Is Steelers/Ravens the Biggest Rivalry in the NFL?

Baltimore Raven Linebacker Terrell Suggs says it is. To quote him, "There is nothing to hype about this game. This is definitely the biggest rivalry in football. It's a championship week. It's Baltimore against Pittsburgh." Now a few other teams may take exception with that proclamation. The Redskins fans would definitely argue their rivalry with the Cowboys is the biggest. However, it's not even close. And those two teams are both so bad this year that no one even cares. The teams of the NFC North would definitely have strong arguments in their favor. All four of those teams hate each other. Cleveland would try to argue that their rivalry with Pittsburgh is bigger. But the Steelers rivalry with Baltimore is the old Cleveland rivalry. The real one. The bigger one.

When the Browns left Cleveland for Baltimore, it was a sad day for both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. We thought it was the end of an era. One of the oldest rivalries in the NFL was dead. It would never be the same. Looking back, we were wrong. Very wrong.

At this point in time, I have to agree with Suggs. This has grown to be the biggest rivalry in the NFL. Both teams have been on top of their games for years. Both teams hate each other. Both teams play smash mouth football. When they collide, it's always a hard hitting, fun to watch game. Something that the current NFL management hates. I have heard football fans all week talk about the upcoming Sunday night game. Everyone wants to see this one. You know a rivalry is great when other team's fans want to watch it. This rivalry is a true rivalry. It is not one sided or fake. Both fan bases live for this game.

Living in the Washington D.C. area, I have got to watch this Ravens fan base develop. And I can definitely tell you this, they hate the Steelers. They hate Steeler Nation. They hate Black and Gold. They hate Pittsburgh. They hate James Harrison. And they really hate Hines Ward. He is the most hated man in Baltimore. A fact which makes me laugh. I mean it! Come on! How can you hate that smile?

OK, so he put a few hard hits on your guys. He's just playing football. Get over it. It's smash mouth football, remember?

Actually the Ravens fan base hase gotten more obnoxious about this rivalry every year. They think the Steelers are the dirtiest organization in football, which is ridiculous. They are starting to remind me of Eagles fans. They will spit venomous hatred at the very sight of a Steelers jersey. The animosity seems to grow and grow. Probably because of the beat downs the Steelers have put on the Ravens at just the right times each season. I had a good friend move to Baltimore about 4 or 5 years ago. He had always been a die hard Redskins fan and had never expressed a bad opinion about the Steelers, until the move. Now he hates the Steelers with a passion. I guess hate really is contagious. I think the teams have a mutual respect for each other, but they also hate each other.

This game Sunday night is looking like a great match up. Both teams are 8-3. The winner

should take the division. The Steelers are ranked 5th defensively, the Ravens 8th. The Ravens are ranked 14th offensively, the Steelers 19th. The Steelers pass defense is ranked an abhorrent 22nd, the Ravens is 7th. The Steelers rush defense is 1st, the Ravens 11th. The ground game is where the Steelers may really prevail. Rashard Mendenhall is 7th in the league in rushing yards, Ray Rice is 11th. But Mr. Rice is going up against the best rush defense in the league.

Having won in Pittsburgh earlier this year, the Ravens have a chance to sweep the Steelers this year. Something they haven't done since 2006. The Ravens also have an 8 game home win streak going into this game. But that is about to come to an end. Because the Steelers have something this time that they didn't the last time, Big Ben. He may have a sprained foot. But the two time Super Bowl winning quarterback is back. And that makes a huge difference.

So this game looks great on paper, but that means nothing. It would be a great game anyway. It's the greatest rivalry in the NFL. Right?

When Did Physical Become Dirty?

The answer to the above question: Sunday October 17th, 2010. The day the NFL decided to make a statement. The day James Harrison was penalized for a hit on Cleveland Browns' receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. A penalty that would later cost him $75,000 in fines. (Which by the way makes a lot of sense. Since you can obviously hit a player in the face after a play and only get fined $25,000.) It's the day Harrison became a poster boy for NFL"discipline". It's the day Roger Goodell started destroying the game of football.

Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders was no fun to watch. It was great that the Steelers won 35 -3. But the referees were ruining the game with terrible officiating. The game had no flow. It was mundane and hard to watch. The crowd chanted " Refs Suck!" throughout the game. The penalty called on James Harrison for a clean hit on Jason Campbell was for landing, and I quote, "with full body weight on top of him". I personally have never heard of that penalty. It's like they are making up rules as they go. Earlier calls on Ryan Clark and LeMarr Woodley, both for 15 yards each, were equally egregious. I have stated in this blog before that I do not like to comment on officiating. I have always felt that it is just an argument that cannot be won, that you cannot come to a definitive conclusion. But after Sunday's game, I had to comment.

Actually, you can not fully blame the refs. This problem comes from the front office. Fuhrer Roger Goodell's Field Marshall, Herr Ray Anderson, is putting tons of pressure on the refs. They are throwing flags because they are afraid of missing a call and getting disciplined themselves. Ron Cook wrote a great article in the Post Gazette about the whole subject. There are claims that the NFL is targeting the Steelers. I don't think that is true. The Steelers have been the darlings of the NFL for years. However, they are targeting James Harrison. I believe the refs have been told to watch his every move, and they are. One can also argue that he brought it upon himself with his comments after the aforementioned Browns game.

