Alright, so check this out - if you live in the Burgh, tomorrow (Friday) is the day...be the first to find the "Mystery Man" somewhere around town (between 9 AM and 7 PM), and give him the secret phrase (which you can find on Visit Dallas's Facebook page), and you could win two tickets to the Super Bowl, four nights of accomodations, and $500 cash.
Apparently there will be some clues during the day being disseminated by nine exclusive blogs (this is not one...shocker), which are listed on the Mystery Man tab of Visit Dallas's Facebook page.
Other than that, if you have any questions direct them at @DallasSBHunt on Twitter, and good luck and Godspeed.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, and follow Cotter on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
I don't think I can stress this enough, you guys - the Steelers are in the Super Bowl.
THE, SUPER. BOWL.
As in the game that all teams covet playing in, yet only 6.25% of them gets to play in each season...
The biggest game of the NFL season, no matter what team you follow...
And the game that will determine who will bear the title of world champion until they crown a new one next February.
Going into, and over the course of the season, there were so many things to count against the Steelers for 2011.
Ben's suspension, trading Santonio, Willie Colon on IR before the season even started, Dennis Dixon on IR after basically one game, Max Starks on IR, Aaron Smith's torn tricep, Troy's achilles, Keisel's leg thing(s), McFadden's hip/whatever, Heath Miller's concussion, lingering concerns about the defense stemming from last season, and of course, who could forget - LIMAS SWEED ON IR!!!!
There weren't too many outside of Steeler nation who thought they'd make it all the way to Dallas.
But, who's laughing now?
We believed, when no one else did. Because we knew that what happens to the Steelers in the offseason or over the course of the season does not deter them from their annual goal; their annual quest to secure the piece of hardware they have secured six times in the past - that Sticky Lombardi.
When the Steelers have played these past two games, I don't know about you all, but I've felt like we've been lucky enough to be watching something special. They certainly haven't played flawless games, but no team has, or ever will. Ups and downs are as much a part of a football game as touchdowns and field goals. What matters is weathering the storm, and making enough big plays to come out on top. And just like they've done all season, the Steelers have not ridden the emotional rollercoaster, they've ridden the monorail right over top of it.
In both previous games, they've had a legendary half, and a forgettable half. But when it has come down to it, they've made the plays necessary to ultimately triumph. The defensive stop on 4th down from inside our own 1 yard line, the completions to Antonio Brown, the turnovers, the points OFF the turnovers. These are the types of things winning football teams do.
Looking ahead, the Packers are a fantastic team, but just like us, a team that is not without vulnerability. In my opinion, this may have been the best matchup the casual NFL fan could have hoped for - two teams that play great defense and are led by clutch, multi-threat QBs who can make plays in just about any way you can think of.
So, like last week, I will have no expectations for the game except that the Steelers will go out and give it everything they've got for a full 60 minutes. And if it's enough, it'll be enough. And if not, then it won't. But either way, you know the Steelers are not going to Dallas to see the sights. They're going to hit some people in the mouth for four quarters, in the hopes of bringing an oblong shaped piece of metal with a football on top back to the city of Pittsburgh for the third time in six years.
But getting back to the AFC Championship game, at one point when the Steelers were up 24-0 in the first half, I was so fired up I couldn't sit down or stop waving my towel. And it wasn't just one aspect - defense or offense or what have you - it was the whole tenor of the game. The Jets came in so confident that this was their year. They knew they were a good football team, but I think it's pretty safe to say they may have underestimated the Steelers just like everyone else (at least their fans and media did, we know that much).
In fact, I think this excerpt from the Washington Post's (of all outlets) recap of this game captures it perfectly - "The Jets were a team of big mouths, playing on big emotions summoned by their roaring Coach Rex Ryan. But they were finally met by something bigger, a great surging team in the Steelers. Everything about the Steelers seemed huge, from their Mountain Man of a quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, to Troy Polamalu's massive flying wedge of hair, to the way they physically overwhelmed the Jets at every important turning point in the game. When the clock finally ran out the Jets stood on their sideline, sullen and still. Ryan issued a curt, wordless handshake to Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and trudged into the tunnel, leaving all the big words and emotion behind him on the field, where Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor was sailing around with his arms open, imitating a Jet doing a crash landing."
Couldn't have said it any better myself...literally.
There were so many crazy/awesome things that happened on Sunday night, I could write three recaps if I really wanted to...
Multiple batted passes by defensive linemen (including Big Snack) and LaMarr Woodley, Ike Taylor forcing a fumble (and Willie Gay running it back...but not surprisingly, we'll get to that more under "Things That Were Awesome"), Ziggy Hood hustling upfield to bring down Shonn Greene after a 23 (!) yard gain, getting a roughing the Punter penalty to get a new set of downs, Ben's last name had been partially ripped from the back of his jersey at one point, and of course, who could forget Antonio Brown coming through with another dagger?
Dude, it was minus four degrees with the wind chill at some point!!
[sidebar - feel free to caption this image in the comments...I feel like it really needs one]
Just like last week - another unbelievable atmostphere...
...another unbelievable game.
There's really nothing else you need to say about it.
And so now we get to have some real fun...now, we get to watch the Steelers compete for the Lombardi trophy - the thing some teams fans have never even been fortunate enough to hoist once, let alone six times.
I'm not even going to say something like "if you aren't fired up about this, then...," because if you're not fired up about this, you're not a Steeler fan...and probably not even a football fan.
So, we'll get back to thinking about the Packers and the big game at some point in the next week and a half, but for now, let's just get to the heart of the matter - the "Things That Were Awesome," "Things That Were NOT Awesome," and "Things That Made Me Feel Dirtier Than Knowing Rex Ryan Likes Feet" about the AFC Championship game.
As usual, I implore you to consume them at your leisure and add your own thoughts/enthusiasm/WOOOOOOs in the comments.
Now, time to deliver the miracle like Joe Flacco (or something like that)...
Like a bride on her big day, the Steelers will be clad in white on February 6.
The Packers (who had their choice) will be in green...as in the color you turn right before you're about to spew your guts out.
And like Kermit the Frog once said...
Not that it matters in any way or will have any bearing on anything, but the Steelers are 3-0 all time in Super Bowls when wearing the whites, including [as you probably remember] 2-0 in the whites over the last six years.
Actually, I really just wanted to point that out before someone else did in the comments.
Anyway...
HERE WE GO, WHITE!!!!
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, and follow Cotter on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
10/19 for 133 yards and 2 INTs (one of which wasn't on him), to go with 11 carries for 21 yards and a TD.
One of Ben Roethlisberger's worst games ever, statistically.
But performance can also be measured in big time plays, and I don't think anyone can deny he helped deliver those throughout the game (using both his arm and his legs, PS).
Not to mention, there's only one stat that matters, and that's the W.
See you in Dallas, haters.
By the way, keep your pants on and brace yourselves, rest assured the recap IS on its way some time today or (more likely) tomorrow morning.
Good things are worth waiting for...
Here we go!
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, and follow Cotter on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
Instead of some carefully crafted, original gameday poem (like I've done for the past few years), last week I used an excerpt from an old Big Ben favorite - his former Coach Terry Hoeppner's favorite, actually - "Don't Quit."
And like I said in yesterday's "preview," farbeit from me as a Steeler fan to mess with what works.
So, here is that same excerpt again, below.
And if that doesn't fire you up, maybe what follows it will...
Success is failure turned inside out; The silver tint of the clouds of doubt; And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit; It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit
Let the nerves get the best of you for a moment and then let 'em go.
![[Unnamed] Steelers Pregame Show](/images/stories/menu33.png)
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