Steelers still not a sexy pick

[mesaSteeler]

Steelers still not a sexy pick
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...s_641817.html#
By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, September 6, 2009

For all the talk about New England going for three consecutive Super Bowl wins, it was the Steelers who won Super Bowl XL.

Last year, it was supposed to be the New York Giants' turn to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Instead, it was just the Steelers again, winning another Super Bowl — their second in four seasons.

When the Steelers faced Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII, Bill Cowher — who coached and personally drafted some of the Steelers who played in that game; heck, who won Super Bowl XL with many of those players — picked the Cardinals to win.

Former Steelers cornerback and recent Hall of Famer Rod Woodson picked Arizona to win because of the Steelers secondary, of all things.

This preseason, ESPN's Chris Mortensen not only didn't pick the Steelers to repeat, he didn't even pick them to win the AFC North. After visiting Baltimore's training camp, Mortensen selected the Ravens to win the division.

Does anyone else detect a disturbing, anti-Steelers bias?

"We're not the fun team. We're not going to give you the headlines. I guess because of that, people don't respect us," Steelers free safety Ryan Clark said. "All we did was go 12-4 with supposedly one of the hardest schedules in a long time and won the Super Bowl."

Opinions were formed this offseason with players from opposing teams telling Clark the Steelers won't repeat.

"We don't have the Chad (Ochocincos) and Ray Lewises, the guys they say are superstars. James Harrison is the defensive MVP, but that's still not talked about. People still say it should have been (Dallas') DeMarcus Ware. I don't think they view our guys as stars," Clark said. "It's like no matter what a guy on this team accomplishes, it's always a negative.

"You don't read about us on Twitter. Nobody here tweeting about the (cafeteria) food. We're very uninteresting. It's the way we're built — we're built like the town we play in. We come to work every day and just carry our lunch pails. I think that's why people look at us and say we're not that good."

What the Steelers have done better than any team is win Super Bowls.

When the Steelers prepare for each season, their sole purpose is to compete for the Super Bowl. It's what they believe. It's their reality, their obsession.

It's why Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes hasn't make public demands to become a bigger part of the offense, why left guard Chris Kemoeatu took less money to remain with the Steelers, why the players willingly sacrifice their personal goals for the good of the team.

Who do you think New England had to beat to get into two of the three Super Bowls it has won this decade? The Steelers.

Who was Baltimore coach John Harbaugh so eager to avoid facing in the Thursday night opener? The Steelers.

Of course.

"It's fine that people feel that way about us. But when you play us, whether you win or lose, you know you've been in a football game. You're not going to leave the same," Clark said. "When you go home to your wife or girlfriend, she's going to know you've been in a fight. That's our goal every week."

John Harris can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.

[austinfrench76]

MEMO to the Steeler FO: Please sign Ryan Clark!!! I love this guy!

[FSUBoo]

Signing Ryan Clark better be priority #1 next offseason, just ahead of resigning Woodley and Holmes.

[Edman]

Glad Ryan Clark notices the credit the Steelers aren't getting. Hell, the Bengals got more love than the Steelers this offseason.

Steelers win their second Super Bowl in four seasons? Bah. We love the Patriots, despite not winning anything in five years.

Ben Roethlisberger? Bah. He's a game manager. It's all about the Mannings, Brett Favre, and even Gloryhole Palmer.

#1 Defense? Bah. Only three players sent to the Pro Bowl.

Steelers win AFC North? Bah. They don't stand a chance against those powerhouse teams in Baltimore and Cincy.

[MACH1]

Under the radar is a good place to be.

[steelergirl07]

Article made me smile. Gotta love the mentality.

[fansince'76]

For all the talk about New England going for three consecutive Super Bowl wins, it was the Steelers who won Super Bowl XL.

Last year, it was supposed to be the New York Giants' turn to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

No, as I recall, the media treated the Giants as a fluke and the cheating bastards were supposedly going to take care of "unfinished business" in 2008 until the Mighty Metrosexual went down. Then they immediately jumped on the Cowboys' bandwagon. The Giants didn't really start getting props as the SB favorite last year until they got off to the 11-1 start.

"We're not the fun team. We're not going to give you the headlines. I guess because of that, people don't respect us," Steelers free safety Ryan Clark said. "All we did was go 12-4 with supposedly one of the hardest schedules in a long time and won the Super Bowl."

Opinions were formed this offseason with players from opposing teams telling Clark the Steelers won't repeat.

"We don't have the Chad (Ochocincos) and Ray Lewises, the guys they say are superstars. James Harrison is the defensive MVP, but that's still not talked about. People still say it should have been (Dallas') DeMarcus Ware. I don't think they view our guys as stars," Clark said. "It's like no matter what a guy on this team accomplishes, it's always a negative.

Exactly. Hopefully it pisses them all off enough that they go back out, kick ass and take names and take the whole thing again.

[OX1947]

Doesn't every team whether they lose or win it all have the same boring, cliched "no one likes us" discussion every year?

[Rotorhead]

I guess I don't understand why it is only offensive powerhouses that the media loves (NE, Colts, Dallas, etc).
Last 10 SB Winners:
Rams - Offensive team
Ravens - Defensive team
Pats - Balanced team
Bucs - Defensive team
Pats - Balanced team
Pats - Balanced team
Steelers - Defensive team
Colts - Offensive team
Giants - Defensive team
Steelers - Defensive team

Only the Rams and Colts won with big offenses rather than great defences. The Pats had a good mix of offense and defense, the Ravens Steelers and Giants were all Defensive powerhouses which won the big game. Even when the Colts won, they had their best defense unit for years. The old saying of "Defense wins Championships" still holds true. Yet these bobble heads can only slobber over the Offensive capabilities of teams. When will they ever learn, in order to win at this level, you need a good defence, and there are times when a GREAT defense will carry a poor offense to a SB victory. Hell, the year when NE broke every offensive record in the book, went undefeated and was arguable one of the best offense ever (now I have to go wash after saying that, blah) they didnt win the big game, they got beat by a superior defensive effort . . . ah well, let us be the underdog again, those teams will wake after punch them in the mouth!

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by OX1947

Doesn't every team whether they lose or win it all have the same boring, cliched "no one likes us" discussion every year?

In the Steelers' case, is it not true? They've won 2 of the last 4 SBs, yet the media still jumps on the junk of a team that hasn't won jack shit in almost 5 years.