The AFC North: Sibling rivalry between teams (and their fans)

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/12/1/3713054/the-afc-north-sibling-rivalry-between-teams-and-their-fans

As tradition bound as the NFC North may be, as competitive as the four teams are with each other in the NFC East, or as un-inspirational as the supposed rivalries in the AFC West are, no other division in the NFL has as incestuous a set of lineages and such deep rooted rivalries and dislike for each other as the AFC North.

You couldn't find a more dysfunctional family of personalities if you merged Dr. Phil's weirdest patients with Jerry Springer's trashiest guests.

The Steelers face Baltimore this Sunday, with the Ravens and their fans feeling cocky about their chances for a second straight sweep of the Steelers and potential second straight divisional crown. The Steelers lead the overall series of regular season games 21-15 (8-8 in Baltimore, 13-7 in Pittsburgh). While the Ravens have been in the playoffs the past four twice in that span they have faced and lost games to the Steelers, including the 2008 AFC Conference championship game.

The remaining games on the Steelers schedule include rematches with their other two division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

Four teams sharing histories with either playoff hopes on the line, or nothing to play for to salvage a season but bragging rights in defeating a hated rival:

The Favored Son: The Pittsburgh Steelers are the oldest team in the division, being the first of the group to be part of the National Football League, and by far the most popular (bandwagon fans notwithstanding). With a difficult childhood long behind them, the Steelers have matured over the last 42 years into the most successful team in the entire league since the merger.

The Jealous Second Child: The Cleveland Browns are the second oldest franchise in the division (aided by an NFL act of reincarnation and the legal right to the original version's records and history) having been formed in the 1940's. Stereotypically in large families the second child grows up with numerous issues and is commonly the source of much of the strife between siblings. Just as a second child can harbor resentment and jealousy towards its more successful elder rival and shows a propensity to self destruct as it seeks its own identity, they've had 14 head coaches in the past 42 years, the Browns are certainly the source of most of the internecine issues embroiling the division. Its fan base has yet to come to grips with the loss of the original Browns, and the lingering resentment and depression pervades all of its public utterances.

The Quiet One: The Cincinnati Bengals are often overlooked in the division, usually because of their bland, wall-flower like performance on the field. The team exists in part because of an internal struggle inside the first incarnation of the Cleveland Browns, the by-product of which was the team's head coach Paul Brown (after whom the Cleveland team was named), being fired after 16 years by the new owner of the Browns, Art Modell in 1963. Three years later, Brown led an investment group to form the Bengals. More often than not, it's the quiet ones you have to watch the most, as the Bengals proved in 2009 and are proving to be in challenging the Steelers this season.

The Resentful Little Brother: The youngest team in the division the Baltimore Ravens are the second incarnation of the Cleveland Browns, having been relocated from the shores of Lake Erie to a waterside tourist trap in Baltimore in 1996 by the late Art Modell. Treated with indifference by the NFL much like a child of divorce, the Ravens were given "expansion team" status as a means to resolve the legal and ethical morass created by Modell upon his split up with the City of Cleveland. The Ravens' departure from Cleveland left the team under a dark cloud and except for one moment of success since arriving in Baltimore, the Ravens have spent the better part of its 16 years seeking approbations from its more successful rival and role model, the Steelers.

Since the league's realignment in 2002 which created the AFC North, the Steelers have won the divisional title five times, the Ravens three and the Bengals twice. The Browns last won a divisional crown in 1989 and the memory of that achievement is fading away, much like the legitimacy of its four AAFC titles which the NFL refuses to recognize.

The Browns have a miserable 68-141record since their re-birth in 1999. The Browns and their fans appear to resent everyone and everything not born or made in Cleveland. They resent the NFL for not recognizing four of its championships from antiquity; for allowing Modell to relocate the real Browns to Baltimore. They hate and resent anything and everyone associated with Pittsburgh or the Steelers; the Steelers for their continuing success, and the city of Pittsburgh for being the face of the industrial northeast (you never hear of Cleveland being called the Arsenal of Democracy, do you?). They hate the Ravens with a passion for being wrenched from their city, and they probably resent the Bengals for trying to co-exist in the same state, although Paul Brown was beloved as a coach during his 16 years with the Browns. But most of all, the Browns fans hate Art Modell, so much so that the public outcry at the team's suggestion of a moment of silence commemorating Modell's passing forced the team to cancel its plans.

The Bengals may reignite a rivalry with their elder brother in the division, as they prepare for a show down in Week 15 which could determine who claims one of the wild card playoff slots, but they haven't been successful enough on a consistent enough basis to raise the ire of the Steelers. The Bengals and their fans still harbor resentment towards the Steelers for its 2005 playoff loss, their first appearance in the post season in 15 years and the injury to its quarterback Carson Palmer on the second play of the game. While they see the Ravens as a rival to surpass, there isn't much bad blood between these two teams.

The Ravens however, are a different story. As younger brothers often feel, the Ravens resent the success the Steelers have enjoyed since much of it comes at their expense. They'll do everything possible to bring down big brother, from wearing away jerseys at their 2004 home opener, to hiring outside consultants to teach them how to be more like the Steelers in order to defeat them.

