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| FEATURES |
Hyping History, Steeling A Legacy
By Dean Christopher
Date: 01-09-2005 |
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| History and hype unite in the Steel City. |
At least on the surface, the story of the Pittsburgh Steelers hasn't changed much since 1979. Historical in nuance, it writes itself. It is an American institution, a celebration of glory days, a saga that redefines timelessness.
The "Stillers" finished yet another stellar regular season in the Bill Cowher era with 15 wins and a 14-game winning streak, both league highs.
Their formula? Nothing new: Run the ball and play good defense.
But the pundits will inevitably turn their novel approach into further evidence of old-school Steeler toughness and grit.
Armed with a heavy hand, the powers-that-be will scribble parallels to the dynasty of the '70s. They will remind us of the four Super Bowl victories the Steel Curtain secured during that mighty decade. They will tell you that the Steelers of today are as good as ever, hailing Bill Cowher as Chuck Noll, Ben Roethlisberger as Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis as Franco Harris and Joey Porter as Jack Lambert.
Not so.
Indeed, Pittsburgh's cliche factory is blowing out more smoke than a steel mill. A well-oiled machine, it knows no relent. It clogs the airwaves. It pollutes the presses. And it manipulates the masses into believing that history will always favor the hometown team.
Beyond the brouhaha, there's a glitch in the Steel City's seemingly flawless assembly line. It's been almost 25 years since the Steelers last won a Super Bowl, and the well of nostalgia is running dry. For the past three decades, the Steeler storyline has developed undeniably tragic overtones, and it's time for the Blitzburgh bandwagon to be sacked into reality.
But a nation of Steeler supporters won't have it. They're in denial. They're turning a blind eye to the 12 failed playoff appearances since 1979.
They're acting as if the franchise never skipped a beat, as if the Steel Curtain never really closed, as if a regular season win over the Patriots means something in January.
Bettis, the "Autobus," poet laureate and elder statesman of the Steeler locker room, would have us all be reminded that Steeler football is all about tough-minded, stingy defense and ball-control offense. Yet Bettis himself has lost many a football slumping awkwardly into the end zone under the Sunday Night Lights.
Aside from illustrating the career-maximizing effects of relentless self-promotion, what the NFL's fifth all-time leading rusher has shown us perhaps more than anything else is what can be achieved if you hang around the league long enough and get plenty of bench rest.
The professional football world will see if 2004 marks a change for the better for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who knows? Maybe they can live up to the hyperbolic hype of those tough-as-nails (and winning) Steeler teams of yore. After years of impotence, maybe they can lift the Lombardi Trophy yet again.
Maybe. But don't count on it. |
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