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Don't Blame US for Lack of Noise Article by McMillen & Wife You wanna know what makes me sick? Spoiled rotten, crybaby fans who don't know how good they've got it. Sandy and I attended the magnificent christening of Heinz Field last Sunday... to say we left the stadium on cloud nine would be an understatement. After all, the autumn colors were in bloom, the fall air was cool and crisp, and we had just witnessed first-hand the utter destruction of the Bungles at the hands of our beloved Steelers. Still in a state of euphoria, we rushed back to our car and eagerly flicked on the radio to catch the postgame... only to be dashed against the rocks as we listened to Jerome Bettis rip apart the home crowd for not being loud enough.
Not that Sandy and I didn't do our part. To the contrary... we screamed our heads off! It's Wednesday as of this writing, and people are still asking me if I have a cold because my voice hasn't completely recovered from the 3 hours of abuse it took at Heinz Field. We weren't alone in our zeal by any means... there were plenty of fans around us in section 138 (including a half-dozen frenzied, good-natured beer-guzzling locals right in front of us who helped make the game a blast) who were extremely vocal and supportive of the team. Having talked to folks who were sitting in other parts of the stadium, however, our experience was apparently not the norm. Frankly, even though the little pocket of fans we were fortunate enough to sit among seemed to be completely fired up about the game, the enthusiasm in our section as a whole wasn't all that great. In fact, we seemed to be outnumbered at least two-to-one by snooty people talking on cell phones. These same so-called fans also delivered dirty looks in our direction every time we erupted in cheers, as if to say, "How dare you interrupt my call!" Can someone please explain to me how ANYONE who is priviledged enough to step foot on the hallowed ground at Heinz Field could even THINK of spending the afternoon yakking on their cell phone? I'm telling you, many of these "cell-fish" fans barely acknowledged there was even a game going on. It was sickening. More than once I was nearly overcome by my urge to snatch a cell phone and heave it into the river. It was disgraceful. Perhaps that's the tradeoff the Steelers now face for raising ticket prices... a much more reserved, disinterested crowd of corporate stuffed shirts that smacks of the fans we see in Irving, Texas every Sunday. But in all honesty, I don't believe the lack of noise Sunday was the result of a "corporate takeover" in the stands. I suspect what we're seeing is far worse. There's little question in my mind that Steeler fans as a whole have become increasingly whiny over the last several years. As the team has struggled through this rebuilding phase, many fans seem to all too eager to jump ship, apparently finding it easier to rip apart the coach and players than to support their team during lean years. Yes, the team's passing game has been struggling... Sunday's game versus Cinci was no exception. But rather than acknowledging the bright light of hope at the end of the tunnel shone by the unstoppable running game, outstanding offensive line play, and dominating defense, a growing segment of fans seem to be so deeply wrapped up in the lackluster passing attack that they're unable to get excited about the team. News flash: the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers does not begin and end with Kordell Stewart. The old cliche' is NOT just a cliche'... it's a truism: Football is the ultimate TEAM sport. Speaking of Stewart, I can't begin to tell you how many insults were hurled his way on Sunday. A few were perhaps warranted... most were not. In any case, it's obscene to me that the volume level of the insults when things go wrong seems to be a couple notches higher than the cheers of praise when something goes right these days. I may not always be happy with what the Steelers are doing on the field, but I will NEVER boo my own team. NEVER. You can say it's a "fan's right" to boo because they pay for the tickets. Fine. You can also kiss my white ass. Defaming your own team in your own stadium is utterly devoid of class. Enough of this negative crap. Aside from the lack of enthusiasm by a