Time for the Steelers to stand up to the Patriots: Their legacy depends on it
… record of six Super Bowls is eroding
It is time for the 2016 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers to "put up or shut up." Coaches and players said prior to the season that this was a Super Bowl team.
And they have had their breaks, like a weak schedule and a very weak looking road to the AFC Championship Game.
However, that game is where the Steeler quest generally ends because they usually have to go through Foxboro, Mass. And their record against Tom Brady and the Patriots over the years has been woeful.
Granted, Brady is the only elite quarterback in the NFL right now. He and the now-retired Peyton Manning were in a class by themselves.
Now, at 39, Brady, a first-round NFL Hall of Fame pick whenever he chooses to retire, wants one more Super Bowl ring. And this year looks promising to the Patriots, once again the number one seed.
The Broncos knocked them off last year en route to Manning's second and final Super Bowl.
Steelers only team who can stop Pats
But the AFC, with the Oakland Raiders looking less formidable now that QB sensation Derek Carr is out with a broken fibula, comes down to one team beating them: The Pittsburgh Steelers.
For the Steelers, however, history is not on their side. In a story prior to the meeting of the two teams at Heinz Field in October, Post-Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo wrote a story with this headline: "The Numbers Don't Lie: Tom Brady owns the Steelers."
Brady's record after that 27-16 victory, one in which Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger did not play, is 9-2 vs. the Steelers, 2-0 in the postseason. He has thrown for 26 TDs against them with just three interceptions. He is averaging over 320 yards passing per game against them.
In the October game, just his third of the season after sitting out four games because of his suspension for his role in Deflategate, Brady completed 19 or 26 passes (73 percent) for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers were below his averages against the Steelers since he averages 325 yards passing per game in his career, but he still had a 124 passer rating.
For the season, despite missing those four games, Brady has thrown for 3,554 yards and 28 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Against a Steeler defense that is suspect, Brady may simply be salivating about the prospect about playing them for the AFC title in Foxboro.
How can the Steelers win?
First, they have to defeat Miami on Sunday and then the Chiefs in Kansas City. While the Dolphins shocked them earlier this year, they have significant injuries, particularly to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has been sidelined since Dec. 11 with a knee injury. Dolphins Coach Adam Gase said that playing Tannehill could be a game-time decision, but that he would not risk a promising career for a playoff game.
The Steelers overwhelmed the Chiefs earlier this year, 43-14, in a week four game that was arguably their best of the season. However, that was followed by a lackluster win over the Jets and the 30-15 loss to the Dolphins in Miami.
Still, they are favored by many prognosticators to reach the AFC title game, which will most likely be against the Patriots.
The onus is on the offense
Ben Roethlisberger's career pretty much lines up against Brady's, so he has not had great success head-to-head. Now is the time for him to prove that he is truly a franchise QB who is deserving on a place in the NFL Hall of Fame.
With one of the top receivers and one of the top running backs in the game in Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, along with a line that has played well overall this year, there should be no excuses.
It is time for the Steelers to put up or shut up. Either they are a Super Bowl team or they are not. The biological clock is running on Roethlisberger since he is not in the great physical condition that Brady is. This may be one of their last chances to reach it during his era.
Players, not coaches, win championships
In addition, make this clear. This win is not on the shoulders of the coaches. Yes, strategy is important, but players win championships, not coaches. Ask Vince Lombardi what happened to him when he left the Packers for the Redskins.
Chuck Noll did not exactly set records during the final 12 years of his career. That had nothing to do with his coaching ability. It had everything to do with the woeful drafts that the team had during the 1980s.
Pats threaten Steelers' legacy
Steeler fans love to point to the fact that they have more Super Bowl wins than anyone else: Six. However, the Pats have four after being given a gift by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks two years ago.
Another Super Bowl win will give Bill Bellichick more than Chuck Noll. It will also move them within one of tying the Steeler record.
That should motivate this team, though it may not. Who knows what this team will do?
However, for the sake of the Steeler legacy, a win in Foxboro this year will be essential. Hard to believe that any NFC team will beat Brady, so the Steeler offense may have to score 40 points against a good Patriot defense.
Their legacy depends on a win.
For the Steelers, however, history is not on their side. In a story prior to the meeting of the two teams at Heinz Field in October, Post-Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo wrote a story with this headline: "The Numbers Don't Lie: Tom Brady owns the Steelers."
Brady's record after that 27-16 victory, one in which Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger did not play, is 9-2 vs. the Steelers, 2-0 in the postseason. He has thrown for 26 TDs against them with just three interceptions. He is averaging over 320 yards passing per game against them.
In the October game, just his third of the season after sitting out four games because of his suspension for his role in Deflategate, Brady completed 19 or 26 passes (73 percent) for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers were below his averages against the Steelers since he averages 325 yards passing per game in his career, but he still had a 124 passer rating.
For the season, despite missing those four games, Brady has thrown for 3,554 yards and 28 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Against a Steeler defense that is suspect, Brady may simply be salivating about the prospect about playing them for the AFC title in Foxboro.
How can the Steelers win?
First, they have to defeat Miami on Sunday and then the Chiefs in Kansas City. While the Dolphins shocked them earlier this year, they have significant injuries, particularly to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has been sidelined since Dec. 11 with a knee injury. Dolphins Coach Adam Gase said that playing Tannehill could be a game-time decision, but that he would not risk a promising career for a playoff game.
The Steelers overwhelmed the Chiefs earlier this year, 43-14, in a week four game that was arguably their best of the season. However, that was followed by a lackluster win over the Jets and the 30-15 loss to the Dolphins in Miami.
Still, they are favored by many prognosticators to reach the AFC title game, which will most likely be against the Patriots.
The onus is on the offense
Ben Roethlisberger's career pretty much lines up against Brady's, so he has not had great success head-to-head. Now is the time for him to prove that he is truly a franchise QB who is deserving on a place in the NFL Hall of Fame.
With one of the top receivers and one of the top running backs in the game in Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, along with a line that has played well overall this year, there should be no excuses.
It is time for the Steelers to put up or shut up. Either they are a Super Bowl team or they are not. The biological clock is running on Roethlisberger since he is not in the great physical condition that Brady is. This may be one of their last chances to reach it during his era.
Players, not coaches, win championships
In addition, make this clear. This win is not on the shoulders of the coaches. Yes, strategy is important, but players win championships, not coaches. Ask Vince Lombardi what happened to him when he left the Packers for the Redskins.
Chuck Noll did not exactly set records during the final 12 years of his career. That had nothing to do with his coaching ability. It had everything to do with the woeful drafts that the team had during the 1980s.
Pats threaten Steelers' legacy
Steeler fans love to point to the fact that they have more Super Bowl wins than anyone else: Six. However, the Pats have four after being given a gift by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks two years ago.
Another Super Bowl win will give Bill Bellichick more than Chuck Noll. It will also move them within one of tying the Steeler record.
That should motivate this team, though it may not. Who knows what this team will do?
However, for the sake of the Steeler legacy, a win in Foxboro this year will be essential. Hard to believe that any NFC team will beat Brady, so the Steeler offense may have to score 40 points against a good Patriot defense.
Their legacy depends on a win.
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