There was once upon a time when fire-breathing dragons roamed the earth and professional football players that wore leather helmets roamed the gridiron with names like Jim Thorpe and Red Grange. There were miniature monarchs that ruled miniature kingdoms named George Halas, Arthur J. Rooney and Paul Brown. All of these “kings” understood that when you crossed the borders of another man’s “kingdom,” the chances of exiting that hallowed ground with a victory, more often than not, were slim and none.
Fast forward to 2018. The Baltimore Ravens entered the “kingdom of steel” of the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday, Sept. 30. The Ravens did not place a “Trojan Horse” within the Steelers gates, only to surprise Pittsburgh as they slept. The men from B-more compromised the walls and tore down the gates, not defeating the Steelers by sneaking and attacking them from the rear, but defeating the men of steel face-to-face for the entire world to see. “General” Joseph Flacco had anticipated facing “General” Benjamin Roethlisberger in this most important battle, but the highly anticipated bloodbath was almost a one-sided battle as the Ravens began the battle slinging while the Steelers were just “singing.” Pittsburgh won a few skirmishes but Baltimore won the war. The final score: 26-14 Ravens. The Steelers now find themselves tied for last in the AFC North at 1-2-1 with the Browns.
Come with me as we pause in retrospect for a moment or two. At the beginning of the 2018 NFL campaign, “General” Roethlisberger and his array of weapons were feared by many and disrespected by few. Roethlisberger could defeat you by land, by sea, above ground, below ground, in your kingdom, his kingdom or on neutral ground. It didn’t seem to matter. It was obvious to all that mattered that almost anyone that the Steelers faced were more than likely going to go down in defeat. It was not a question of why and how: the only question was when. However, there were stormy clouds gathering on the battlefront for the men of steel. The man charged with the placement and discharge of the weapons of the men of steel, “Colonel” Todd Haley, had been “exiled” from the “kingdom of steel” and took his experience to the Browns to help sculpture a new class of weaponry that the Orange and Brown team now possesses.
There was now a new man in town to calculate and implement a new attack strategy for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his name is “Colonel” Randy Fichtner. “Colonel” Fichtner had been a close confidant to “General” Roethlisberger causing many to believe that the “unholy” alliance between he and the general was one of the deciding factors to “exile” “Colonel” Haley. From the beginning of his “tenure” with the Steelers, “General” Roethlisberger seemed to be dissatisfied with the battle plans of “Colonel” Haley and many times those with high stakes in the matter could see and sense a level of disdain exhibited toward “Colonel” Haley by “General” Roethlisberger at many times for no reason, mainly just because. “General” Roethlisberger did not accept or appreciate his new offensive strategist and by golly, by hook, or by crook “Colonel” Haley was going to meet a less-than-stellar end if “General” Roethlisberger and “Colonel” Fichtner had anything to do with it.
They seemed to have prayed and waited, prayed and waited and now it appears as if their prayers were answered. As of this time, the walls of the steel kingdom have been breached twice in 2018 and may be breached again in less than a fortnight, as the Atlanta Falcons have been spotted flying toward Heinz Field at warp speed regarding reports that the demise of the Pittsburgh Steelers is nigh. It has been said in many circles time and time again,“Be careful what you pray for.”
(Aubrey Bruce: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
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