He's no John Madden. That's for sure. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Well the 2012-2013 NFL season isn’t even 24 hours old and already my picks for the week are screwed. Thanks, Cowboys. As things were wrapping up last night, and as the Giants and I were starting our season 0 – 1, I felt a familiar feeling. It was a feeling from my childhood, two feelings at once really, which is difficult for a grown man to process (let alone a baby boy no bigger than a squirrel). I was simultaneously pissed at Dallas just because they had won, and begrudgingly respectful of how well they played. I am so conflicted anytime that I have to give a Steelers’ rival any measure of respect where respect is due.

Like most guys, I blame my father for any flaws and defects in my otherwise perfect persona (you should see the size of my ears, they’re huge). The Old Man was always able to see right down the middle of every situation. He loves the Steelers like a real man should but, being the square shooter that he is, never dismissed the Black and Gold’s rivals as lesser teams. “Every man needs a rival.” He would say. “They keep you on your game.” He was right, too. Where would the Steelers of the seventies, those teams of my youth, be without their rivals? The Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Dallas Cowboys pushed the Steelers to the top of the NFL and then helped to keep them there. It was these rivalries that gnawed at Pittsburgh, kept a fire in the belly of the best franchise of that decade. Like it or not, those teams that the Steelers fought with the hardest, played almost as much of a role in the Steelers success of the seventies as did Bradshaw, Harris, Lambert, Greene, or Noll. You can respect a rival. Mike Webster (RIP) used to tell a story about Tunch Ilkin, Craig Wolfley, and himself, all plowing into Cleveland’s Bob Golic on a play. Only two of the three of them were supposed to take on Golic. As Golic lay on the field counting his fractures, Webster extended his hand, helped his rival to his feet, and said “Sorry, Bobby. One of those guys F’ed up.” Many of John Madden’s raiders make the trip to Pittsburgh or host former Steelers players in Oakland to drink and relive the old days; this, from dudes who tried killing each other with regularity. Bum Phillips, Al Davis, Art Modell (RIP), and Tom Landry, were personalities I could really take issue with while at the same time give them some props when they were having their moment.

Then, the 80’s happened and the whole damn thing went sideways on us. No Bum Phillips, John Madden, or Tom Landry. Our rivals had changed shape. We got Jerry Glanville, The Raiders moved to LA, and where in the HELL did the 49ers come from? Cleveland decided that Denver would be a better rival for them than Pittsburgh, although they fared no better against them. It has blasphemously been reported that ‘the game’ passed Chuck Noll by. I suggest that Noll just expected a better class of rival. Football coaches had been replaced by evil geniuses, schemers, and tyrants. Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, and Mike Ditka were stealing the fire of Noll, Shula, and Landry. The whole shooting match was turning into big business. Rivalries were determined by Neilson ratings and advertising dollars. You didn’t really have to respect anyone any more.

It’s easier for me now. I can just freaking hate. Hate the Patriots. Hate the Cowboys (remember SB XXX!). And most of all HATE THE RAVENS (TCSFB). But damn it, Dad, now and then I just want a respectable rival.

RIP Art Modell.  You had a terribe stadium deal and you did what you had to do.

Sports Illustrated has recently released a new book, ‘Pittsburgh Steelers: Pride in Black and Gold’, covering the entire history of the franchise, with stories by noted SI writers Dan Jenkins, Paul Zimmerman and Damon Hack.

Mark Mravic, Pittsburgh native and Steelers fan, was the co-editor for this book.  I had the pleasure and privilege of having a small Q&A with Mark about his fandom and what it was like putting together a book like this.  I have a copy of this gem and will be doing a book review of it over the next few days.

NPC: You’re a native Pittsburgh’er and grew up with the Steelers.  Was there ever a time you started to write about/for the organization, and what was that like for you?

I didn’t really begin covering the Steelers professionally until I assumed the role of pro football editor at SI before the 2005 season. They made the Super Bowl that year, so I’ll take some credit for that. I think—hope, anyway—that I compartmentalize my rooting interest (it’s never waned, unlike with the Pirates) and treat the Steelers objectively, like any other team. You’re probably not in this business if you didn’t grow up a passionate fan of some team.  

In the final minutes of the Cardinals-Steelers Super Bowl, I certainly was pulling for Pittsburgh, but the professional side was at the same time planning out what our coverage would be should Arizona win (and admiring the performances of Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner). I’ll admit to cheering when Santonio Holmes caught that winning touchdown pass. That lasted about two seconds, and then it was down to work. By the way, because of our schedule, I fly back to New York the morning of Super Bowl Sunday—I need to be in the office on Monday and can’t risk bad weather fouling up travel plans—so I’ve never attended the Super Bowl. Maybe the Steelers will make it in two years, when the game is at the Meadowlands.