The Ravens represent a foster child, forced to live with distant relatives with kids of their own. Such a tragic founding can't help but lay heavy on the subconscious of the Ravens fan base; to receive a team in as unfair a manner as theirs was lost?

Just as in Shakespeare's Richard III the main character laments his un-natural birth "...Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deform'd, unfinished, sent before my time Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,...", so must the deliverance of its current team warp Baltimore's unconscious perception of itself. What else would explain the delirious joy the Ravens get out of defeating the Steelers in a regular season game as they did in their home opener last year; defeating the Steelers in what was ultimately an insignificant game, since both teams still made the playoffs.

Baltimore, having focused so much on beating the Steelers, and claiming the divisional crown, must go to sleep at night after defeating the Steelers with the soliloquy Shakespeare wrote for Richard in their dreams:

"Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths..."

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Even though the Ravens struggle to imitate the Steelers success, their bratty little brother attitude and lack of dignity show them to be the upstart imposters they are. Just as Richard undergoes changes in character throughout the play, from an engaging and witty raconteur in Act I, to the universally despised scheming perpetrator of regicide in Act VI who is ultimately overthrown himself, the Ravens insistence on being shown the respect and admiration the Steelers enjoy, which they and their quarterback Joe Flacco have yet to earn, will only fuel the fires of their rivalry with Pittsburgh, and could ultimately backfire on the Ravens as such behavior backfired on King Richard.

Steelers vs Ravens: Odds are even a loss could be a win for the season

The Steelers will not have QB Ben Roethlisberger in what was being considered an epic showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night.

This game is now being viewed by many as an anti-climatic exercise in futility for the Steelers given their injuries, and their performance last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

That is, if you believe in what the bookies in Vegas are saying, having changed the odds from the Steelers being favored by four and a half points, to the Ravens favored by three;

That is, if you believe what Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and all the talking heads in the mainstream media are projecting as the outcome of this game.

Of course, those same bookies in Vegas, a constituency NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL seem to curry from afar, picked the Steelers to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs by 12 points.

Of course, those same mainstream media types were projecting a blazing comet of a game by Haley's offense against the team that dismissed him as their head coach just 11 months ago.

It's too bad the credibility these prognosticators have with the public isn't as fickle as their success rate.

One thing that is more certain than prognosticator's picks; more certain than Goodell's regular referees making the replacement refs look competent; more certain than Ravens head coach John Harbaugh finding another way to demonstrate his lack of sportsmanship or class...

...one absolute certainty about this game, win or lose, is that "how" the Steelers play will set the tone for the rest of their season.

If the Steelers offensive line that showed up against the New York Giants makes an appearance Sunday night at Heinz Field, Byron Leftwich (whose last meaningful game was ironically enough in November four years ago) will have time to use the cannon arm he still possesses to find Mike Wallace or Emmanuel Sanders down field, in an area the Ravens are weak...

...and if the Steelers running backs that performed so well against the Bengals, Redskins and Giants don't hesitate at the LOS but instead use the power running they showed in previous games, Byron Leftwich will be spared the kind of brutal hits that otherwise would make him the Elijah Price of the NFL.

If the Steelers defense can reprise the creative coverage it implemented against RGIII of the Redskins, and make the Ravens receivers cry "No Mas" like Victor Cruz of the Giants did...

...and if James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Brett Keisel and Lawrence Timmons adopt the Cobra Kai mantra of "Strike first, strike hard, show no mercy" against Ravens QB Joe Flacco, then win or lose, they will have set the right tone for the rest of the season.

Lest they forget, the Steelers have the Cleveland Browns the very next game. The Browns always ramp themselves up for games against the Steelers; a win against their hated rivals gives the Browns and their fans the only solace in their otherwise perpetual years of sorrows.

And then the Steelers, facing the Ravens the very next week in Baltimore, will also be going up against the Ravens' home field winning streak of 15 games, which began after the Ravens loss to the Steelers in 2010.

These three games will define the remainder of the Steelers 2012 season, regardless of whether they make the playoffs, or how far they go.

If the Steelers team from the first 2011 Ravens game, or the team from last week's game against the Chiefs show up Sunday night, that will indicate the team has lost heart. Every team facing them going forward will be smelling blood, and the Ravens will have no fear in their hearts, or doubts in their minds, when they take the field at the site of their latest super bowl victory in Week 13.

The Steelers face an unenviable task; they face without their franchise quarterback a bitter rival who claims a 7-2 record .

But this is a team sport, and the Steelers epitomize the concept of team. Head coach Mike Tomlin is the paragon of leadership, a coach who commands the respect of his players as no other, as was proven by Tomlin being selected as the number one coach for whom NFL players most want to play. The Steelers roster is filled with team oriented players like Willie Colon, Heath Miller, Ryan Clark, Brett Keisel; men who have made careers out of "One Team, One Goal".

This team is full of men who thrive on "Us versus Them", not ESPN highlights. Professionals who relish being counted out for the adrenaline rush that comes with defying the odds.

It is this team mentality, this banding together against adversity, this synergy of talents and personalities that makes the Steelers as a whole greater than the sum of its parts; even when one of the missing parts is Ben Roethlisberger. They did it in 2010 against all odds, and the learned opinions of the mainstream media. They can do it again this year.

Vegas bookies and the Ravens be warned: Odds are the true Pittsburgh Steelers are coming.

