Steelers 31, Ravens 27: Back to our old identity

By: Joe Smeltzer

Toughness

It's a word that the Pittsburgh Steelers, and honestly, the city of Pittsburgh in general, have prided themselves on, and rightfully so. But over the past few years, I haven't seen the same Steel Town Tough mentality from the Pittsburgh Steelers that was so commonplace in the mid-2000s, when I was growing up about 20 minutes from the North Shore. Sure, there's been a lot of winning. Sure, there's been some comeback victories. But on Christmas Day, with 9 seconds left in a must-win game against the hated Baltimore Ravens, Antonio Brown gave us a reminder of who the Pittsburgh Steelers are, and what we do.

Growing up in Allegheny County, about 20 minutes from Three Rivers Stadium/Heinz Field, I am one of the many that grew to believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers were a smash-mouth, hard-nosed, blue-collar football team. For the first 13 years of my life, that held true. For me, the Steelers were about Joey Porter going crazy, Troy Polamalu flying through the air, running the ball, hard-hitting defenses, and most of all, championships. Nasty weather. Joey Porter going crazy. Troy Polamalu flying through the air. That's what Steeler football was to me.

But as time went on, the Steelers became something else. Now, Steeler football is 40-yard passes, 5 TD, 400-yard performances courtesy of Ben Roethlisberger, and "first to 30" type shootouts, completely the opposite of the hard nose teams that won Super Bowls 40 and 43 in my lifetime. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as Pittsburgh's explosive offense has provided this city with a lot of points and a lot of excitement. At the same time, although the results may not be terribly different, as Pittsburgh is consistently in the upper echelon of the AFC, this new style is the opposite of the Pittsburgh Steelers that stole our cities heart 44 years ago.

On the surface, Sunday's classic with the hated Dirty Birds seems to fit the new Steeler identity rather than the old, as the final score of 31-27 suggests that it was an shootout. However, I think all who watched can agree that the Steelers showed more pride and poise than they have in quite some time.

For Ben Roethlisberger, it was a flashback to the quarterback he was from 2004-11. To me, for the longest time, Big Ben was the type of QB who never had the stats or the glamor that people like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees possessed, but who was as good if not better than anybody when all the chips were on the table. For the past few years, as the Steelers identity has changed, so has their quarterback, as Ben started to post big numbers, but the number of championship drives that he used to lead his troops on so often had decreased. On Sunday, the old Big Ben was back.

He didn't play a great game statistically, as he threw for a fairly pedestrian 279 yards and two interceptions that could have been fatal; and would have been, if not for that last drive. As soon as Baltimore's fullback, Kyle Juszczyk plunged into the end zone with 88 seconds left on the clock, giving Baltimore a 27-24 lead in a seasow battle, it was up to Big Ben to lead a Super Bowl 43 level drive, or else dreams of a division title would go up in smoke. Thankfully, Ben found it in himself to do just that, taking the Steelers 71 yards in 9 plays. And the man who capped it all off could not have been a better fit for the moment. Enter, Antonio Brown.

The Steelers change in identity started to come to fruition as soon as the wide receiver from Central Michigan began to blossom into the NFL's top receiver. As good as Brown is, his flashy behavior, in the eyes of some, goes against the so called "Steeler Way" that we in Pittsburgh have taken pride. For all of his accomplishments, it's hard to think of one particular career defining "signature" play that #84 has made. Well, on Sunday, he had his big moment, and it was glorious.

Add caption

Above is a play that you could call "the reach." It was a play that personified what our city prides itself in; going the extra mile to succeed. In other words, Brown's range with 9 seconds left was all heart. It's not a surprise that AB came through in the clutch, as he is a big time player. However, there was never a prouder moment in Browns six NFL seasons than that reach. It was gutsy. It was critical. It was gorgeous, and it won the Steelers the AFC North for the 5th time under Mike Tomlin.

So, while the Steelers have been a consistent winner for the past decade, the change of identity that this team has experienced is undeniable, as "smash-mouth Stiller football" has given way to "let's score some points and have some fun." On Sunday, the 2016 edition of the Men of Steel reminded us that the Steelers the history books told us about are still here, and, hopefully,  here to stay, baby.