BengalTigers! Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 The Best Rivalry In The NFL Grows - By Greg Stephens First, I would like to not only welcome you to my first column on stealers Fever, but I would like to also thank the editorial staff for allowing me to be a part of the stealers family. Second, I would like to address an issue and get it out of the way. I was born in, raised in, and currently reside in the Greater Cincinnati area. I am indeed a Bengals fan. I have no doubt when I e-mailed the editors of the site and let them know that up front, my e-mail was probably met, initially, with the same reaction you are currently experiencing. FansI want you to know that I do, indeed, have ties to the stealers. My brother grew up a stealers fan. My son's second favorite team is the stealers. My brother-in-law is from pissburgh and a huge stealers fan. Last year, I took my family to the stealers training camp and enjoyed it immensely. I have met Larry Foote at an autograph signing and found him to be a very nice guy. I have a bunch of stealers memorabilia in my home. I went to the same college as Big Ben. Why would I want to write for stealers Fever? That is a fair question. The truth is, I love to write, I love football, and I have a great respect for the stealers organization, as well as their rich history. I have assured the editors, and will assure you, the readers, that I will write with integrity and professionalism with regard to the stealers. As I said, I respect the stealers team, their history, and their accomplishments throughout the years. Growing up in the seventies, you couldn't help but root for Bradshaw, Blier, Swann, Stallworth, Harris, and the entire Steel Curtain defense. Those teams not only dominated all other NFL teams, but decimated them. I still remember watching Super Bowl XIV in 1980, and rooting for the stealers to beat Ferragamo's Rams. There is something else I have come to respect in regards to the stealers, however. As a Bengals fan, I deeply respect the long standing rivalry between these two teams. The rivalry itself goes back to the days of Noll and Brown. The two teams were always in the same division, played in carbon-copy stadiums, and were separated by a relatively short geographical distance. The rivalry between the Bengals and stealers was almost as great as that between the Bengals and original Browns, or the stealers and those same Browns. I remember my first personal taste of the rivalry. It was November 10, 1996. I had been to many games at Riverfront Stadium, as I refuse to call it Cinergy Field, prior, but this date was the first time I had seen the stealers come to town. This game was the only sell-out that season. My mom, my father-in-law, and I went, pretty much expecting the Bengals to get blasted because, frankly, it was the nineties. It was extremely cold, and by the middle of the second quarter, the game appeared to belong to the stealers. Sitting two rows behind us was a married couple. I think they were from pissburgh. The husband kept cackling in that first half as the stealers did everything right, and the Bengals - well, didn't. The twist in this story is that the wife was from Cincinnati, and was a diehard Bengals fan. I have never understood that dynamic, much as I have never understood dumbasss marrying democrats, but so it was. The husband didn't annoy us Bengals fans nearly as much as he did his wife, and he was laying it on good. With less than one minute left in the first half, the stealers scored and this guy went nuts. He was standing, he was heckling all of us, he was having a good time. His wife was yelling at him, and the rest of us were actually laughing at the two of them fighting. They continued fighting through the ensuing kick-off, which David Dunn then returned for touchdown as the clock wound down. As soon as Dunn crossed the goal line, he shut up immediately. His wife started rubbing in on him good, as did we. Through it all, this rivalry was not only very intense, but also very fun when handled responsibly by mature adults. Everyone had a good time and that's what football is supposed to be about. Fast-forward to 2006. Ten years have passed since that game. The rivalry has existed in name, but not really in spirit. Everyone knows the tremendous job Bill Cowher has done with the stealers during that decade. Everyone knows about that same decade of failure for the Bengals. The rivalry has been a sham, because frankly, the two teams have been in the same league literally, but not even close to being in the same league figuratively. That is, until the 2005 season. The stealers and the Bengals spent the entire 2005 season fighting competitively for the division championship for the first time ever. In years past, when one of the teams was dominating the division, the other wasn't really a factor. In 2005, both teams were in sync. Both teams produced explosive results, with vastly different styles. Both teams finished the season at 11-5. Both teams won at the other team's field. Both teams made the playoffs. Something happened on January 8, 2006, that turned a rekindled rivalry into possibly the biggest rivalry in the NFL today. It was the first round of the playoffs and pissburgh came to Cincinnati. The opening kick-off went to the Bengals, with no outstanding results. The first play of the first drive was a non-productive rush. Then ... it happened - the second play. Carson Palmer dropped back to throw on second down. The stealers pash rush, as one would expect, was tough. Palmer fires a beauty to Chris Henry