Homage to the People of Pittsburgh: My Pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine of Steeler Nation

The word Haj is Arabic for "pilgrimage". As the fifth pillar of Islam, it is considered a religious duty for every Muslim capable of doing so at some point in their lifetime, to visit the Holy City of Mecca. The Haj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people and their submission to their God.

Malcom X is quoted as describing the Haj thusly:

"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood... But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held."

I don't use the term loosely, and nor do I mean to trivialize the meaning or import of such an important element of anyone's religion, but like Malcolm X my life was changed by a people displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood.For to me, this trip to Pittsburgh and Heinz Field was as much a spiritual and emotional pilgrimage as it was to attend a sporting event.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but left during the Diaspora. I left behind my mother and older brother, as well as many friends who remained. Some are still there, others followed later on seeking a better living elsewhere.

A week before my 21^st birthday, my father died of a heart attack while he was getting into my car to drive to the bus stop to pick me up for a visit home from the University of Pittsburgh. When he was an hour late, I had a friend pick me up and drop me off. While I knew my mother was traveling, finding both my car and my father’s in the driveway, but no one home, was ominous.

A couple of hours earlier my brother found my dad face down in the driveway and applied CPR but to no avail. The shock of his death, and the haze I was under for my last two years of college, as well as the lack of opportunity (and my mother’s urging) is what finally pushed me out of the Pittsburgh area and to Washington DC.

I’ve been back only a few times for brief visits with my brother, and once to settle my mother’s estate. It wasn’t until a couple of seemingly disparate events took place somewhat recently that circumstances led me to take this journey.

The first was in 2006 when the company I worked for was purchased by PNC Bank. It seemed fitting to others that a bank from Pittsburgh, a strong union town, would purchase the entity I worked for; after all, my job involves unions as well. But to me, it was a whisper in my ear that would not stop that I could not escape my roots.

My mother passed away from a stroke 13 years ago; again my brother was alone at the scene, applied CPR and stabilized her, but she passed away shortly after the ambulance arrived. Aside from my brother, I had no other familial ties to my birthplace.

The second event was my finding Behind The Steel Curtain. While I had followed the Steelers as regularly as I could by watching on national TV (and later DirecTV), it wasn’t until I began to frequent BTSC that I felt once again part of a community that shared the same values I grew up with; that shared my roots. While many readers have no connection to Pittsburgh other than through the Steelers, it is the commonality of that shared bond, of our affinity for the Steelers and their owners the Rooneys, that connects us. And in submersing myself within the vastness of Steeler Nation, I began to yearn for home again.

Pittsburgh is an easy place to make fun of, if one believes only that what’s current, or "hip" or "cool" is to be admired. At its core, even while embracing Starbucks and the latest in computer technology, Pittsburgh and its people are old fashioned. They focus on who you are, not what you earn; they care whether you are kind and friendly to the elderly couple down the street, not how many senators or sports stars you know.

Get past the fawning accolades you hear about the Rooney family, read beneath the national hype they receive during Steeler Super Bowls and realize that the owners of the Steelers are beloved in Pittsburgh because none of that stuff matters to the Rooneys. The Chief, Art Rooney Sr. lived in the same neighborhood all his life, and walked to work. He ate with his employees and knew the names of all their children and grandchildren, and whether someone was sick, or had passed away. His son Dan is the same way; he comes back from his Ambassadorship in Ireland to attend Steeler games; he eats with the employees; he eschewed a driver and walked to work when he still worked in the front office. But this wasn’t unique to the Rooneys; this was characteristic of the people of Pittsburgh.

Many people know of the city for its sports teams. The Steelers, the Penguins, and yes, even the Pirates.

Many people know the history of Pittsburgh.

In the late 1800s Pittsburgh was the city that helped preserve the Union during the Civil War; it produced over half of all steel and over a third of all glass made in the United States during that conflict.

In the 1940’s Pittsburgh was the center of Roosevelt’s ‘Arsenal of Democracy’, providing much of America’s steel during World War II.

In 1964, over 2,000 Pittsburghers volunteered their valuable time to help a six year old comatose boy none of them knew. These strangers responded to a newspaper article describing the desperate attempts by the child’s parents to preserve the child’s ability to function should he ever wake from his coma. Five strangers at a time, three times a day, seven days a week for nine weeks, these people unfailingly showed up to exercise this comatose boy’s arms, legs, and neck to restore muscle tone, and to try to re-awaken and re-train the boy’s brain and nervous system.

Today, that six year old boy owns a home, manages his own investments, and volunteers his time to help others.

That six year old boy is my older brother.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to reminisce often about my childhood, as we are all wont to do. As I’ve watched my children grow and go off to college, the loss I feel for the laughing little boy I would throw into the air, or the little girl who would sit for hours in my lap pretending to read my books along with me, would beget within me also a sense of loss for my own past.

And the more time I spent watching the Steelers, and on BTSC reading Homer J’s, or Ivan’s wonderful pieces on Pittsburgh and the Steeler Way, the more I realized I had a pilgrimage to take, an obligation to fulfill.