It is fun to be in the Super Bowl city when the Steelers are playing, because those towns transform into transplanted versions of Pittsburgh—you see black and gold all over the place and hear that very distinctive ‘Burgh accent. I don’t get back to Pittsburgh enough, so it’s a little taste of home. 

But when it is time to do a critical story of the Steelers, there’s no hesitation. When the Ben Roethlisberger scandal broke a few years ago, we went after the story with all of our resources and did a very harsh but definitive cover piece. It’s one of my proudest professional moments. 

NPC: What do you feel makes the Steelers such a special franchise – not just in the NFL but in all of sports?

They have been family owned since their founding in 1933, and have never lost that local touch—the Rooneys have always been an integral and respected part of that community. The Steelers mean as much to their town as any team in any sport, maybe more so. They started winning Super Bowls in the ’70s just as the steel industry was dying out, and the football team in a sense replaced the steel mills as the heart and soul of the city, how it defines itself and presents itself to the rest of the country. Those Super Bowls gave the city and the region something to rally around as the industry declined. Now Pittsburgh has bounced back and refashioned itself as a city of research, healthcare and education, but those strong blue-collar roots remain, as does the love of the Steelers. And no small point—the stadium sits right there across from downtown, at the confluence of those three rivers. It draws the fans into the city and connects them with it in the way a suburban stadium never can. 

NPC:  What’s your greatest or fondest memory involving the Steelers?

Wow. Here’s one I’m almost embarassed to admit: I missed the Immaculate Reception. I was 10 at the time of that game, and so caught up in the Steelers that I couldn’t bear even the possibility that they would lose that playoff game to the Raiders. So instead of watching, I went to the movies with a friend of mine. When I got back home that afternoon my family said, “You’ll never believe what happened.” That was a lesson learned. 

All of those Super Bowl wins were great to watch, and we’ve done some terrific stories on the Steelers through the years, but I guess my fondest memory would be watching the Packers-Steelers Super Bowl with my family. My daughter, who was about 10 at the time, had her Polamalu shirt on, and I think my older son had his Lambert jersey. Yes, the Steelers lost, but at least I wasn’t at the movies—I could share the experience with my family.

NPC: Who is your favorite player all time?

My favorite player is actually Walter Payton—I went to college in Chicago and lived there for many years afterward, during his playing days. I just developed an immense respect for the way he played the game. (Again, it took some objectivity to run our cover piece last fall excerpting Jeff Pearlman’s Payton biography, depicting his very troubled life post-football).

As for the Steelers, I love all those old guys from the ’70s teams, but I guess Jack Lambert would be my favorite.

NPC:  The book is great.  The pictures are powerful and the content captures the spirit of the Steelers.  What was it like to work on this project?

Amazing—imagine you’re a lifelong fan of a team and being let loose in the archives of Sports Illustrated. Reading those old stories was great, but what’s really fun is going back through the photo archives. SI photographers shoot hundreds (and these days, with digital cameras, sometimes thousands) of pictures at game. Just a handful make it into the weekly magazine (and a few more now go on SI.com and the ipad). That means a vast trove of pictures that, for those Super Bowls for instance, may not have been seen in 40 years or more. Going through that stuff is a dream come true.

NPC:  What are your thoughts about the current state of the organization?

The Steelers remain strong—they’ve been profoundly smart about coaching hires—first Chuck Noll, then Bill Cowher and now Mike Tomlin—and having such stability and leadership from the head coach keeps the whole organization grounded and on the right path. The Steelers almost always contenders, and they’re well respected throughout the league for the way the team is run.

NPC:  Do you ever make it back to games at Heinz Field?

I catch the Steelers when they’re here in New York, but I’m sorry to say I have not been to Heinz Field yet—again a product of our work schedule. Now I’m doubly inspired to get there.

Other than a photo in a #12 tee shirt and a vague recollection of  Black and Gold Day at nursery school before Super Bowl XIV, I’m too young to remember the Steel Dynasty teams of the 1970s.  The Pittsburgh Steelers of my childhood were Mark Malone, Frank Pollard, and Weegie Thompson.  Needless to say, I didn’t go to sleep with Super Bowl dreams dancing in my head.

That changed in 1989.  The season started about as badly as could be when the Steelers lost their first two games by a combined score of 92-10.   That’s not a typo.  Chuck Noll pulled off perhaps the greatest coaching job of his career, righting the ship to finish 9-7 and earn a Wild Card playoff berth.  The Steelers won the first playoff game I ever saw them play in overtime against the hated Houston Oilers.  In the next round, they faced the heavily favored Denver Broncos.   Back then, the Broncos were AFC juggernauts, having appeared (and gotten crushed) in the previous two Super Bowls. Miraculously, the Steelers led the entire game before finally losing 24-23.  A patented last minute John Elway comeback is all that came between them and one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.

