Steeler fans are used to rooting passionately against the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.
In terms of AFC teams, there is no bigger rival than the Ravens, although the Patriots led by Tom Brady are pretty close.
It's safe to say most Steeler fans were hoping the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans could pull off upsets in their divisional round matchups against these hated foes, but it wasn't in the cards.
So now we're left with the ultimate no-win scenario for Steeler fans. Do you root for the division rival you despise with every inch of your soul or do you root for Tom Brady? Gatorade Bath (Harbaugh) vs. Spygate (Belichick)?
This should be a question in the popular party game "Would You Rather?" Would you rather see the Baltimore Ravens get over the stigma of being unable to perform in the playoffs or would you rather see Tom Brady's smiling face mugging for all the Super Bowl reporters? Maybe this time he won't laugh if the Giants also make it and predict a low scoring affair.
So who will The Voice be rooting for in the AFC Championship game? This might not be the answer many of you are expecting, but I am going to root for...
I think I need to pick the....
Give me a minute here. This leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
I'm pulling for the...
...Baltimore Ravens.
I cannot stand cheaters, and from the moment the Spygate scandal came to light, I could never respect the Patriots again. For all the talk of how Belichick was some kind of coaching genius, it loses a ton of luster when we find out he had to cheat to give himself an edge.
The hatred for the Ravens is born from the fact that Baltimore and Pittsburgh are two teams that play football the way it is supposed to be played. Hard hitting, tough, physical football.
We hate Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and Ed Reed with a passion but only because they are a division rival. I admire the fact there's another team in the NFL willing to play this style of football.
Granted, they need to learn a little humility and act like they've won something recently by not dumping Gatorade on their coach after a regular season victory.
Plus, look at the silver lining in this matchup. At least one of them is guaranteed to lose next week.
I've met a lot of Baltimore football fans from my days announcing for the Erie indoor football team. Baltimore was one of their big rivals for a few years and those guys love their football as much as Pittsburghers love the game. You have to respect that.
Doesn't mean I have to like it.
2 comments:
Honestly, I'll pull for Baltimore because of a few reasons. First, because they are a AFC North rival and I believe this will only strengthen the rivalry of the annual Steelers/Ravens double sometimes triple match-ups. Second, hate it or love it Ed Reed deserves a shot at a ring. He has all the Hall of Fame credentials and this would be the icing on the cake. Finally, i'll take a Harbaugh over Belichick any day!!!
For what it's worth, I think the two best teams in the AFC are playing for the championship.
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