Similar to how Malcom X described the Haj, is the annual pilgrimage Steeler Nation takes; whether "blue-eyed blondes, [or] black-skinned Africans", Steeler Nation encompasses all races, all nationalities, and they all participate in the same ritual of following the Steelers, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood.

And since the epicenter of Steeler Nation, both in terms of location as well as membership is Pittsburgh, and since within me was a geas that could not be denied, it was to Heinz Field I went.

The people who helped my brother surely have long since passed; their names lost with the passing of my parents; I had no allusions of any grand gestures to make. And none were required; that is not the Pittsburgh way.

Instead, I communed with my people, and while doing so gave to each a small but very Pittsburgh-like gesture. I volunteered to take pictures of couples, so they could be together in a picture in front of their favorite players’ uniforms in the Great Hall, instead of one always being alone in the picture; I held my umbrella over an elderly woman in the driving rain while she struggled to get out of a taxi; I gave up my seat in a restaurant to a young family with toddlers, so the parents could more easily sit with their children; I thanked the shuttle driver by name, and complimented him on his driving in heavy game day traffic.

And I befriended a lonely Redskins fan named Kenny who was sitting next to me at the game. Surrounded by loud and boisterous Steeler fans, I welcomed him to Pittsburgh and reassured him, after the third or fourth time he apologized for cheering for his team, that he was welcome to enjoy his team’s moments without concern and for him to let me know if he needed anything during his stay.

And I shouted myself hoarse when "Renegade" played in the fourth quarter, leaping to my feet and waving my Terrible Towel (original model, circa 1975 as shown in Terrible Towel Wall exhibit at Heinz Field) in the air with 50,000 of my people, my brothers and sisters, my family.

permalink: 2012/10/30/3573046/my-pilgrimage-to-the-holy-shrine-of-steeler-nation

All-Hallowed Heinz – All Treat, No Tricks

A long time ago, in a Pennsylvania township far far away, a young PaVaSteeler would begin thinking about Halloween in August. For weeks he would read and re-read all the stories he could find by Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe and other writers of Horror to find inspiration for his next costume. For days he would scrounge around the house looking for materials to construct the scariest costume he could devise, certain that "…this year, this will finally be the one costume that will truly strike fear in all who confront it.

But alas, no matter how realistic he thought his "Illustrated Man" self-drawn tattoos looked, how life-like he believed his "Cthulhu" costume appeared, or how macabre he felt behind his mask in his Red Death getup, when he confronted adults going door to door in his creations, he always heard the patronizing tone of their feigned screams of horror.

While such disappointments never fully ruined his Halloween, young PaVaSteeler never felt he experienced the kind of birthday one should expect being born on All Hallows Eve.

As with most people, the young rebel PaVaSteeler grew up and matured, and as I changed, so did my expectations for my birthday. My birthday present to myself this year, a [first time] trip to Heinz Field to watch the Steelers unmask RGIII and the Redskins turned out far better than I could have hoped, scary weather and all.

The Steelers were certainly in for a fright, or so thought many football pundits and citizens of Steeler Nation. RGIII came into town masquerading as the third ranked quarterback by passer rating, two slots above Ben Roethlisberger; first in passing completion percentage, sixth in rushing, and first in total hype for the season.

The Redskins team as a whole was coming into town disguised as a legitimate threat, having the week before led last year’s Super Bowl champions New York Giants by three points with less than two minutes to play. While they lost that game, the Redskins were confident the Steelers’ defense, itself suspected of only being disguised as a "Steel Curtain", would fall easy prey to the multiple threats its young QB phenom presented.

Let me summarize it how I saw it from row Z of Section 510: it was a classic Steeler beat-down. An irresistible (in many ways) force in RGIII met an immovable object in Coach LeBeau and the Steelers’ defense, and the force lost. I’ll let others give you the technical and statistical breakdown of the game. The only scary part of the game was the recurring fear I had that the Steelers would somehow turn into a 22 man Three Stooges Revival troupe as they took the field in their Halloween uniforms.

Instead, let me share with you my impression of Heinz Field.

Heinz Field is indeed hallowed ground. Being a Pittsburgh native who left a long time ago and only infrequently returned to visit, until Sunday I had only seen Heinz from afar. As fantastic as it looks on the skyline, you can’t appreciate what a tremendous architectural and iconic place it is until you’ve had a chance to walk its confines with 45,000 to 50,000 die hard Steeler fans who showed up to the game.

I’ve visited many stadiums across the country to watch the Steelers play, and in all honesty, I don’t believe a single one comes close to marrying contemporary design and functionality with homage to the city and people who have supported it's team and the events that make up its history like Heinz Field does.

FedEx Field in Washington DC is such a monument to revenue generation and political deal making that any sign of the Redskins’ long and storied history is merely an adornment to the true purpose of the place; to line the pockets of the politicians who sought it for their jurisdiction, and enrich the owner who uses it to wring every last cent possible out of Redskins fans.

Reliant Field in Houston is a modern design marvel, but the Texans have no history, and the place just feels like a typical "bigger in Texas" memorial to itself.

M&T Stadium in Baltimore is…located in Baltimore; not much more needs to be said. It is functional and easy to get to, but frankly, aside from the garish purple which abounds in it, it doesn't really reflect what little history or success the Ravens have achieved. You could replace all of the Ravens’ logos with those of the East Carolina University Pirates and visitors from out of town wouldn’t know the difference.