"I don't want to see anyone injured. But I am not opposed to hurting anyone. There's a difference. When you're injured, you can't play. But when you're hurt, you can shake it off and come back. I try to hurt people."

As recently as last year, those comments would have been heroic. He would have been admired for such an attitude. This year, he is admonished and branded a thug. It's just not right. Big hits made this game the most popular sport in America. Harrison is a physical player, not a dirty one. The Steelers are a physical team, not a dirty one.

What do you think this guy would say about all this?

I'd love to hear his opinion.

I did reads Jack Hamm's opinion. "It should come down to common sense." He said, "The officials should know what's a dirty hit and what is not."

Amen Jack.

It appears Goodell is blind to what his policies are doing to this great sport. But he is not. He is looking at the bigger picture. He is looking ahead to the upcoming collective bargaining agreement in March with the NFLPA. He and the owners want an 18 game season. The players are against it. The players are concerned with more injuries. They also want better medical benefits for NFL veterans. Goodell is playing the safety card now to weaken the union's position in March. Deep down, safety isn't Goodell's highest priority. He has no morality, he's a lawyer. He knows it's hard for the players to take a safety stance on the schedule, and argue for more benefits, and be against the new crack down on physical play. He is positioning himself to look like the good guy. And positioning the union to look like hypocrites. Although, I will predict that one major point of contention will be Goodell's power. Another point will be the process for establishing fines. We may not have football in 2011 my friends. A lockout or strike is quite possible.

So let me answer the question again. When did physical become dirty? I'll change my answer. Physical became dirty when money got further involved. Let's face facts. At the end of the day, money is what this is really all about. And we all know who is really behind this: Evil Spock!!

Does The Emperor Have No Clothes?

We all knows the Hans Christian Anderson tale. We all heard it as kids. Two weavers promise the Emperor, who cares for nothing but his clothes, a new set of clothes from a cloth that can not be seen by anyone who is unfit for his position. Or who is just hopelessly stupid. The emperor himself can not see the cloth, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position; his ministers do the same. After the con artists dress him in the pretend cloth. The Emperor marches in procession before his subjects. During the procession, a young boy yells out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all. The other subjects then take up the cry. The Emperor cringes, suspecting that the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession.

This is the way the situation appears right now. That Coach Mike Tomlin is the Emperor. Bruce Arians and Dick LeBeau are the ministers. Tom Brady is the young boy who showed that the Steelers were naked. And Steeler Nation has become the subjects that take up the cry.

After Sunday nights thumping of the Steelers by the Patriots, everyone took up the cry. I read it on blogs. I read it in newspapers. I watched it on ESPN. Everyone is wondering if this is going to be a repeat of last year, and for good reason. The Steelers were 6-2 at the half way mark last year. They then lost 5 in a row and ended up 9-7 and out of the playoffs. The Steelers have now lost 2 of their last 3 games. The team appears to be slipping. And the fan base is naturally worried. The players are concerned also. Here is a quote from Mike Wallace:

"We got to stop it early. Last year we let it come up on us too fast. Things got in over our heads too fast and it was hard to bounce back, especially in the division we are in. "

I'll actually cut Arians a little slack, which I rarely do. With Starks and Kemoeatu out, the Steelers were missing most of the left side of their offensive line. And when Ben's security blanket, Hines Ward, was knocked out of the game at the end of the first quarter, I knew the Steelers' chances were slim. Although I have to question Rashard Mendenhall only getting 11 carries. Not a good game plan.

LeBeau will get no slack. Tom Brady sliced and diced the Steelers' 4th ranked defense. LeBeau was out coached. This is where the Emperor was missing his clothes. There was no pressure on Brady the entire night. His uniform was spotless at the end of the game. Brady threw for 350 yards. He threw three touchdown passes to a rookie tight end. There were no sacks and no turnovers. The Emperor was exposed, naked, and humiliated. The Steelers' defense looked lost. The Patriots went with a two tight end offensive scheme that froze the Steelers' defense. Even Polomalu looked lost. He described the loss as "incredibly humbling". This defense has lost it's edge. It has not been dominating since Ben came back.

In the fairy tale, the Emperor refused to see the reality of the situation. He couldn't swallow his pride and admit he was wrong. There are many tales and stories with similar lessons. In Jim Collins' book, "Good to Great", he tells the story of Admiral Stockdale, a famous Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war. Collins tells of how "Good to Great" companies use the "Stockdale Paradox". It basically states that you must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties. And at the same time, you must have the discipline to face the brutal facts of your situation. The Emperor couldn't face the brutal facts. I believe the Steelers can prevail. But right now, the they have some brutal facts to face.

Does the Emperor have no clothes? It's a good question. I hope the Steelers' coaching staff is taking it up. And if the Emperor is naked, I hope he is putting some of his old clothes back on for the Oakland game on Sunday.