Steelers Fans Still Care

I read a report yesterday that local store owners are saying people are not as excited about the Steelers this year as they have been in the past. Steelers merchandise sales are not seeing quite the "boom" they would normally see during playoffs, so therefore people must not care as much. I disagree, there was a lot going against the Steelers this season, and the fans were there to support the team through it all. Sure some may have been against a few decisions made by the team, but they still cheer the black and gold. With Ben's (pictured right) off field antics, that landed him a 4 game suspension, sports enthusiasts, and reporters from around the world pretty much counted out the black and gold. Some fans were outraged by his actions and wanted him off the team for good, some said his off field actions should have nothing to do with whether he plays or not, as long as what he does doesn't affect his abilities. But the main news coming in from NFL followers was that the Steelers would not survive this season with Roethlisberger out. Pittsburghers proudly defended the team and said "We can make it 4 games without him!" Sure enough, we did! The Steelers went 3-1 in the games without Ben, losing only to Baltimore.

Ben came back from his suspension after a conveniently scheduled week5 bye, and led the team to a 12-4 record for the season; including a win over the Baltimore ravens. There were 3 losses after Roethlisberger came back, along with some close scores. There were quite a few problems the Steelers had to work out even after Ben came back, but most people seemed to blame them on one person. Many of the problems the team had (according to many) fell upon the shoulders (or legs) of Jeff Reed (pictured left). He missed some key field goals this season, which is completely out of character for him. The Steelers Nation seemed to turn on Jeff, and the Steelers office did too. Reed was released, and Shaun Suisham was hired to take his place.

The "Stillers" also faced some other major distractions this season. Not only did they have to overcome Big Ben's suspension, and everyone saying they would fail without him, work though firing a veteran kicker and signing a new one, but they also were victims of the NFL's crackdown on "illegal" hits. The Steelers have always been and will always be known as a physical team, and it showed this year. Players were receiving fines for hits they made that the league deemed "unsafe and illegal." James Harrison (pictured left) became the NFL's poster boy for this crackdown. He was fined for multiple hits, some of which he was not even penalized for during the game. However, after all of these fines and being told he is tackling wrong, Harrison was once again named to the Pro-Bowl team. How can a guy, who for the first half of the season, was told he didn't know how to tackle, be named one of the best players in the league and get a spot on the Pro Bowl team?

After all the controversy and set-backs this season, the Steelers still made it to the playoffs as the 2nd ranked team in the AFC. They earned the 1st week bye and home field advantage for week 2. The Steelers are favored by 3 going into the game tomorrow. Three points is the exact number that decided both games earlier this season. Baltimore beat the Steelers 17-14 in week 3, and the Steelers beat the Ravens 13-10 in week 13. After the Steelers defeat the dirty birds, they will play the winner of the New England Patriots vs. New York Jets game. Both of these teams beat the Steelers already this season. So it seems as if the Steelers still have an up hill battle to make it to another Super Bowl. They have already overcome so much this year, but it isn't over, they have some tough games ahead of them. However, isn't that the way the Steelers seem to like it? The Steelers love being the underdog and silencing the critics. Merchandise sales may not be booming like they have been in the past, but this isn't the Clinton years, money is tight. While we may not be showing love monetarily, Pittsburgh still bleeds black and gold, and we still LOVE our Pittsburgh Steelers and we will show it every game day.