Psyche of City Hanging in the Balance Tonight (Steelers - Patriots Clash)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | 1/23/05 | Gene Collier

[beyond the sea]

In Pittsburgh today, we welcome yet again our most cherished oxymoron -- the important game.

No other American city, at least since the National Football League calcified to its current form in 1970, has been host to as many conference championship games as we.

Kickoff will come in the vicinity of 6:35 p.m., and in the chaotic hours that follow, the fabled road to the Super Bowl will, like many Pittsburgh area roads, narrow to one lane, but the familiar civic clamor of the AFC Championship game has been crackling for a week.

"The city's on fire right now," said Steelers linebacker Larry Foote. "You can't even watch TV because we're all over it, but that's Pittsburgh. They love their football and they love their Steelers. And I thank God I'm a part of it."

That the New England Patriots are the defending Super Bowl champions and a proven Steelers post-season nemesis are compelling circumstances that further validate the drama, but the real frenzy has more to do with the retroactive quality of hope.

Everything that's been hoped for regarding these Steelers, probably since their last Super Bowl appearance nine years ago, through subsequent days almost exactly like today that ended in AFC title game losses to Denver and New England, and throughout this virtually unimaginable history-making 15-1 season, is about to pay off.

Unless it doesn't.

[beyond the sea]

Is this game day?

[beyond the sea]

Steeler ping

[NRA1995]

Yep....game day.....Terrible Towel at the ready.....

[Petronski]

[beyond the sea]

Terrible Towel at the ready..... ---

Good we're going to nee them all.

[NRA1995]

Wish I had a Terrible Towel graphic and HTML schooling

[Petronski]

...he fabled road to the Super Bowl will, like many Pittsburgh area roads, narrow to one lane...

Collier remains very talented.

[Petronski]

[beyond the sea]

Yeh, Collier is the best Pittsburgh has these days. Roy McHugh used to be a good one here.

Jerry DiPaola had a good lead line this morning:

"The Steelers and New England Patriots are hours from the biggest game in football not distinguished by a roman numeral."

LOL!

I'm psyched how about you. Gonna be C-C-C-C-COOOOOOOOOOOOLLLD tonight!!!

[beyond the sea]

"The line that separates a genius from a bum, in this business, is thinner than Calista Flockhart. No need to enroll Bill Belichick or Bill Cowher in a refresher course on that subject."

"Cowher was a bum last season, when his Steelers went 6-10 and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. As of this morning, he's a genius with a 16-1 record."

"Check back at around 10 p.m."

*****

-- Starkey's lead-in in the Trib.

[Yinzer]

Anyone getting any love from Ellis canon's PLayoff_Dayoff drive?

Oh and Go STILLERS!

I got me a 6-pack of IC and I plan on getting a Primanti Bros sanwhich for the game. Hell I even bought my yellow lab a black collar. I'm trying to do everything I can to appease the football gods.

and GO STILLER!

[gobucks]

Yes; a big Cory and Neville Is. bump!

[sd-joe]

I curse Kerry, because now when I see Heinz Field, I think of other things than football.

[Beckwith]

Oh and Go STILLERS

Is that Jerry, Ben or the whole family?

[Yinzer]

well Big Ben for sure, and if by Jerry you mean Jerome than include him too.

[beyond the sea]

I curse Kerry, because now when I see Heinz Field, I think of other things than football.

Keep cursing Kerry, but Heinz Field after today will remind you of "One for The Thumb"....... (hopefully).

14 degrees at game time with a nasty wind gusting around 15 mph. THIS weather will be a factor, and I don't necessarily like that.

Fumbles and tipped passes............ I hate to see those things in a great game between two great teams. The balls will be bricks.

[beyond the sea]

I just had one moment of this day that I temporarily thought of something else other than 'dem Stillers'.

Carol Alt was on CNN talking about her new book, "Eating in The Raw"............ nah not that, just about the benefits of eating raw foods.

;-)

[normy]

Remember back in the old days when the "terrible towel" was just a yellow towel? Whats next "Pepsi's Terrible Towl", "Farmers Insurance's terrible Towel".

[bikepacker67]

See here:

Conference Championships Game-by-Game Analysis

[normy]

This game falls into a Patriots type of game. Cowher better keep his playbook simple. No crazy plays on offense. Run Jerome and keep Bens playbook limited.