large contingent of stiffs in attendance, I'd have to rate our experience at Heinz Field Sunday as one of the most enjoyable events we've attended in years. Sandy and I live 3-1/2 hours away from the 'Burgh, but the drive in was gorgeous. The fall colors were in full bloom, the sun was shining, and traffic (except for Akron) was minimal. The new stadium is a thing of beauty... man, the view of the Pittsburgh skyline by Gate A (where the scoreboard is) is simply magnificent. I can't for the life of me understand what's up with people who say they're "disappointed" with the new stadium. Having said that, I'm sure there are those among us who could walk into the Taj Mahal and say, "What's so great about this?" I also need to keep in mind that some of these people are the same oafs who booed Terry Bradshaw even AFTER he led the Steelers to victory in four Super Bowls. But I digress... I've spent so much time up on my soapbox that there's little room left to discuss the game itself. Great running, great defense, and lousy passing. In summation: Two outta three ain't bad. Suffice it to say that we were ecstatic with the overwhelming ground attack the Steelers unleashed on the hapless Bungles (who's Cinderella season all but evaporated the first time Bettis touched the ball). The Bengals threw everything they had at the Bus and STILL couldn't slow him down. Famous Amos Zeroue was again outstanding. Man, the guy averages 7 or 8 yards a carry every week! The offensive line that looked so out of sync vs. the Jags has been among the best in the league since. If that trend continues, it's hard to imagine this team missing the playoffs. My only concern is the ongoing exchange problem between Hartings and Stewart. Man, they have GOT to get that worked out! Obviously, I wasn't thrilled with Kordell's passing. He was once again off target, especially early, but his running was extremely effective. I hope we continue to see Mularkey utilize these rollout plays. Stewart can be SO dangerous when he uses his legs, but his continued inconsistancy and our complete lack of a deep passing threat remains a monumental concern. Hines Ward? Another gritty if not spectacular outting. Hines may well become the first wide receiver in NFL history to catch over 100 passes and not go over 1,000 yards. Plex? Three catches is better, but WAY below what's expected of a player with his hefty salary. And it would be nice if he wouldn't cough up the ball when he does catch it, don't you think? As for the defense, what can I say? Aside from a letdown on one Bungles drive, they were nearly perfect at every position. Corey Dillon is a magnificent runner, and he finished with just 64 yards (the Bungles' team total was 65 yards). Kitna was miserable (aside from that one drive where he hit something like 6 of 7) and was pressured into off-target throws all day. One concern... the defense has shown vulnerability to giving up cheap TDs late in the game too often over the last few seasons. Cowher needs to remedy this ongoing problem NOW if the Steelers are serious about contending for a playoff spot this year. The Steelers now enter a grueling part of their schedule, starting this Sunday in Kansas City. The Chiefs are 1-3, but don't let that fool you... their three losses come at the hands of the Broncos, Ravens, and Raiders. Dick Vermeil is an outstanding coach. Let's hope we don't see him shedding tears on the sideline this weekend... but that's a topic for our K.C. pregame comments (coming soon!). Tim McMillen Webmaster, McMillen & Wife P.S. --- I almost forgot to mention the loudest cheer of the day at Heinz Field, which actually came at halftime when President Bush (we thank God for 'ya, 'Dubya) announced via the Jumbotron that the U.S. had begun air strikes against Afganistan. The place erupted into cheers and waving flags (which were handed to each person as they entered the stadium). It was a surreal experience, to say the least. The entire stadium was transfixed, their eyes glued to the Jumbotron, flags raised high into the air. I doubt I'll ever forget it. Eerily, we were reminded how much things have truly changed in this country when immediately following the President's announcement, a huge airliner appeared in the distance above the north side of the stadium and more than a few attendees gasped. God bless America.