for a sixty-six yard gain. As I am watching the catch and thinking that night would be our night, I heard someone say, "Carson's hurt." I turn to look. As I do so, the entire Paul Brown Stadium went deafly silent. As Carson writhed on the ground, holding his knee, sixty-five thousand Bengals fans thought, simultaneously, the same thing - "Oh sh*t". I am also a Baptist pastor and, while my language was a little more mild, the sentiment was the same. Understand that I am not one of the cry-babies that thought von Oelhoffen took a cheap shot on Palmer. It was a clean hit that, unfortunately, involved the knee. Whenever the knee is involved, anything can happen. I have chronic knee problems from just twisting it slightly while jogging ten years ago. Sometimes I go to bed and lay there in pain. Things happen to the knee. I am also not one of those fans that insist the result of the game would have been different had Palmer played the whole time. I don't know if the Bengals would have won. I don't know if they would have lost. It doesn't matter. It probably would have been a close game. It might have even went down as the best game of the entire playoffs. There is one thing I do know, however. As the Bengals are one week away from traveling to pissburgh for the first meeting of the two since that fateful night, the game will be as it has never been before. The rivalry is on a level that neither side has ever seen. How that translates into the results of the game remains to be seen. Regardless of the score, the winner will be clear - the fans, and the sport of football as a whole. Forget the Cowboys and Redskins. Never mind Chicago and Green Bay. This is the best rivalry in the NFL today - and away we grow. [url="http://www.stealersfever.com/editorials/0650.html"]http://www.stealersfever.com/editorials/0650.html[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvilleBengal Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Good article, but I couldn't tell if he was slobbing on the stealers knob, or giving the Bengals credit. Anyone else feel slightly confused? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tigris Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='DanvilleBengal' post='345059' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:49 PM']Good article, but I couldn't tell if he was slobbing on the stealers knob, or giving the Bengals credit. Anyone else feel slightly confused? [/quote] Well... he's a Bengal fan who doesn't want to defend Pitt. He said himself he likes Pitt, too... I don't know how someone could do that, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mt-bengal Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Ya how the hell do have Steeler stuff in your house and take pictures with thoses FAGS and then clam you are a Bengal fan, I call bullshit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildKat Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='DanvilleBengal' post='345059' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:49 PM']Good article, but I couldn't tell if he was slobbing on the stealers knob, or giving the Bengals credit. Anyone else feel slightly confused? [/quote] I thought the same thing. This guys a tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='BengalTigers!' post='345018' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:18 PM']... It was the first round of the playoffs and pissburgh came to Cincinnati. [b]The opening kick-off went to the Bengals[/b], with no outstanding results.[/quote] The opening kickoff went to the stealers. Our D forced a punt... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scharm Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 That 1996 victory over the stealers was the absolute best, but first a little history. 1994 - scharm attends Pitt/stealers game at Riverfront. Bengals start it off with an early bomb to Pickens a good hard fought game. Early second half Derrick Fenner drop a for sure TD off a flee flicker. Then the route was on. 1995 - Bengals beat Steeler in Pitt on Thurday Night. Later that season the Bengals up 31-10 in the 3rd Qtr whooping the crap out the Steeler, eventually lose 35-31. Shula should have been fired the next day. Then 1996 - Shula fired two weeks before. I go out to see comedian Carrot Top downtown the night before the game. He does a joke with a JETS Helmet pulling out Kleenex a good chuckle, then flips it to show a bengal helmet. At that point, Carrot Top was expecting to get booed, but instead the whole place burst into "Here we go Steeler, Here we GO" Every freakin bar, same shit. So Bengals are playing a pretty good game, then they score right before half. Everyone's pissed. Then David Dunn returned that kick. Later in the game a rookie tackle named Willie Anderson put a bunch of stealers on their back enroute to a victory. Wonderful game after so many years of putting up with Steeler fans and their team. The best was the bengals kneeled down at the end of the game on the stealers goal line as if to say "We don't need anymore points, we've whooped your ass enough today!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonBlade Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote]I want you to know that I do, indeed, have ties to the stealers. My brother grew up a stealers fan. My son's second favorite team is the stealers.