But Heinz Field is a pantheon of images and symbols of both the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh. Its two main wings and U shape configuration greet you as a welcomed "aht of tahn" guest as you dis-embark from an 1800’s style riverboat.

Make no mistake however; as home-like as Heinz Field is to the Steelers, opposing teams and their visiting fans bear the full brunt of Steeler Nation football. The steel overhangs at the top of the sideline bleachers reflect outward our fans’ cheers and cries of "Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go". Boos for blown calls by the referees or the punk-like antics of opposing players like the Redskins’ DeAngelo Hall rain down through the stands and onto the field in true Pittsburgh-like fashion; we’ll let you know without question our displeasure, but unlike places like Seattle or domed stadiums, we don’t audibly beat you senseless with our opinion. We let the Steelers do that.

Unlike its predecessor Three Rivers Stadium, which was a closed-in circle of cold and foreboding concrete, Heinz Field, with its prominently displayed steel superstructure paying homage to Pittsburgh’s industrial roots; its wings holding twin umbrellas atop its spiraling walkways like a gentleman sheltering his lady from the rain, and its see-through design mirroring the open and unembellished nature of the people of Pittsburgh says more about the character of the Rooney family and what they truly feel for their city and the people who have supported their business for generations than any billionaire’s name over a library or university building.

Heinz Field is the antithesis of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ billion dollar temple of self-importance. The Rooney’s have built an iconic and living memorial to the people and city that embraced their $2,500 purchase of a rag-tag collection of football outcasts and never gave up hope that someday it might make something of itself.

Because the Rooneys are a part of the fabric of the history and culture of Pittsburgh, and have been for generations; because the Rooneys never forgot their roots by thinking money or fame made them "better" than the people who paid their dimes and dollars to support the Steelers…

… Only because of such a relationship between the public and a private organization is such a thing as Heinz Field possible. If you are a member of Steeler Nation, and want to truly understand who and what the Steelers are, get thyself to Heinz Field. I promise you, it’s no trick, and an experience to which it is well worth treating yourself.

A Question of Leadership, or Talent?

A young lieutenant may command a platoon but it is the grizzled Sergeant who provides the leadership, both to the platoon, and also to the lieutenant; it is how the young officer accepts the advice from, and learns to use, the Sergeant, that will indicate how good of a leader the lieutenant will become.

The middle linebacker commands the defense; a duty admirably performed by James Farrior for many years. With his retirement, Timmons was seen as the best person to assume command; that apparently has not happened.

It is the fault of Central Command (the Coaches) for a lack of leadership on the field if Timmons is unable, or unwilling, to provide that leadership. Harrison and Woodley are decorated veterans, but their positions and roles do not allow for them to be the commander; they are the heavy artillery. Troy’s role as the “wild card” also precludes him from assuming command, due to his instinctive ability to call for himself an impromptu role.

Whether the decline of the Steeler defense is due to the front line not preventing the O Linemen from reaching the linebackers, or the linebackers inability to seal off the edge, or make penetration is under review (chicken or egg situation maybe?).

What is clear however is that the performance of individual players, predicated on the performance of each of their teammates, is not being maximized. This requires leadership to address; the leader on the field must be able to diagnose what the problem is and address it, if possible, on the field by varying the calls he makes.

If this does not result in success, then the field commander must address it to the “higher ups” in the chain of command, identifying the weak link(s) and request replacements, for if he is not being given the weapons with which to perform his duty as field commander, then he goes into battle out-manned.

As of now, with the remaining 13 games of the 2012 season facing them, the Steelers, with all their injuries and question marks on the abilities of the individual defensive players, are like the British in the Battle of Balaclava (October 25, 1854), sitting at the mouth of the valley before them, with the Eagles, the Ravens, Bengals, Giants, waiting in the field of battle to oppose them (as memorialized by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.

Half a league half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred:

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns’ he said:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Tomlin has no choice but to enter this battle with the injured troops he has, the depleted ranks, the aging veterans. Hopefully he can succeed better than the British did that fateful day:

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

While horse & hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro’ the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

When the British, having rode into the valley with over 600 troops, lost over 200 of them before retreating.

Great news Steeler Fans about DeCastro...

Reports are he's walking fine, and making progress.  There may be hope to get him back by mid-season.

To commemorate his recovery, and in recognition of the high expectations held by Steeler Nation, a modification of a classic poem:

He blocks in beauty, like the night
Of flagless plays, assignments met
And all that’s best of lanes kept tight
Meet in his aspect; his stance a vets
Thus replace Foster’s lack of fight
Which running lanes his lack abets.

One slide the more, one step the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Of the runners cutback progress
The strain so clear upon his face
His knee the subject of distress
As Gilbert did his knee displace

But now his face, his furrowed brow
So stern, so hard yet eloquent
But foretell of days he be now
A man at war, D lines lament
A beast he be, a guard, a plow

(with apologies to George Gordon, Lord Byron for mangling his poem “She Walks in Beauty”)

The Pittsburgh Way: How Do You Find People That Fit The Culture? by Ivan Cole (RickVa) on May 17, 2012 2:00 PM EDT on Behind The Steel Curtain

This article was written by a Behind The Steel Curtain contributor, Ivan Cole (RickVa) and first appeared on the BTSC blog site on May 17, 2012.  I'm re-posting it here in commemoration of Week 1 of the Steelers 2012 Season, as it speaks volumes to what makes the Steeler Organization, and the people of Pittsburgh so special.

