Our Father, who Art in Pittsburgh

Football be thy game.

Let Mendenhall run, 6 Superbowl’s won

On earth, as it is in Heinz Field.

Give us this day our playoff victory

…And forgive us our penalties

As we defeat those Jets who play against us.

But lead us into victory, and deliver us to Texas,

For Thine is the D-Line, the Polamalu, and the Harrison

A-Ben

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Since the merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been the most successful franchise in the NFL. They’ve won more Super Bowls than any other team in the NFL, and they’ve played in more Divisional Championship games (15) than any other team since the merger.

Can you blame the Steeler Nation for being so proud?

Two years ago, during the hours and hours of Super Bowl pre-game hoopla, I spent part of the afternoon doodling on the computer. What I came up with was this picture of 6 Lombardi Trophies with the Steelers emblem in the hope that I would be able to post it on this blog after the victory.

Larry Fitzgerald’s 64 yard catch from Kurt Warner for a touchdown with 2:30 left in the game to take the lead 23-20 not only gave me a sinking feeling – but my day long project on this artwork wouldn’t be seen for Lord knows how long. Thankfully, Big Ben and Santonio Holmes hooked up with one of the most memorable touchdown catches in Super Bowl history to ultimately win the game. As a result, this work of art was posted at the exact moment of the final gun. (Still logged as 10:10 pm on Sunday, February 1, 2009.)

A post that didn’t have a single word – gets more hits and traffic than anything I’ve ever written in all the years I’ve been blogging. I’ve also seen this picture posted on a number of other websites, forum and message board profiles, and Facebook pages over the last two years.

As a fan, I don’t mind sharing the love. Besides, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I also understand how fanatical Steelers fans are about their team. Truth be told, some would change the word “fanatical” to “obnoxious” – and that’s fine. When you have the hardware and the Championships to back it up – none of the naysayers really matter.

And here we are again – one game away from our 8th appearance in the biggest spectacle of the modern day.

It’s a far cry from what Steelers Nation was dealing with just 6 months ago. Our Franchise Quarterback had tarnished the glimmering logo we adore and the MVP of Super Bowl 43 had been traded away for other off the field shenanigans that the Rooney family just does not tolerate.

Before the season opened – many predicted that Baltimore would win the AFC North crown. In all honesty, it was probably the best shot any of the ACF North team had to take the crown. With Big Ben out for four games due to a suspension – it was a long shot at best to open up the season at 2 and 2.

There’s an old saying that “Defense wins Championships”. What the “experts” didn’t count on was a League leading Defense that shut down opponents and ranked first in total defense. (A far cry from the 2009 season I might add that lost more games in the last minutes of games than I can ever remember any team doing.) As a result, Ben returned to the team with a record of 3-1 and when the matchup between Baltimore and Pittsburgh came up on the schedule, the team did what they always do when Big Ben plays – they won. (7-0 against Baltimore when Ben starts.)

It amazes me that amount of swagger Baltimore always brings into these games. Doesn’t matter if it’s regular season or playoffs – they always come in with some sort of smack – and as a fan, you just want to shut them up. Of course it helps when you’re so busy trash talking that you forget to play fundamentally sound football. For as well as Baltimore capitalized on Pittsburgh’s mistakes in the first half of Saturdays game, the Raven’s 3rd quarter of play was abysmal. They had more turnovers (3) than they did yards (minus 4) during the quarter.

That’s not how you win Playoff games or Championships.

Maybe they should take a page out of Big Ben’s playbook. Say what you want about him off the field of play – but when it comes to playing winning football there’s none better. Only Bart Starr has a better winning percentage (.900) than Big Ben in the Playoffs. (.818) Yes, even better the Lord Brady at .778 or even Terry Bradshaw at .737. There’s no trash talking, there’s no bravado, there’s just winning football.

It’s yet to be determined if Pittsburgh will at another Lombardi Trophy, making my creation obsolete. There’s plenty of football to be played to determine that outcome. It is however a place and a position no other team in League history has experienced – and there’s something to be said about that. When you’ve been there as many times as Pittsburgh has, you don’t get overwhelmed by the stage or the setting.

I don’t just like our chances, I absolutely love it.

They are after all the Men of Steel.

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I haven’t been to St. Vincent College since Chuck Noll was head coach of the Steelers. Since Noll retired there have only been two other Head Coach’s from 1992 on. (The same year I moved here to Atlanta.) Some NFL teams change Coach’s every three to four years – but for the Pittsburgh Steelers it’s been three Coach’s in four decades.