[/quote] And VB stops reading. You [b]cannot[/b] have a second favourite team. You support one team. [b]ONE[/b]. And that's it. Even if, under very special circumstances such as your wife supporting them or your dad asking on his deathbed, you have a tiny interest in another team it absolutely [b]cannot[/b] be the hated rivals of the team you support. What a tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeb Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='BengalTigers!' post='345018' date='Sep 20 2006, 12:18 PM']The Best Rivalry In The NFL Grows - By Greg Stephens First, I would like to not only welcome you to my first column on stealers Fever, but I would like to also thank the editorial staff for allowing me to be a part of the stealers family. Second, I would like to address an issue and get it out of the way. I was born in, raised in, and currently reside in the Greater Cincinnati area. I am indeed a Bengals fan. I have no doubt when I e-mailed the editors of the site and let them know that up front, my e-mail was probably met, initially, with the same reaction you are currently experiencing. FansI want you to know that I do, indeed, have ties to the stealers. My brother grew up a stealers fan. My son's second favorite team is the stealers. My brother-in-law is from pissburgh and a huge stealers fan. Last year, I took my family to the stealers training camp and enjoyed it immensely. I have met Larry Foote at an autograph signing and found him to be a very nice guy. I have a bunch of stealers memorabilia in my home. I went to the same college as Big Ben. Why would I want to write for stealers Fever? That is a fair question. The truth is, I love to write, I love football, and I have a great respect for the stealers organization, as well as their rich history. I have assured the editors, and will assure you, the readers, that I will write with integrity and professionalism with regard to the stealers. As I said, I respect the stealers team, their history, and their accomplishments throughout the years. Growing up in the seventies, you couldn't help but root for Bradshaw, Blier, Swann, Stallworth, Harris, and the entire Steel Curtain defense. Those teams not only dominated all other NFL teams, but decimated them. I still remember watching Super Bowl XIV in 1980, and rooting for the stealers to beat Ferragamo's Rams. There is something else I have come to respect in regards to the stealers, however. As a Bengals fan, I deeply respect the long standing rivalry between these two teams. The rivalry itself goes back to the days of Noll and Brown. The two teams were always in the same division, played in carbon-copy stadiums, and were separated by a relatively short geographical distance. The rivalry between the Bengals and stealers was almost as great as that between the Bengals and original Browns, or the stealers and those same Browns. I remember my first personal taste of the rivalry. It was November 10, 1996. I had been to many games at Riverfront Stadium, as I refuse to call it Cinergy Field, prior, but this date was the first time I had seen the stealers come to town. This game was the only sell-out that season. My mom, my father-in-law, and I went, pretty much expecting the Bengals to get blasted because, frankly, it was the nineties. It was extremely cold, and by the middle of the second quarter, the game appeared to belong to the stealers. Sitting two rows behind us was a married couple. I think they were from pissburgh. The husband kept cackling in that first half as the stealers did everything right, and the Bengals - well, didn't. The twist in this story is that the wife was from Cincinnati, and was a diehard Bengals fan. I have never understood that dynamic, much as I have never understood dumbasss marrying democrats, but so it was. The husband didn't annoy us Bengals fans nearly as much as he did his wife, and he was laying it on good. With less than one minute left in the first half, the stealers scored and this guy went nuts. He was standing, he was heckling all of us, he was having a good time. His wife was yelling at him, and the rest of us were actually laughing at the two of them fighting. They continued fighting through the ensuing kick-off, which David Dunn then returned for touchdown as the clock wound down. As soon as Dunn crossed the goal line, he shut up immediately. His wife started rubbing in on him good, as did we. Through it all, this rivalry was not only very intense, but also very fun when handled responsibly by mature adults. Everyone had a good time and that's what football is supposed to be about. Fast-forward to 2006. Ten years have passed since that game. The rivalry has existed in name, but not really in spirit. Everyone knows the tremendous job Bill Cowher has done with the stealers during that decade. Everyone knows about that same decade of failure for the Bengals. The rivalry has been a sham, because frankly, the two teams have been in the same league literally, but not even close to being in the same league figuratively. That is, until the 2005 season. The stealers and the Bengals spent the entire 2005 season fighting competitively for the division championship for the first time ever. In years past, when one of the teams was dominating the division, the other wasn't really a factor. In 2005, both teams were in sync. Both teams produced explosive results, with vastly different styles. Both teams finished the season at 11-5. Both teams won at the other team's field. Both teams made the playoffs. Something happened on January 8, 2006, that turned a rekindled rivalry into possibly the biggest rivalry in the NFL today. It was the first round of the playoffs and pissburgh came to Cincinnati. The opening kick-off went to the Bengals, with no outstanding