills only beat two teams all season with winning records. Their other 7 wins were against collective teams that all had losing records.
JEFF- That is Mike Lange- he is in the HoF as an announcer. Here are some of his sayings.
http://www.iglooreport.com/pens/lange.html
Mike
Rumor has it, the next Superbowl will be held in Pittsburgh at Hienz Field. Any thoughts on that?