The AFC North: Bitter Rivalries Fuel Playoff Runs

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The AFC North ranks as one of the toughest divisions in all of football. Perhaps it’s the proximity of the four teams, maybe it’s the similarities between them, and just maybe it’s due to a genuine mix of hatred and respect shown for one another.

The division plays host to one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries at the moment; the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens.

Pittsburgh swept the Ravens in all three games played between the teams between 2008 and 2009 by a grand total of 16 points, including a win in the conference championship game en route to a record sixth Super Bowl victory.

These two AFC North rivals are built from the same mold. They both boast stout defenses, with the Steelers having the No. 1 overall defense and the Ravens the No. 2 as of the conclusion of last season.

Both teams are primarily known as “run first” teams on the offensive side of the ball, advocating the phrase “use the run to set up the pass.”

This, of course, leads to the play-action pass and its effectiveness against opposing defenses, who are so intent on stopping the run that they move everyone closer to the line, leaving various passing patterns open.

Baltimore has no shortage of playmakers including one of the best ball-hawking safeties to put on an NFL uniform in Ed Reed and a future first ballot Hall Of Fame linebacker—Ray Lewis.

On offense, they boast what many consider to be the best offensive line in the AFC North and a Ben Roethlisberger-like quarterback in Joe Flacco.

They’re currently in search of a playmaking wide receiver, to give the young Flacco a big time passing target.

This division is also home to one of the most storied rivalries in the NFL; The Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers and Browns played their first game in October 1950, and have played a grand total of 114 times since that day. The rivalry is fifth in all-time games and first in the parity of the games, with the Steelers barely edging the Browns 59-55.

The Steelers currently hold an 11 game win streak over the hapless Browns, dating back to 2003. That year, Pittsburgh knocked the Browns out of the playoffs with a 36-33 win. The date also marks the last time the Browns made the playoffs.

To be fair to Cleveland, they did have a remarkable 2007 season, led by quarterback Derek Anderson, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, and wide receiver Braylon Edwards. They finished the season in second place in the AFC North, trailing only the rival Steelers, with a 10-6 overall record.

They also had six players named to the Pro Bowl, their most since 1995, and it was the first time since Jamir Miller in 2001 that a Browns player played in the game.

The Browns seem to be a hot and cold tea. When the team is clicking together they can really be a dangerous foe, but when even one cog isn’t working properly they seem to fall apart in the blink of an eye.

The Cincinnati Bengals seem to be the odd man out in the division, differing from the first trio in their basic game-plan.

They prefer the pass first style offense—and with good reason. With one of the NFL’s most prolific passers, in USC product Carson Palmer, and a Pro Bowl caliber wide receiver, in Chad Johnson, you can’t blame them for wanting to air it out and change the pace of the game.

The Bengals defense quietly finished ranked 13^th in the NFL last season—quite an accomplishment considering the amount of time they spent on the field due to an injury that sidelined Palmer and thrust Ryan Fitzpatrick into the starting quarterback role.

They seem to be in a re-building state at the moment and should pose no real threat for the divisional crown.

It’s a safe assumption to say that the AFC North is the Steelers’ division to lose, though the Ravens, providing Flacco doesn’t have a “sophomore slump,” will put some serious pressure on them and more than likely make a late season run for the division once again.

The Browns are one of the hardest teams to judge, but getting rid of their best offensive weapon, in Kellen Winslow Jr, isn’t the best way to go about winning the AFC North, especially not with two stellar defenses and a really good one in Cincinnati.

The Bengals could very well make a run at the division as well, with Palmer being the x-factor.

The North is, and probably always will be, an incredibly intense and difficult division to win and I see none of the four teams easily winning it, either now or in the future. The competition is just too fierce, the rivalries too big, and the passion of every team far too great for that to happen.  

At the end of the day though, the Steelers are still the Super Bowl champions and returning all but one starter on the No. 1 defense in the league.

Be it by winning the division outright or being edged out by Baltimore and getting a wild card spot, the Steelers will easily make the playoffs with utter ease in 2009.

And that will instill every Steelers fan with faith and hope of winning an NFL record seventh Lombardi Trophy.

A Steelers Fan’s Passion: Bleeding Black and Gold Is All I’ve Ever Known

Roughly five miles away from my home in Canton, Ohio there’s a building and a football field. The building has a domed roof, and the football field is kept up throughout the year. Roughly nine minutes away from me is George Halas Drive.  And on that road lays Fawcett Stadium and, more importantly, the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.

Upon entering this famed structure, one’s eyes are immediately greeted with a seven-foot tall sculpture of Jim Thorpe, the rest is completely up to your own personal explorations. You can be astounded, amazed, or simply overwhelmed by the amount of history enshrined in one building in a small Ohio city.

My first trip is still a very vivid memory. It was in 1996, I was five years old and accompanied my parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin to the building. Little did I know that one trip would transform my life forever, in a number of ways.

I was all decked out in my Kordell Stewart jersey, which I had received that year for my birthday, and I couldn’t help but notice the repetition of the words “Pittsburgh” and “Steelers” among all of the jerseys, game balls, and busts.

