I have a good friend who’s a lifelong Steeler fan and blogger, and in talking to him over the weekend, you really get a sense of what the Steelers are all about and how their fans buy into it.

He said that Bud Dupree is going to hit Tom Brady harder than he hit Matt Moore.   I said, Oh you mean that illegal hit.  He said Yup, he loves that stuff.

Now we all talk shit about opponents and it’s part of being a sports fan, but Steeler and Patriot fans have this blind obsession that goes beyond being a basic fan.   And the NFL certainly fosters that.   As I’ve said for the past month, there is no way that the NFL doesn’t help Pittsburgh along in the playoffs.  They certainly need no help in beating the Dolphins, but then against the Chiefs, the refs handed them a win by calling the same “holding” that teams did to Cameron Wake all year long.  It’s NOT a hold if you run yourself into a guy’s arm…unless you’re a Steeler.

Shoving a guy after a play?   It’s just boys being boys and the refs let that stuff go during the playoffs.   Except if your name is Jay Ajayi or Travis Kelce and you’re playing the Steelers.

Pittsburgh about to get beat by a red hot Bengal team in the playoffs a few years ago?   Just send Kimo von Oelhoffen into Carson Palmer’s knee (low, and late, and dirty) and watch their fans claim it was a clean hit.  And watch the refs NOT throw a flag.  And then watch the bogus justification.

The Immaculate Reception?   How far do we have to go back to see referee bias toward the Steelers?  It’s like an immovable object that won’t ever change.

But now that immovable object is about to go up against an irresistible force:  the New England Patriots and their own favoritism the league shows them.  Yeah, they suspended Tom Brady.  Big deal.   They made up for it by overly protecting him.  And he’s allowed to scream at refs and do whatever he wants, penalty-free.   Roger Goodell’s head must be spinning.  Which of his two mama’s boys does he protect this week?

Anyway, back to the fans.  Spoiled, uneducated fans.    I know a Patriot fan who once told me that “Of course Brady knew about the deflated balls.  He got busted, paid his price, and we go back to loving him.”   THAT I can live with.   Sadly, however, he is the only Pat fan I ever met with that attitude.  The rest of them–millions upon millions–still think he did nothing wrong.  Still think he gets no special treatment.   Still think the tuck rule had nothing to do with Brady’s success.  (If not for the tuck rule, then Brady loses the playoff game to Oakland and Drew Bledsoe regains his starting job the next season, and Brady becomes a lifetime backup…thanks, NFL!).

Patriot fans will never admit fault with their team.  They won’t admit luck.   When David Tyree makes a miraculous catch, it’s luck.  When the Texan DBs fall down all night long on their own the other night, it’s not luck.   You can’t win with Patriot fans.    Perhaps the most infuriating example is when Pete Carroll handed a free Super Bowl to the Patriots.   The Seahawks needed two yards for the win.  The Pats were unable to stop Marshawn Lynch all game long.  One handoff = game over, right?

Pete Carroll, and perhaps my reader Karmatourer 😉 , were the only two people on the face of the earth who thought a pass play was a great idea.  It was the worst call in NFL history, and yet Patriot fans still won’t thank Pete.   Patriot fans actually think they deserved to win that game.   By the way, notice how Seattle has not advanced since that loss.   Talk about a coach’s stupid decision sucking the life out of an entire franchise forever.

Say what you want about Dolphins fans (and I always do), but we are realists.  We are objective.   I am the first one to point out and admit when we get lucky.   The first one to observe how the refs helped us (rare, but it happens).  The first one to rip my team or its coach for bad play and bad decisions.   Try to find a Steeler fan or Patriot fan to do that.  You’ll be looking far and wide for a long time.   That’s why the world hates those teams and their fans so much.

 

 

12 Comments

  1. Author

    This is very long and not well written, but it’s another example of NFL observers noticing when coaches do not use their bread-and-butter. http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2017/01/17/sturms-decoding-linehan-playoff-regrets

    It’s the curse of the old “I better mix in a pass play, because I don’t feel like gaining 6 yards per rush” Gase has that curse, and Jason Garrett and his Cowboys are sitting home now as well thanks to the same curse.

  2. If Bud Dupree hits golden boy Tom Brady like he did on Matt Moore, he will be ejected. Heck, the league would probably ban a player for a hit like that on golden boy. The NFL has a different set of rules for select teams, and players. Kinda makes me wonder why I give in to watching a league that shows outright favoritism towards certain teams. I initially thought that the Falcons would end up in the super bowl, but i now think that wont happen. I believe it will end up as the packers and patsies, with the patsies winning again. The headlines will be something like “Tom Brady misses 4 games this year but the dynasty lives on… “

  3. and whats with our team getting its coaches poached to other teams? First or D cord and our asst line coach. I dont get it. Florida has no income tax means you keep more of your salary. living the high life in Miami south beach, great weather all year round, posh and beautiful gated neighborhoods. And yet nobody wants to live , play , or coach here. WTF.

    1. Well, its a losing tradition in Miami. No SB win in 40 years and counting….

    2. Plus Ross is very cheap with coaches!

  4. Dead on I just posted on the last article about bruschi whining about goodell not coming to NE means Brady was innocent. They are all fucked up brain dead MFO’s every last one of them….

    1. Author

      And not just the players and the ex-players/announcers…it’s the fans. The Patriot fans simply don’t see the bias, the cheating, the stupidity, and all the rest. We don’t dispute that they’re a fine team. But when you bring up some of the, umm, “favors” that the refs give them over the years, they clam up. The Steelers are no better, but on the hatred scale, 1-10, New England ranks a perfect 10, and the Steelers are only at 9.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

      1. That’s what puts NE ahead on the hate scale is that they have been good they didn’t need to cheat or have favors from the refs but the fans will still complain that the league has it in for them. Are you kidding me? Can’t stand that kind of crap.

        Bruschis comments were even worse as the guys in broadcasting now he should be above it but is just as brainwashed as the dockworker out there…I couldn’t believe it when I heard that spew out of his mouth.

        I also can’t stand the jets because they get even more favoritism and make it sound like they are the best but do absolute shit.

      2. The Pats as a team don’t get any more favoritism then anyone else. Great players like Brady, Rodgers, Big Ben, always get the calls the same as in any sport. Look at the great players in the NBA or MLB or NHL the top players usually do get the calls.

        1. Don’t disagree with that assessment but some teams do get a little more favoritism than others. It’s not always brady for instance getting calls they get them on D as well. I can name numerous mind boggling instances but I don’t feel like puking in my mouth today….

  5. Am I the only sinister one who hopes Bud Dupree injures Brady early in the game?

  6. Nope, many people wish the same!!

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