One of the primary architects of that near-miracle was fullback Merril Hoge.

Hoge rushed for 120 yards that day, inspiring the classic NFL Films clip where a Broncos player standing on the sideline is caught on tape exclaiming, “He’s kicking our asses, y’all.”   A scrappy, blue-collar player, Merril was a Steeler Nation favorite well before and certainly long after that game.   But his story goes a lot deeper than what happened in the Mile High city.  In fact, the more you learn about #33, the more quickly you realize miracles are no stranger to Merril Hoge.

Merril has recently released his autobiography, appropriately titled “Find A Way.” Hogey being a hero of my youth, I eagerly dove in expecting the typical stories of high school excellence, some sort of college setback, and then redemption in the Black and Gold.  I soon found this book is less a series of gridiron exploits than an inspirational story of personal tragedy and triumph.

Which isn’t to say there isn’t any football talk.  Most autobiographies are written by stars who manufacture a lot of phony “drama” to make their stories more compelling when their athletic gifts ensured they’d succeed all along. For those too young to remember Merril, he was a 6’1 220 pound fullback from a no-name program (Idaho State) who was never particularly fast nor particularly athletic. What makes his story unique is not only that he made it to the NFL but how his intelligence and work ethic triumphed over any physical limitations he may have had.

A pivotal figure in Merril’s life is Chuck Noll. Much has been written about Noll’s work with the great teams of the 70s but this book gives you rare insight into the Emperor’s final years and a peek into the first couple seasons of the Bill Cowher era. Although not explicitly stated, Hoge had a cold and distant (even abusive) relationship with his own dad and you really get the impression Noll became almost a surrogate father to his fullback. I’ve heard Terry Bradshaw, Rocky Bleir, and Franco Harris all talk about Noll teaching life lessons as well as he taught football and this book details what a great man he was in addition to being a great coach.

“Find A Way” is much more than a clever title.  It’s the very heart of Merril’s story.   He had to find a way to overcome a rough childhood fraught with peril.  He had to find a way to deal with the serious after-effects of concussion(s) which ended his career in 1994 and left him unable to read or write.  And in 2002, he had to find a way to survive cancer.   For those with relatives who’ve battled this dreaded disease, as my late grandmother did many years ago, his account of the emotional and physical toll the fight takes elevates this from a simple football book into something even non-sports fans would find worth reading.

“Find A Way” is available in both hardcover and e-book editions.  You can click here for a comprehensive list of retailers from Hachette Book Group’s official website.  If you visit Amazon.com by clicking here, you can preview the first chapter through the “search inside the book” link (below the photo) before purchasing.

Finally, when I was contacted by the fine folks at Hachette Book Group about receiving a copy for review, we also discussed a special treat for my loyal readers.  They generously agreed to provide TWO complimentary copies of “Find A Way” for a little contest which I’m going to tie to Sunday night’s game against the New England Patriots.

Since there are two copies and I need two winners there will be two parts to the contest. Leave a guess IN THE COMMENTS how many yards Big Ben will throw for AND how many yards Rashard Mendenhall will run for this Sunday night. That’s all.  Pick two numbers and the closest in each category wins a free copy of “Find A Way.”  Two guesses, two chances to win.

Rules mumbo jumbo:  Make it clear which number goes with which player.  If I just see numbers without names next to them, you’re disqualified.  Make sure you post under a REAL WORKING EMAIL ADDRESS.  If you win, I will contact you asking for your mailing address (No P.O. boxes, U.S. and Canada only) and if the email you’ve entered is phony, you’re disqualified.  If two people choose the same number, the person who posted first wins.  If you email me your guesses, you’re disqualified.  Lastly, if by some miracle you guess both numbers correctly, buy a lottery ticket.  Oh, and you get one book, the next closest Ben guesser gets the other.  Don’t be greedy.

One long week from today, the Pittsburgh Steelers head to the Mile High City to face the Denver Broncos. A little of the luster has been lost from this match-up thanks to yesterday’s manhandling by the Baltimore Ravens which knocked Denver from the ranks of the undefeated. Nothing feels better than being the team that hands another club their first loss of the year. I love being a spoilsport.

When you ask Steeler Nation to name our biggest rivals, few would mention the Broncos. There are the traditional division rivals, like the Browns and Bengals. Then there are the Patriots and Ravens, teams we’ve battled for playoff glory most of this decade. And finally we have the Cowboys, a team we faced for the Super Bowl title on three occasions and the only team which rivals the Black and Gold on the national stage.

