The Pittsburgh Steelers are not acting like world champions. They are not strutting around with their chests sticking out, slapping each other on the back. They are not bragging about winning Super Bowl XL. Instead, their demeanor projects anger. Much as was the case during their stretch run in last year's playoffs, the Steelers feel as though they are underdogs, resulting in an "us versus them" mentality.
For example, Chris Collinsworth, Chad Johnson, and pretty much everyone outside of Pittsburgh believes that had Carson Palmer not gotten hurt, the Lombardi trophy would have been raised in Cincinnati. Ergo, sound bites emanating from the Steelers' preseason camp have been about proving who is the "real" team to beat in the AFC North. As James Farrior stated, the Steelers are eagerly looking forward to the third week of the season. That certainly does not sound like a team that just won the Super Bowl. And, as a life-long Steelers fan, I could not be any happier with that mind-set.
Last year, after crushing late-season losses to Indianapolis and Cincinnati, the Steelers looked at themselves in the mirror, realized that they were underachieving, and, in turn, placed a monstrous chip upon their shoulders. At that point, no one besides the Steelers and their fans thought that they would make the playoffs, let alone win the Super Bowl. It was that aforementioned chip that spurred Pittsburgh to make an unprecedented playoff run: winning three straight playoff road games, and ultimately, the Super Bowl.
Yet, even after winning the championship, doubters gave little credit to Pittsburgh for doing so: the general consensus has been that the referees had "given" the Steelers the game. (Note: I will speak more about this next week.) Then, Jerome Bettis retired. And, Antwaan Randle El left. And, Ben Roethlisberger smashed his face into a mixture of fender and asphalt. And...and...and...
All the while, the Steelers have listened and become increasingly more irritated at the lack of respect they are garnering. Hence, thanks to all the nay-sayers in the media, chips have once again been placed upon Pittsburgh's shoulders. So, anyone looking for complacency, try looking elsewhere, because the Steelers once again have something to prove. Furthermore, and more importantly, they have the talent to make their goal (back-to-back Super Bowl victories) come to fruition.