In the comments thread of my article on ‘The Downside of Being a Football Hero' and during an exchange with BTSC regular 5020, I wrote the following (typos corrected):

The idea that so many of us subscribe to is that with enough money, perhaps a better relationship, a better job that everything would be great. On the other hand, some of the most content individuals I have ever met didn't have much of anything. One of the things I think is really great about the so called blue collar mentality is that it detaches itself from and rejects the notion that the good life is a function of position and how much you make, but rather how you approach your life and responsibilities (values); a wise position because despite the propaganda suggesting otherwise many of us rarely completely transcend our circumstances. This may be the essence of the culture of Pittsburgh.

On reflection, two things resonated with me. First, as pointed out in the article, class is defined by more than financial status, but also by a system of values. That is why, I suppose, the definition is socioeconomic class. Second, while most of us in some sense recognized those values in a ‘know it when I see it fashion', sometimes there are things that are so obvious and pervasive that in a paradoxical sense we are unable to grasp them in a meaningful way.

When I was interviewing long time Steelers scout and talent evaluator Bill Nunn he mentioned something to me that I already knew, but the context of his statement jarred me into a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the facts. He pointed out that Dan Rooney, one of the most successful men in America, if not the world, a billionaire (that's spelled with a ‘B'), the United States Ambassador to Ireland, lives in the same home on Pittsburgh's North Side in which he grew up. Who else does that? Donald Trump? Dan Snyder? Jerry Jones? Mitt Romney? And what gave this greater impact was the fact that Nunn was saying this while we sat on the back porch of his home, which was also the home that he grew up in located in the Hill District (Nunn having enjoyed a successful career in the NFL spanning more than forty years and prior to that having served as Editor of the most prominent black newspaper in the United States).

In the article I posed a number of questions concerning what purchasing choices might be made if in possession of relatively large sum of money:

Do you buy a nice little economical hybrid or like ex-Steeler Leon Searcy do you use a limousine service? Do you purchase a condo, or a McMansion or something even more palatial?

I think we know how the Rooney family would probably answer that question. Some may be tempted to think that this type of thinking and behavior is peculiar to the Rooneys, but they are largely honored and respected by Pittsburghers because they so faithfully adhere to the values of the local culture. We label those values "blue collar", but they transcend both the type of work one happens to engage in as well as class affiliation.

Culture can be most difficult to define by those residing within it because, like water to a fish, it is so all encompassing that it becomes invisible, virtually impossible to discern. As such, you can be forgiven if you believe that the relationship between the Pittsburgh Steelers and what has come to be known as Steeler Nation is simply about football.

We call it the Steeler Way, but what that organization unswervingly represents is the Pittsburgh Way. Because one of the cornerstones of the underlying value system is a sincere, understated humility faithful practitioners like the Rooneys refrain from either self-promotion or justification of themselves or their governing set of values. Misunderstandings and underestimation is unavoidable since most of the rest of the nation, including (especially) the sports media operates under a different covenant.

Nor are the misunderstandings confined to outsiders. Many within Steeler Nation continually demonstrate a lack of comprehension of the culture, the values that are the foundation of the franchise's success. I certainly get how easy it is to be seduced by the priorities of the dominant culture. Nonetheless, it has to be acknowledged how bizarre it is that some of us envy those whose greatest aspiration is to someday be as successful as the Steelers. And nobody has been as successful as the Steelers. Yet we want to throw money at ‘big name' free agents because that's what everyone else does. We would jettison the development strategy that is dependent upon patience and loyalty for instant gratification because that's what everyone else does, and it is endorsed by the sages at ESPN. We ignore the example of the wise to worship at the feet of the ignorant.

I live in an area (Metropolitan Washington DC) that is largely governed by a different, competing value system; let's call it white collar values. Under this system your value is determined by the position you hold, your credentials and the amount of money you make.

Like many people I have been highly critical of Washington Redskin owner Daniel Snyder based upon the assumption that he has been stuck on stupid in relation to his decision making for his team. Looking at it from a different perspective Mr. Snyder can be viewed as being a prisoner of a dysfunctional value system.

How do I make the case that the white collar values are dysfunctional? Remember that professional football is rooted in the culture of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, the same area that spawned the Pittsburgh (and Steelers) Way. In the culture of football self-sacrifice and interdependence are much more than just admirable warm and fuzzy qualities; they are essential elements to success. When understood in this context money and talent, though important, can be of limited value if the other elements of cooperation aren't present. Self-promotion (and the individualism that fuels it) is at odds with and has a corrosive effect on the team consciousness (and the attendant leveling effects on individuals) that is necessary for winning. And when that attitude begins at the top; when your owner lives in a modest home and stands in line in the cafeteria at lunch time just like everyone else is it any wonder why the Steelers have been so successful.