In a long standing tradition (like forty five years) the Pittsburgh Steelers open training camp in Latrobe, PA tomorrow. After the events of this past off season about all I can say is – it’s about time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a much talked about team during the off season in years past – but this off season has been much different story.

The team won’t have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for at least the first four to six games because of his NFL suspension. The offense will also be without wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes who was traded to the Jets after another off field stunt. Fast Willie Parker is now a Washington Redskin as we find out what running back Rashard Mendenhall is really made of. And to add insult to injury, our offensive line also lost tackle Willie Colon due to a season ending Achilles during spring training.

There really hasn’t been much said about the Defensive side of the ball – probably due to age and maturity. The Defensive squad however, needs to get back to smash mouth football that’s capable of shutting offenses down. (How many games did we lose in the last minute a year ago?) You can’t blame the absence of Troy Polamalu for all those last minute losses.

Nor can you blame me for the fresh start this year’s training camp offers die hard Steelers fans. (Certainly more than in years past.) It’s one thing to get use to all the free agent activities that are now common in the League – but this year’s off field activities from certain Pittsburgh Steelers was something no Steelers fan thought was even possible.

As a lifelong Steelers fan and the proud tradition this team has held for decades, it’s shocking that I feel this way.

But…

Thank goodness we get some of these guys off the street and back on the football field.

In one of the few interviews I saw on the internet from Ben Roethlisberger and the fiasco that happened in Milledgeville, Georgia this off season he said something that really stuck with me.

“I’m always committed to being the best I can on the football field, I don’t think that’s ever changed, and I don’t think anyone’s ever questioned that of me.”

There no question the kids got drive and talent. You saw that from the very first game he was thrown into down in Miami during a monsoon his rookie year. He reeled off 15 straight victories his rookie year – a record I don’t think will ever be broken. Since then he’s collected two Super Bowl rings and is unquestionably the offensive leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the opening of training camp – it’s back to a focus on football without time for extracurricular activities that he shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Thus, why he’s still labeled a “kid”, and for me, it will stay that way until his on field maturity matches his off field activities.

Regardless of each players commitment on the field, Mike Tomlin has his work cut out for him this year – probably more so than previous years. The Rooney’s believe in him – with a new contract extension – and while I had my doubts early on (mostly due to the lack of head coaching changes with the Steelers since 1969) Tomlin has proven that he’s the right guy for this year’s challenges.

St. Vincent gets Steelers fans back into their comfort zone. It’s rich in tradition and always brings optimism regardless of how good or bad the previous year’s record was.

This year, we can add a bad off season into the mix, and tomorrow (thank goodness) it comes to a close.

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UPDATE: Don’t know why I should be surprised that everyone else is looking for this poem as well. (More than likely wanting to read it and possibly copy it for themselves.) Want your own copy of the poem “Don’t Quit”? I created a PDF that you can print out and hang where you want. Mine is on the bathroom mirror.

Enjoy!

~~~~

The NFL Network has aired the newest release of it’s Emmy Award-winning ‘America’s Game’ with “The Story of the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers”. You know me, I not only had to watch it, but it’s permanently saved on my TiVo to watch for years to come.

Each episode of America’s Game is a personal portrait told by the men who lived it and felt it. The story of the 2008 Steelers is told through the eyes of head coach Mike Tomlin, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

I love the heart and the mentality of a champion and believe there is something we can not only learn but implement in our own lives to help us achieve our goals and dreams.

I wish I had a video of this one segment I could share with you, but it’s simply not available anywhere on the internet just yet. Instead I’ll have to share it with you in print.

Roethlisberger developed his resiliency on the field as a quarterback at Miami University under then-head coach Terry Hoeppner. Coach Hep, who died of brain cancer in 2007, remained a main source of inspiration for Roethlisberger through his favorite poem, “Don’t Quit.”

Roethlisberger on Coach Hep: “He just was an amazing person. More than a coach, I really was like a son to him.”

Roethlisberger on the poem, “Don’t Quit”: “[Coach Hep] would read it to us once or twice a year. He would get really into it and emotional about it. It was really something special, especially when he passed, so I put the poem up in my locker so that every day I could see it and know that no matter what, don’t give up, don’t quit.”

Just the title alone prompted me to do a quick search for this poem and found it so meaningful and inspiring, I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

“Don’t Quit”

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit;
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

~ Anonymous

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