Little Brother, Big Brother: Bengals Always Looking Up to Steelers

At 4:15 ET this Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off at Paul Brown Stadium in the first of their two regular season matchups.  This rivalry along the Ohio River has been physical, dramatic, emotional, and, well, lopsided.

The 2009 edition of the Bengals-Steelers rivalry made me take a step back and think about what kind of rivalry this really is.

Of course, this rivalry has to do with the fact they have been in the same hard-hitting, cutthroat division (AFC Central, and then the current AFC North) since 1970.  The Steelers owned the ’70s.  The Bengals owned the ’80s.  And the Steelers have owned everything since, including the one playoff matchup in 2006.

Bengals fans hate the Steelers.  They are dirty, they are lucky, Ben Roethlisberger isn’t that good, Hines Ward takes cheap shots…the list is longer than Polamalu’s hair. 

But as a diehard Bengals fan, none of those reasons make sense for me.  My hate for the Steelers can be described more accurately with one word: Jealousy.

Nothing sums this up better than what just happened five minutes ago.  I told my girlfriend on the phone I was writing an article on this topic.  And her response was this (mind you, she thought the Super Bowl was in September):

“Oh, you mean how the Steelers destroy the Bengals every time?”

How does she even know this? 

She didn’t know if her cable at home picked up ESPN.  If I told her Brett Favre was a rookie, she would believe me.  This shows that either a) she looked that up just to pick a fight, or b) I whine about losing to the Steelers so much she can recite it.

But she’s right.  I don’t hate the Pittsburgh Steelers because they know how to win, especially against my Bengals.  I’m simply jealous.

No organization in the NFL is more stable, more organized, and more consistent than the Pittsburgh Steelers.  From Dan Rooney down to the towelboy, everyone seems to know their role in the overall means to success.

Here’s a great contrast between a winning franchise and a losing franchise.  Take the number of coaches since 1969:

Pittsburgh: Chuck Noll.  Bill Cowher.  Mike Tomlin.

Cincinnati: Paul Brown.  Bill Johnson.  Homer Rice.  Forrest Gregg.  Sam Wyche.  Dave Shula.  Bruce Coslet.  Dick LeBeau (sound familiar, Steeltown?).  Marvin Lewis.

Both franchises have been in family ownership since their respective inceptions, but only one has had NO general manager.  Hint: it’s the same team that hasn’t won a Super Bowl.

And these are only a few examples of how these two franchises located on the same river are worlds apart.

Since 2000, the Steelers lead the series 15-4 (I could go further back, but let’s not beat a dead horse).  Since the Bengals “renaissance” in 2005, the Steelers have won seven of nine, including the notorious playoff matchup.  Yet the Bengals keep finding ways to trash talk.  They are known to make things interesting.

Chad Ochocinco is promising a Spanish-themed celebration this Sunday.  In 2005, T.J. Houshmandzadeh rubbed his cleats with the Terrible Towel, claiming the power has shifted in the AFC North to Cincinnati.  Countless jabs, hits, and public comments have been spilled in between.  All actions point to the idea that the Bengals will eventually gain the upper hand.

But when is that day going to come?  No Bengals fan can say with confidence it will be anytime soon. 

And I’m not looking for a flash of dominance.  Any team can do that.  I mean owning the series.  The Steeler organization is stable and knows how to win.  The Bengals organization has current owner Mike Brown’s daughter (Katie Blackburn) in line to take over as owner and probably general manager.

A losing franchise passed from father to daughter doesn’t exactly have “change” attached as added value.

Things just seem normal with the Steelers at the top and the Bengals jumping, straining to reach them.  The Steelers are known as winners, even with a sub-par season here and there.  The Bengals are known for their individual personalities and their collective penchant for losing.

So, again, I am jealous of our big brother.

I am jealous that the Steelers have a general manager.

I am jealous that the Steelers lose Bill Cowher after a championship…and win another one with a 36-year-old coach. 

I am jealous the Steelers have the respect of the papers, the pundits, the talking heads, and everyone that has any grain of knowledge about football.

I am jealous that Steelers fans probably don’t care about this rivalry as much as we do, because I don’t think they have nearly as much to gain from it.  If they beat us, nothing changes.  They throw a few words back at us.  Then, they look to the following week.  

If we beat them, we just won the Super Bowl.  We claim the division is ours.  We stomp, we talk, and plan our trip to the White House for punch and cookies.

That mindset alone sums up the different directions these teams have headed in over the past 20 years.

It seems 2009 might prove to be a turning point for the Bengals.  The Steelers, marred by the absence of Polamalu and a running game, are coming in town at the right time.  The Bengals are coming off an impressive road victory in Green Bay, looking to gain a game on their AFC North rivals.

We may win this one, and we may even win the next one in the Steel City.  But to ever catch up to big brother, the little brother has to do it consistently.

So forgive me, fellow Bengals fans, for not hating the Steelers.  I simply want to be them.

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