Dysfunctional values compel you toward questionable decision making. Snyder could have never hired someone like Mike Tomlin (or Chuck Noll or Bill Cowher) based upon his governing values, at least not at the front end because there wasn't that much ‘sizzle' in Tomlin's resume. And again, there were folks that had this issue in Steeler Nation as well. Tomlin was thought by some to be an ‘affirmative action' hire, the Rooneys being taken prisoner by their own rule (at the time there were people who were disappointed that Noll was chosen over a more ‘name' individual, Joe Paterno). Snyder ended up hiring the likes of Steve Spurrier and Mike Shanahan, guys with plenty of sizzle, but relatively little steak. Of course he would hire Tomlin now because he has a proven track record. But the key to success sometimes is the ability to recognize the potential before it manifests, something the Steelers organization demonstrates constantly.

The same value system likely would have encouraged Snyder to go in a different direction than Ben Roethlisberger if he had been in the market during the 2004 draft. Being true to his value system Snyder would have probably picked Eli Manning because of, literally, his name, and would have preferred either Manning or Philip Rivers because they were products of large conferences (SEC, ACC) as opposed to the mid major conference (MAC) associated with Ben. James Harrison, another MAC player, with less than standard measurables (too short for one thing) and something of a project would have been passed over as well. And isn't it funny that players that they let go often do rather well; thinkRyan Clark, or more recently, Carlos Rogers.

The cultural/values argument goes a long way in explaining why the Skins consistently invest in players that are, objectively speaking, either past their prime (Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith), over-hyped (Albert Haynesworth) or were a bad fit for the team's schemes or personnel. Of course issues such as relationships don't come much into play with the white collar mentality. I would also argue that the Skins are extreme in some respects, and therefore more dysfunctional, but are for the most part closer to the norm for the league relative to Pittsburgh.

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of us in Steeler Nation are either white collar types (psychologically not necessarily professionally) or have been seduced to the point where we adopt the mindset when discerning the actions of the Steelers and other teams in the league. Confusion and other misunderstandings can result, something I have noticed playing out over the recent discussions over ‘character issues' involving our recent draft choices (Michael Adams, Sean Spence and Chris Rainey).

One of the questions being raised is whether the Steelers compromised their values by selecting these players. Were they so hard up for the infusion of talent that they turned their backs on their principles? Let's get one thing straight. If you conceptualize the Pittsburgh Steelers as being a bunch of milk drinking boy scouts you are somewhat deluded. Here begins an admittedly incomplete history lesson.

Are you concerned about Mike Adams' weed smoking? Eugene ‘Big Daddy' Lipscomb was a heroin addict. Bobby Layne would close down nightclubs at dawn and then go quarterback the team a couple of hours later. Joe Greene really was mean, at least on the football field. He kicked opponents in the groin, he spit in their faces. By comparison James Harrison looks like a nun. Ernie Holmes had disturbing psychological issues. Steve Courson (and others) used, some would say abused, performance enhancing substances. More recently, Adams has nothing overSantonio Holmes as a weed smoker, and he went to court on domestic issues. And of course there were Ben's troubles.

Clearly the point is that having a troubled past (or present) does not necessarily disqualify one from being a Pittsburgh Steeler. Environmental and developmental issues explain a lot of questionable decisions. The important thing is that once immersed in the Steeler Way, the Pittsburgh Way, can they exercise the self-sacrifice, specifically over their own vices for the good of the franchise and the community that supports them. Now in some cases the problems really are based upon the innate deficiencies of an individual's character, they are incapable of acting in any other manner. But if the waywardness is influenced by other factors then it would be a violation of blue collar values to not provide an opportunity for redemption. The problem with Santonio Holmes, to use one example, was not the indiscretions of his life prior to coming to Pittsburgh; it was the inability to move beyond that even in light of the extraordinary life opportunity provided him by being a Super Bowl MVP.

Big Ben represents the other side of the coin. Have you noticed that there hasn't been much talk lately about Ben's ‘issues'. My theory is that in the collective mind of Steeler Nation Ben has been completely rehabilitated, and according to the theory I can tell you exactly when it happened and why.

The moment came at the beginning of the second half of the first Cleveland game this past season. I was on the open thread of BTSC when it was clear that Ben was going to play after folks had assumed that he was on his way to hospital after having his ankle crushed. The reaction on site, at Heinz Field and presumably elsewhere was electric, and people actually said at that moment that all was forgiven.

Ben's actions were not merely heroic in the generic sense but also consistent with the Pittsburgh way. One of the fables that we were taught growing up was the story of John Henry. John Henry was a laborer who drove spikes to secure railroad tracks. One day a machine was brought in that, presumably could do the job faster and more efficiently. John Henry challenged the machine and was holding his own in the ensuing contest, but eventually the exertion killed him. This was a powerful metaphor for a people whose methods of making a living included the possibility of black lung disease, being asphyxiated by gas, buried alive or vaporized by an errant splash of molten metal. You soldiered on even though to do so might cost you your life.

In this context a high ankle sprain isn't a deal killer, and it is a tremendous act of leadership. It is also consistent to an extent with Steelers lore. In his time it was said the game hadn't started until Terry Bradshaw was bleeding and half dead. Some have said that Ben's insistence on playing on that ankle may have cost the team the season. They may be right, but It may have also set a tone that will yield great returns in the future.

