THE PITTSBURGH Sports CHATTER

[POJO_Risin]

Well...Pittsburgh now just needs 1 out of 2...

I'm always more comfortable once it happens...because neither Baltimore nor Buffalo will be difinitive...

here's the thing...

the beat Baltimore the day after XMas...and they can bench their starters against Buffalo...

and get their players all healthy...

[POJO_Risin]

Here's the thing about Brady...when pressured...he's made mistakes...he did it against Pittsburgh earlier in the year...and obviously he did it last night against Miami...

[aesop]

Yep. Just goes to show ya..."Any Given Monday". I wonder what the line was on last night's game?

[POJO_Risin]

And Madden and Michaels both said, "They can't win, but could make it close..."

LMFAO...

ooops...

[aesop]

LMAO. I didn't hear that. I had the sound off and was only glancing up occasionally.

[POJO_Risin]

There have been some good prime time games this year...

although the teams in them haven't always been good...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Ahhhh....Va....you are forgetting something...

teams get up to play them...

it's easy to say the Defense was lax...but...

and yesterday was the first time the Giants rallied around Manning, and I wonder why?

Yes, absolutely right as well...

"Pittsburgh week" is nearly everyone's game of the year....

Now, maybe it wasn't to New England and Philly this year, and that's why they got their asses handed to them....

But, I think you'd admit that the Defense had far from a good game....

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by Dave's PA Rental
Well maybe this time they wont reserve hotel rooms for the Super Bowl until AFTER they win the AFC...

IF they win...

That's what I'm saying bro....

No way they will lose focus like that again, if they get that far....

Too many of them were on the team when that happened in '01....

[Dave's PA Rental]

For your sake, you better hope that the COACH learned from that mistake...

[Dave's PA Rental]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Here's the thing about Brady...when pressured...he's made mistakes...

Here's the thing...Peyton Manning gets pressured in THE BIG GAME and he makes mistakes, and yet, the media constantly seems to give Manning a full body massage, complete with a happy ending. Brady leads a team to two SB's in three years and people say he is overrated just because he doesnt get 5-6 GARBAGE TD passes a game...(I fucking hate Manning)

Im not gonna try to make excuses for last night...no way they should have lost that game...and Bled-er-ah- Brady ABSOLUTELY choked last night...

BUT!

Every team has a clunker or two in them each season...I dont think its that big of a deal to lose after clinching the AFC East...yeah, I know...homefield advantage was still up for grabs, but I think the Steelers had that locked up before the Pats laid an egg in Miami...

[Dave's PA Rental]

I just read my last post and realized I have become a priveliged NFL fan..fans of most teams would LOVE to have only one or two 'clunkers' a season...

It's good to be a Pats fan...

[POJO_Risin]

LMFAO Dave...

I disagree...I think Manning takes more hits than anyone...and deservedly so...for his bombs in the playoffs...

and he gets garbage TD's...also agreed...but you make it sound like he's not worthy of it...of all the hype...and quite frankly...he is...

is he a leader worthy of a Super Bowl? We'll find out...it won't always be so good...

but...their O is lined up for the forseeable future...and Dungy will only make the D better...

we'll see...

My point was...this year...the teams that have gotten to him consistently...have forced his hand in a bad way...

but...by playoff time...and Super Bowl time...Belicheck is a master of correcting that...

We'll see..

[aesop]

It's likely coming down to one for the Ages... The Terrible Towels vs. the Patsies. Maybe Cowher can get the Monkey off of his back and cement his legend...

[aesop]

Time to right the ship...

Steelers hope 'road' paved in black, gold

Tuesday, December 28, 2004
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers running back Jerome Bettis could have the opportunity to wave to fans at Heinz Field at least two more times this season.

The Steelers have traveled this road before, the road that went through Pittsburgh and carried some other team to the Super Bowl.

It happened in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2001, when the Steelers either earned the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed or wound up with the AFC championship game in Pittsburgh and failed to reach the Super Bowl.

Most of the current Steelers only have reference to 2001, when the New England Patriots, 10-point underdogs, upset them, 24-17, in the AFC championship at Heinz Field.

"We're a lot maturer," receiver Plaxico Burress said. "Playing in that game, I was thinking this is how it's supposed to be every year. It was my second year; we really didn't understand the significance of having home-field advantage and playing in the AFC championship. We were just out there playing football.

"I've said it, Hines [Ward] said it; we already had ourselves thinking 'Super Bowl,' and we didn't take care of that one game and it cost us."

The Steelers had the AFC's No. 1 seed in 1992 and, after a first-round bye, lost to Buffalo at home in their first playoff game under coach Bill Cowher. In 1994, they beat Cleveland after a first-week bye and were upset by San Diego, 17-13, at home in the AFC championship.

The Steelers ended that string when they came from behind in the final minutes to beat Indianapolis in the AFC championship game at home after the 1995 season.

In 1997, they beat New England after a first-round bye, but blew a lead and lost to Denver, 24-21, in the AFC championship at home. And, in 2001, they had the No. 1 seed again, beat Baltimore, 27-10, then lost to the Patriots.

Cornerback Willie Williams, in his second tour of duty with the Steelers, is the only player on their roster from the 1994 team. Halfback Jerome Bettis and cornerback Chad Scott are the only players from the 1997 team.

There are 20 players and two others on injured reserve who experienced the pain of losing in 2001 and vowed not to have it happen again.

"We have a lot of guys who have been here since 2001," center Jeff Hartings said. "Speaking personally, that hurt a lot, losing that game. Speaking now, I'm not going to get too excited because I know it's one game at a time and because I know there's lot of good teams in the AFC.

"The first game here is going to be against a very good team. We win that one, it'll be against an even better team. The road to the Super Bowl isn't easy in the AFC."

That, players say, is what they forgot in 2001.

"I think we have a better football team this time," Bettis said, "because we have depth all over the board, and guys have learned from that. Guys who are here want to guard against that from happening again."

Said tight end Jerame Tuman about the loss to the Patriots,

"This is obviously a different year. We're playing a lot better in all phases. We had a couple turnovers that led to touchdowns, and that hurt us."

Wide receiver Antwaan Randle El wasn't here in 2001.

"It's a different year, a different atmosphere, a different way we got here, the road we traveled, the guys who went down and guys who stepped up," Randle El said. "If you look at those different things, this is a different team from that perspective alone.

"This is a closer team than it's been in the past. I don't think that team in '01 was as close as this one. Of course, I wasn't here, but, if they were any closer than what we were, then no way things shouldn't have worked out."

It's not a group of players that gives the impression it will work on a Super Bowl rap video over the next few weeks, the way some players did in 1994 that so riled up the Chargers.

"We are a true family," linebacker Joey Porter said. "I've been here six years, we've had some close teams, but, by far, this is the best team we've had.

"We're not doing it with a whole lot of superstars, we just have a lot of blue-collar guys. When somebody goes down, everybody's ready to step up and do their job.

"I think it makes us appreciate each person we have on this team, and it's brought us so close together."

[julia]

Steelers kick major ass