As of 2009, there are 23 members of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization enshrined in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.

I watched every Steelers game I could from that visit on. Often times I’d have to sneak into the living room and watch the game, due to it being a school night.  And often times, I’d find myself falling asleep in school.

While all the other kids were playing with Pokemon cards and talking about the newest episode of Power Rangers, I was collecting football cards and anticipating the next time I’d be able to watch the Steelers play.

By no means am I saying I was a die hard Steelers fan back then, at least not in comparison to myself today.

I suppose I was lucky picking the Steelers as my team, as I’ve only had to witness three losing seasons in 13 years.

When I was in the fifth grade, I was given the opportunity to play the game I’d watched oh so many times on television. I remember playing and absolutely hating it.  It was cold, I had to run, and I was sore all the time.  But one thing my parents instilled in me is that once you start something you HAVE to finish it, you can’t quit.

“Never quit.”  I guess my parents are closet Steelers fans, eh?

One practice, our coach had told us to watch the NFL players that played our positions and emulate what they do, strive to be like them.

I watched Jerome Bettis run people over, spin off of them, and freeze them with a simple stutter step.  And I fell in love. I wanted to be like that, I wanted the power to run people over but along with that power, I wanted the elusiveness to be able to shake the checks off of their Nikes.

I studied the Steelers players, offense and defense, trying and hoping to be just like them. My school coaches didn’t teach me the game of football, the Pittsburgh Steelers did. They play the game of football the way that it’s supposed to be played.

You run early and run often, passing when needed, but always going back to the well that is the running game. On defense, you stop the run, first and foremost. All linebackers, at any level, are taught to step into their gap to defend the run before dropping back into pass coverage.

In any sport, winning is everything. The Pittsburgh Steelers epitomize a winning organization. That’s such a draw when you’re a young sports fan—jump on the bandwagon, right?

I’ve been an extremely lucky fan, watching the Steelers win so often, including two Super Bowls. It’s just a phenomenal experience, especially for someone with such emotional ties to the game and the team as me.

I’m not even sure I can classify my passion as “fandom.”  It’s more love then anything else. It takes me back years upon years, sitting with my grandpa watching my Steelers beat his Cleveland Browns. It definitely brings back great memories for me.

Living in Canton, I’ve, of course, been surrounded by Browns fans and grew up in a house with casual sports fans. During high school, nearly all of my friends were fans of the Browns, and that certainly made any week that the two teams were playing extremely interesting.

I’m certain that for thousands of other fans, football isn’t just a “game”—it’s a brotherhood, a family.  It has it’s ups and downs, but in the end, I can’t control it anymore than I can control my heart and who it falls in love with.

I fell in love with the team as a young boy, and the years have simply breathed new life into that flame.  It burns passionately every day.

I love the game of football…and I love my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We Love the Jersey, Not the Player

Pittsburgh Steelers: Heart of Champions

So, the Pittsburgh Steelers just won yet another Super Bowl, so does that mean that they’re going to take a few months off and get out of shape? I don’t think so.

A great Greek philosopher named Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers embody this quote to the letter. That’s not taking away anything from the other 31 teams in the NFL; they all put in the hours in the weight room and on the practice field as well. But the Pittsburgh Steelers have had an offseason that’s been shorter than every team in the league, sans the Arizona Cardinals.

Every report I’ve read has claimed that Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison was back in the weight room only two days after the Steelers’ sixth Super Bowl win and that third string wide receiver Limas Sweed started his conditioning workouts two weeks after the big game.

Looking back at the Steelers Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XL and the season following, there was a definite let down for fans and players as the team finished the season at a mediocre 8-8. The aura in the locker room all but proves that this won’t be the case for the 2009 season.

Another motivating factor for the reigning champions has to be the fact that they could match the New England Patriots dynasty, which have won three times this decade. Or, if you’re like most fans and want to set lofty goals and expectations, you could allude to the fact that they technically have a shot to duplicate the four titles won by the Steeler greats of the past, in the 1970s.

I, however, am not going to go out on a limb and say that the team is going to win two more right now. Maybe next year I’ll get cocky and say something like that, you just never know.

The champs are returning what is essentially the same squad, minus starting cornerback Bryant McFadden (with the Arizona Cardinals) and former third string receiver Nate Washington (with the Tennessee Titans via free agency).

The two most vocal Steelers about the issue are two that are entering the final year of their contracts: Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward and massive nose tackle Casey Hampton. They’re both hungry to prove that they deserve another contract and I don’t see either of them getting extended this off-season, it’s just not the Pittsburgh way it seems. James Harrison was a special exception.

The players seem determined, with three of them coming off of season-ending injuries and practicing on Monday. Those players are Charlie Batch, Daniel Sepulveda and Rashard Mendenhall. Two of the three are going to be pivotal pieces in a Super Bowl run this season, with Batch likely not seeing much playing time.

The Steelers are, and always have been, built on a tradition of excellence. Coupled with the fact that their schedule is incredibly easy, as compared to last year’s, the fact that they’ve had some players emerge in the past few seasons, and their history of draft success, the 2009 season is going to be a good one for Steelers fans everywhere.

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