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First of all, the guy is one tough sonuvabitch. The guy NEVER slides when he runs. The guy blocks downfield, sometimes against players twice his size. He plays through injury. Had he not had the quick thinking to tackle the Bengal that recovered the fumbled snap last week, the game would've been a lot different, cause that guy was gone. Most importantly, the guy is trying as hard as he can. Apparently, effort means nothing to some Steelers fans, because they won't be satisfied with anything. Believe it or not, this team WON on Sunday, like it did the week before, yet that's not good enough for some. Some people are so hellbent on criticizing Kordell that they forget about everything else. Would people have rather had Jon Kitna last week? He tore it up, didn't he? It's funny, I had a very similar experience a few weeks ago. I was at the Maryland-West Virginia football game (big Maryland fan). WVU's QB, Brad Lewis, had a generally good arm and hit some receivers downfield. Maryland's QB, Shaun Hill, generally struggled, missed receivers, and had a modest day passing. In the stands around me, I heard people bitching and moaning about Maryland's QB and comparing him disfavorably to our opponent's. Well, at the end of the game, yeah, Hill had modest passing yards. West Virginia's QB had about 100 more and about 20 more completions. He also had 4 interceptions, a fumble returned for a TD, and his team lost the game. Would I take our guy over theirs? Yeah. But Maryland's fans conveniently forgot about all that during the course of the game, because it interfered with their bitching about what they don't have. Kordell doesn't remind me of Johnny U. Trent Dilfer didn't last year either. But Kordell is trying hard, playing aggressively, and not making bad mistakes. That doesn't warrant my boos. Don't get me wrong, I get plenty frustrated when I watch him miss receivers or throw into too much traffic, or what have you. He's not a great passer, to be sure, and he likely never will be. But as long as I'm convinced he's giving his all (and that we have have no beter alternative, which is certainly the case), I'll be supportive of him, because he's a Steeler. The defense was great, the linebackers are sick, our offensive line protected great, our running backs are a three-headed monster, and Kordell played sufficiently well to win the game. That's enough for me. 1). Kordell missing Plaxico wide Open for an easy TD (again). This pass made me sick and was probably the primary reason I was down, but Kordel did seem to get into a groove with Plax later on running those slants, and hoepfully soon those two will connect. I mena when Kordell does get the ball there for a potentialy big play Burress drops it, now that Burress is caching the ball Kordell isn't getting it there. Here's hoping to see them hook up next week. 2). Bobby Shaw and Hines Ward doing their best imitation of Curly and Larry running into each other to prevent our first passing TD of the year. This is a case of Kordell actually getting the ball there and the WRs fouling it up, I guess they were due for one, they hadn't done that in a few games. 3). Bus getting stopped on 4th and one, how many times does that happen? At any rate think about this, if Kordell just hits Plax those 2 times he was wide open, he'd be one of the highest rated passers in the NFL. We are sooo close and it's only a matter of time. Last year over the second half of the year we were a top 10 scoring O. Kordell was looking good throwing to Hines and Hawkins, we will get back to that, Mularkey's play calling is getting better and better. and we are already 2 games ahead of where we were at this point last year. Everything is coming together, by week 8 we shouldbe looking very much like a playoff team, and if not... I'll eat this post with mustard and relish Will Smith P.S. --- I can't believe the overwhelming sentiment to start Tommy, do people realize that this guy was drafted in '92 and as a first round pick in a QB starved league he has made 4 starts in 9 years. This is his 4th team, his first three were coached by Dan Reeves, who coincidentally was the guy that drafted him in the first place. I know Kordell has been bad, but if we cut him this year I garuntee he at leas ges picked up somewhere, he won't be selling insurance for a couple of years. Tommy has a penchant for throwing really dumb picks, huh passes to borrow a quote from Mac, I'm willing to bet that if Tommy starts we have a better passing game yardage wise but we start losing very quickly What's with the crowd noise? I heard on DVE this morning, Monday morning, that there was an issue about our homefield crowd making noise. I guess Bettis stated that he was disappointed that the crowd was laxed and sitting for the majority of the game. I heard Cope's comments on DVE and wondered if this should be something reported on by your site. I personally feel that we lost SOME, not all, of the spirit moving across the parking lot and into Heinz. Is it the open stadium drowning out the chatter or is it the circumstances. By circumstances I'm refering to our military bombing that day and it being shown at the stadium during the game. Or is it that we lost some valuable, QUALITY not quantity, fans with this move with new ticket holders. I also heard a statement "Well how can you be excited when we can't score a TD when we're 1st & goal at home." - I don't know? Let me know what you think about this matter? Steelers Fan Forever... Mark P.S. --- I STILL believe the GREAT STEELERS win the AFC central!!!! (THIS YEAR) So I ask you all is this the way its gonna be from this day forth? We had alot to cheer about on sunday. But everyone dwells on the bad and forgets about the good, We won!!!!!!! A division game!!!!!! And the home opener!!!!!!! Come on ! lets get a little more passion out of our fans! My final comment is this: I was overall upset w/the noise in that stadium, and I feel it was the fans fault........... You certainly could hear a pin drop at times. Please respond I wanna hear you! <<< Back to Mac & Wife's
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