Being from the area, Adams has been exposed to the Pittsburgh Way. And maybe that is what inspired the courageous act of pleading his case to the Steelers brass. That action and the Steelers response both exemplify the Pittsburgh Way in action. There is certainly a risk involved, but it is a risk that is consistent with the value system. In fact, you could say that the value system would insist that these types of risks be undertaken if you truly strive for greatness.

A Letter to my Son, going to College

Dear R.:

                Words cannot begin to convey how proud of you I am, and how excited I am at this, the beginning of your college career.  You are embarking on one of the most exciting and important periods of your life.  You are truly striking out on your own, to discover new worlds, and new aspects of yourself.  It is with some trepidation that I see you off, for when you return you will no longer be the little boy whose smile brightened my life every single day, over whom I watched protectively, guarding your every movement (whether you realized it or not), controlling your environment while at the same time reveling in sharing with you your discovery of the world around you.

                Instead, you will be returning a young man who has gone out on his own, to create his own future; you will be experiencing the joys and heartaches, the struggles, hard work, temptations and successes you face without me there to protect you.  And because you must face these things alone, for that is what we all must face if we are to grow and mature into our full potential, I leave you with these words:

                Be true to yourself; for you are a kind and decent person.  Listen to your inner voice, let it guide you.  Your parents have taught you the difference between right and wrong, and though the temptations may be great, if you stay true to yourself, you cannot do wrong.  This is the time in your life that YOU define who you are, what you like, don’t like, who you want to be associated with, how you want to be known and remembered.  You have grown up so far with a sense of decency and sensitivity that is highly commendable, and to which others are attracted.  Do not suppress who you are to fit in with others; let your true self shine forth and those worth being with will reciprocate.

                Allow yourself to feel;  do not be afraid to feel and show emotion.  Fear not the reactions nor opinions of those around you, for those who ridicule such do so out of fear.  Allow what moves you, what inspires passion, sadness, or joy, into your heart and express it.  For by giving voice and action to what stirs within you, you set yourself free.  Do not restrain emotion because it “isn’t masculine”, or “cool”; embrace it and in doing so feel the power of life around you.

                Take chances: embrace risk, but do so with knowledge of the consequences and with forethought.  Whether it be skydiving, asking out the hottest, most popular girl, or falling in love, if you don’t risk pain or failure, you will never truly appreciate your successes.  Life is bittersweet, and you will fail at some things, you will be rejected, or not come in first.  But you will also succeed at things, many of them those that you failed at first, you will fall in love, you will come in first.  But only if you take the chance in the first place.

                Be tolerant; accept and embrace differences in those around you.  Venture beyond what is comfortable, beyond “sameness”, for you never know when, from whom, or from where you will discover something new, either about yourself, or something that inspires you.

                NEVER FORGET; that your whole family loves and supports you.  That many miles may separate us, but our thoughts and prayers are with you always; that you are NEVER alone.  Take comfort and strength in this, that you always have home to come back to, that there are many, many people who love you.  With this as your foundation, nothing is impossible.

                I give you these words, my son, not with sadness or sense of loss, but with joy and pride.  As you move forward with your life, I look forward to sharing it with you, and will always treasure the memories of our times past.  Go forth, challenge the world and yourself, and treasure this time of your life.

Love,

Dad

A Father's Angst Part II: The Daughter's Redemption

It took my Daughter only a day to mourn over not getting her transfer application accepted to the 4 year university in Richmond she's been aiming for.

Letter came on Friday; Friday night it was tears, anguish and a sense of abject failure, compounded by the ex-wife's "I told you so's"; by Saturday she was scouring Craig's List for apartment rentals (for the upteenth time) with the idea of moving down there, enrolling in the community college near VCU, and applying again for the Spring 2013 semester.

By Saturday night she texted me, asking me to go with her to check out a place.  And what a place it was; a 2 story walk-up in a VCU department building, right on the edge of campus, and only 10 blocks from the community college.  Not the Taj Mahal by any standards, it was clean, well lit and appeared to be in a safe neighborhood.  She plunked down the security deposit and the pro-rated August rent and suddenly things were looking up again.

My Daughter has a gambler's luck when it comes to making last minute plans work.  She's taking the first load of her possessions down tomorrow, and will be fully moved in by the time classes start on Monday.

All she needs to do now is find a job to have spending money.

What she also needs to do is stop contributing to my receding hair line.  I'll be talking to her about a "Plan B", which will consist of a second, and probably a third choice of schools to apply to transfer to, and not put all her eggs in one basket, nor waiting till the last minute to get things done.

This current situation is the best possible outcome.  Her mother had set a deadline of August for her to get into a 4 year school, or she was kicking her out of the house.  No matter that my Daughter has done everything she could to make it happen; no school, kicked out.  The stress and mental pressure that has put her under is incredible.

My ex-wife has never been to college; she has no concept of the difficulty in getting in, especially when one has sabotaged their high school transcript, and didn't fully apply herself her freshman year like my Daughter did.  All those things are totally my Daughter's fault, but she has been struggling to correct those mistakes ever since.

I'll save describing Medusa (ex-wife, mother of my children) for another post.

This one is just a simple blowing off of pent-up tension, and a huge sigh of relief that my Daughter will be able to escape the incessant torments of Medusa, and at least is once again, taking a step in the right direction.