BlitzburghRockCity
10-26-2011, 08:23 AM
The Steelers and New England Patriots will find themselves in a familiar spot Sunday at Heinz Field, playing each other with the AFC's No. 1 seed on the line, but does it really matter in the long run who wins?
Nearly inexplicably, the Steelers have risen from the shambles of a 35-7 opening loss at Baltimore and a .500 record after four games to the second-best record in the conference at 5-2. Typically, the Patriots are tops at 5-1.
And, while the Steelers may be 1-6 against quarterback Tom Brady, they have managed to get around the Patriots without having to go through them in the playoffs to win two Super Bowl titles since New England most recently won a Lombardi Trophy seven seasons ago. They finished second in the AFC to the Patriots last season after losing at home to them 39-26, yet they again reached the Super Bowl and New England did not.
In 2004, it did not matter that the once-beaten Steelers upset the unbeaten Patriots at home at mid-season because they then lost to them in the AFC title game at Heinz Field for the second time in four seasons.
So, while the game Sunday ultimately might determine the conference's top seed, there is no historical reason to believe it will determine much else.
"It's October!" coach Mike Tomlin said, fairly wincing Tuesday when asked about the importance of securing the inside track on a playoff seed at the halfway point of the season. "We are just trying to win week to week and keep pace with the elite and put ourselves in position to be considered in that conversation. Those things will sort themselves out. I truly believe that.
"We like to stay focused on things that are in our control, and that's our preparation and, ultimately, our play this week. When you start talking about playoff seedings and things of that nature, particularly at this point in the season, you are scoreboard watching. That's not going to be our bag.
"We are going to see enough quality teams over the rest of this season to deal with a lot of those things firsthand, and that is really how we prefer to look at it."
In truth, the following game at Heinz Field may be more important to the Steelers playoff fortunes than this one. That will be another showdown with Baltimore, which dropped to 4-2 after a stunning loss Monday night in Jacksonville, Fla.
Even Tomlin acknowledged that it is not the same when the Steelers face the Patriots as it is when they play their rivalry games against the Ravens, despite the fact New England denied them Super Bowl trips in the '01 and '04 seasons.
"Many of our guys were not a part of this history when it started, because you are talking about 2001 and 2004. So, it's not similar in that way. We play Baltimore twice a year, sometimes three times a year over the last three to five years. So it's different from that standpoint. I am not going to assume anything. I am going to educate our guys about this matchup and this football team because it is different in that way."
From the PG (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11299/1184982-66.stm#ixzz1btEgUjQI)
Nearly inexplicably, the Steelers have risen from the shambles of a 35-7 opening loss at Baltimore and a .500 record after four games to the second-best record in the conference at 5-2. Typically, the Patriots are tops at 5-1.
And, while the Steelers may be 1-6 against quarterback Tom Brady, they have managed to get around the Patriots without having to go through them in the playoffs to win two Super Bowl titles since New England most recently won a Lombardi Trophy seven seasons ago. They finished second in the AFC to the Patriots last season after losing at home to them 39-26, yet they again reached the Super Bowl and New England did not.
In 2004, it did not matter that the once-beaten Steelers upset the unbeaten Patriots at home at mid-season because they then lost to them in the AFC title game at Heinz Field for the second time in four seasons.
So, while the game Sunday ultimately might determine the conference's top seed, there is no historical reason to believe it will determine much else.
"It's October!" coach Mike Tomlin said, fairly wincing Tuesday when asked about the importance of securing the inside track on a playoff seed at the halfway point of the season. "We are just trying to win week to week and keep pace with the elite and put ourselves in position to be considered in that conversation. Those things will sort themselves out. I truly believe that.
"We like to stay focused on things that are in our control, and that's our preparation and, ultimately, our play this week. When you start talking about playoff seedings and things of that nature, particularly at this point in the season, you are scoreboard watching. That's not going to be our bag.
"We are going to see enough quality teams over the rest of this season to deal with a lot of those things firsthand, and that is really how we prefer to look at it."
In truth, the following game at Heinz Field may be more important to the Steelers playoff fortunes than this one. That will be another showdown with Baltimore, which dropped to 4-2 after a stunning loss Monday night in Jacksonville, Fla.
Even Tomlin acknowledged that it is not the same when the Steelers face the Patriots as it is when they play their rivalry games against the Ravens, despite the fact New England denied them Super Bowl trips in the '01 and '04 seasons.
"Many of our guys were not a part of this history when it started, because you are talking about 2001 and 2004. So, it's not similar in that way. We play Baltimore twice a year, sometimes three times a year over the last three to five years. So it's different from that standpoint. I am not going to assume anything. I am going to educate our guys about this matchup and this football team because it is different in that way."
From the PG (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11299/1184982-66.stm#ixzz1btEgUjQI)