Nope, nobody mentions the Broncos. But I’m here to rectify that. Some of you newer fans may not be aware of the history these teams have together. In many ways, it’s been a much more heated competition over the last 25 years than the so-called rivalries we have with the Browns or Bengals.

In 1989, head coach Chuck Noll pulled off a miracle. He lead a thoroughly mediocre squad to the Wild Card game. In those days, there were only 3 division winners, all of whom got byes.  Two Wild Card teams played a game to see who advanced to the final four. The Steelers won an OT thriller against the Houston Oilers when a young Rod Woodson steamrolled a punt returner, forcing a fumble which lead to the game winning FG.

The next week, the Steelers faced the Broncos.  John Elway was in the midst of leading Denver to three Super Bowls in four years (and losing all of them) so the Donkeys were heavy favorites. Merrill Hoge (yes, the ESPN guy) had the game of his life, rushing for 120 yards on only 16 carries.  Bubby Brister showed tremendous grit, playing almost an entire quarter with a concussion so severe his teammates had to literally walk him to the correct sideline. The Steelers were on the verge of a monumental upset until Elway pulled off one of his patented comebacks, throwing the go-ahead TD with 2:30 left. Yes, Chuck Noll almost made the AFC Championship game with Bubby Freakin’ Brister at quarterback. Now you know why he’s considered one of the best coaches ever.

Fast forward nine years later, Bill Cowher is coach and Kordell Stewart is our quarterback. This was when Slash was one of the most feared offensive weapons in the league and one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen. I will never apologize for my man crush on Slash. Anyway, the Steelers were the #2 seed and welcomed the Broncos to Three Rivers Stadium. Kordell had a 33 yard TD run which sadly was the only positive in his otherwise horrific day. Three INTS and a fumble contributed to a 24-21 Broncos upset. This game will always be remembered because after Slash threw his second stupid pick in the red zone, Denver LB Bill Romanowski visibly slapped his forehead and yelled at Stewart, “Think, man. You gotta think.”

The Steelers finally got a measure of revenge during the miracle run of 2005. The Broncos had plucked QB Jake Plummer from obscurity in Phoenix and he lead them to the best record in the AFC. Pittsburgh was the lowest seed that year, faced with the daunting prospect of playing the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd seeded teams in consecutive weeks. It turned out to be their easiest game of the playoffs, as the Steelers traveled out to Denver and whupped up on the Broncos 34-17. The Black and Gold went on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks for their fifth Lombardi Trophy which set off a torrent of whining from the Pacific Northwest that continues to this day.

So you can see there’s definitely some history between our respective franchises.  If both teams are on a collision course for another epic playoff encounter, next Monday’s game takes on added importance. After all, it may end up determining who has the higher seed and thus, home field advantage.  Prior history aside, that’s something I’m sure we all agree we want on our side come January.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I hope everybody’s wearing green, bought their corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and enjoying a nice cup of Irish Coffee (easy on the coffee, heavy on the Irish).  Or, if you’re like me and are currently employed at a place of business which frowns upon showing up half in the bag, my drink of preference this time of year:  Shamrock Shakes.  I’m not really a milkshake drinker since I’m somewhat intolerant of milk products, let’s call it lactose impatient.  However, I do have a weakness for those frothy green concoctions.  Maybe it goes back to my comic book obsessed childhood when I refused to drink any form of dairy so my parents bought them and convinced me drink them by telling me they were “Hulk Juice.”

How does any of this relate to football and/or the Pittsburgh Steelers?  Well, our beloved owner, Dan Rooney, is a proud Irishman himself.  He’s also a proud supporter of President Barack Obama.  Despite being a lifelong Republican, Mr. Rooney finally realized the folly of his ways and shifted his support to the charismatic Democrat who is trying his damnedest to lead us out of the abyss our inept former Commander-in-Chief landed us in.  While there is no way to accurately measure how valuable his support was, President Obama did manage to carry the state of Pennsylvania by a narrow margin, thanks in large part to rousing success in the Pittsburgh area.

President Obama has decided to reward Mr. Rooney for his support by naming him the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. Mr. Rooney has long been interested in and involved with Irish issues as far back back as 1976 when he co-founded the American Ireland Fund which provides money and support for programs designed to foster peace in Ireland.  He’s been officially involved with the Pittsburgh Steelers since 1960 when he was named Director of Player Personnel until Chuck Noll came aboard and he ceded the position to his brother while moving up to Team President.  Mr. Rooney has been an involved but not meddlesome owner for the better part of the past 25 years.

Although his son, Art Rooney II, has since assumed his father’s role with the team, his acceptance of this position will be a pretty big change for the NFL, who is used to him taking a leadership role on important issues, and for the legendary franchise that is used to having their beloved boss in his office or on the practice field every day of the year.