results. The first play of the first drive was a non-productive rush. Then ... it happened - the second play. Carson Palmer dropped back to throw on second down. The stealers pash rush, as one would expect, was tough. Palmer fires a beauty to Chris Henry for a sixty-six yard gain. As I am watching the catch and thinking that night would be our night, I heard someone say, "Carson's hurt." I turn to look. As I do so, the entire Paul Brown Stadium went deafly silent. As Carson writhed on the ground, holding his knee, sixty-five thousand Bengals fans thought, simultaneously, the same thing - "Oh sh*t". I am also a Baptist pastor and, while my language was a little more mild, the sentiment was the same. Understand that I am not one of the cry-babies that thought von Oelhoffen took a cheap shot on Palmer. It was a clean hit that, unfortunately, involved the knee. Whenever the knee is involved, anything can happen. I have chronic knee problems from just twisting it slightly while jogging ten years ago. Sometimes I go to bed and lay there in pain. Things happen to the knee. I am also not one of those fans that insist the result of the game would have been different had Palmer played the whole time. I don't know if the Bengals would have won. I don't know if they would have lost. It doesn't matter. It probably would have been a close game. It might have even went down as the best game of the entire playoffs. There is one thing I do know, however. As the Bengals are one week away from traveling to pissburgh for the first meeting of the two since that fateful night, the game will be as it has never been before. The rivalry is on a level that neither side has ever seen. How that translates into the results of the game remains to be seen. Regardless of the score, the winner will be clear - the fans, and the sport of football as a whole. Forget the Cowboys and Redskins. Never mind Chicago and Green Bay. This is the best rivalry in the NFL today - and away we grow. [url="http://www.stealersfever.com/editorials/0650.html"]http://www.stealersfever.com/editorials/0650.html[/url][/quote] Wow, I've seen some pretty nasty things, ...but, ....man the bile is coming up on this one and I think I need to hurl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeb Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='mt-bengal' post='345067' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:02 PM']Ya how the hell do have Steeler stuff in your house and take pictures with thoses FAGS and then clam you are a Bengal fan, I call bullshit![/quote] That's an easy one to answer. He's going to be a Stooler fan in about two years from now. Why? Because he's got a thing for underdogs and we'll stop being that this year. He'll move on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontPushMe Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='VonBlade' post='345079' date='Sep 20 2006, 01:14 PM']And VB stops reading. You [b]cannot[/b] have a second favourite team. You support one team. [b]ONE[/b]. And that's it.[/quote] says who? you? the bengals are the only team i am a real fan of, but i follow other teams, the panthers, jets, vikings, and lions... im not a real fan of any of them, but if they are playing and the game doesnt effect the bengals in any way i root for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 As a baptist and bengals fan who follows the whodeyian prophecy, I should remind the baptist minister of the following verse. Marviniticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with steelerkind, as with bengalkind: it is abomination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalsCat Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='Jamie_B' post='345144' date='Sep 20 2006, 04:12 PM']As a baptist and bengals fan who follows the whodeyian prophecy, I should remind the baptist minister of the following verse. Marviniticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with steelerkind, as with bengalkind: it is abomination.[/quote] WHO-DEY Preach it Reverend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 [quote name='VonBlade' post='345079' date='Sep 20 2006, 06:14 PM']And VB stops reading. You [b]cannot[/b] have a second favourite team. You support one team. [b]ONE[/b]. And that's it. Even if, under very special circumstances such as your wife supporting them or your dad asking on his deathbed, you have a tiny interest in another team it absolutely [b]cannot[/b] be the hated rivals of the team you support. What a tool.[/quote] I have a 2nd favorite team #1. Bengals #2. whoever plays the stealers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actium Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 In the NFC I pull for the Arizona Cardinals. Also I'd like to see the Texans do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MULLY Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Yeah, you can't be a Bengals fan and have any kind of love for the Stoolers. You can respect what they've accomplished but that's as far as it goes. This guy *is* a tool. He's all but sucking their asses in that fucking article. MULLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest schotzee Posted September 21, 2006 Report Share Posted September 21, 2006 Personally I don't know how any Bengals fan could be a stealers fan or vice versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted September 21, 2006 Report Share Posted September 21, 2006 SHENANIGANS . . . I CALL SHENANIGANS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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