It’s never too early…
to look ahead at the 2014 season!
Steelers.com has provided a list of who the team, and the fans, can look forward to seeing during the 2014 NFL season!
The dates and times will be announced some time this Spring, but the Pittsburgh Steelers already know their 2014 opponents and the sites of the games.
In addition to the normal slate against AFC North rivals, next season the Steelers and their fans will welcome Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts, and the new coaches of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans to Heinz Field.
The other non-division opponent on the Steelers’ 2014 home schedule will be the Kansas City Chiefs, whose coach, Andy Reid, should be in line for a respectful round of applause from the home crowd for the way he played to win last Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.
Unlike 2013 when the Steelers had trips to California and London during a four-week segment of their schedule, there are no long trips on the docket for 2014.
The following is the 2014 Steelers schedule, with opponents listed alphabetically:
HOME: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Tampa Bay
AWAY: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New York Jets, Tennessee
You can read more here!
HOPE EVERYONE HAS A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!
Hearing from Steeler Nation
….LOUD and CLEAR!
After listening to Big Ben’s post-game interview last night, many Steelers fans wanted to let Ben know how they felt about him, the team and the season!
Below are just a few of the many emails, Facebook comments and tweets to Ben last night and this morning:
“Steeler fan for life! Love you Ben” — Rochelle Kenney
“You guys should be proud, with the poor start and all the injuries, you still played tough..Proud to be a member of Steeler Nation.” — Kim Rowles
@_BigBen7 said there would be no quit in him or Steelers and there wasn’t! Heartbroken of the outcome, but so excited of the future. — Josh Mescia @themesh23
@_BigBen7 Never been more proud of a Steelers team! What a fight, guys!! Luv u all to death!! STEELERS FOREVER!!! — Aaron Campbell @AaronC44814
“Hey Big Man watching the replay of the game today I love the shots of you going to each one of the players giving them that hug and confidence before every game. I cannot say enough how glad I am that you are a Steeler my favorite Q.B of all time My MVP, My All pro and one of my favorite pro athletes of all time!!!” — Henderson Thomas
“best thing is you found out what works leading into next season.” — Mike Runewicz
@_BigBen7 A big thank you. — Ron DeFrance – @rondefrance
“I as a Steeler fan still and always will love ya guys!!! We almost had Our foot in the Playoffs sorry that did not happen..But, There is always next year!” — Jackie Bowe
“Still proud of my team and one heckuva way to end the season. No post-season, no problem. Least we fought to the end and that’s the sign of a true championship team. Can’t always have a great season, but can still find ways to exude greatness. That’s why I love my Steelers. Still betting we see 7 before anyone else sees 6. Steeler Nation for life.” — Matthew Thies
@_BigBen7 @AntonioBrown84 @steelers proud of our steelers. Played through diversity, never gave up. #SteelerNation #fanforlife — Larry Simon @simonlhhs
“Proud of the fantastic comeback after a scary start […]
Ben: Proud of the fight
From Ben’s post-game interview:
From 0-4 to 8-8 –
Proud of the fight! Obviously we started really tough, but there was no quit, like we said there wouldn’t be.
I’m really proud of what has happened. We started 0-4 and things aren’t looking so good, and we have one of the worst records in football.
Guys continued to fight and never quit. I will look at satisfaction as happy and proud of the fight and no one quitting.
On what he’s seen from the offense as the season progressed –
Just a lot of guys playing really well and stepping up for each other…we were on our fourth center, our line was playing great. I think it’s been great to see everybody kind of grow -whether it’s huddling or not huddling, hurrying up or slowing down – whatever it is it’s just been growth and getting better every week.
As to the future –
We’re going to build on this whether we’re getting ready for next week or whether we’re getting ready for next year. I think we put together a good foundation,the team is playing well so whatever we are preparing for, building on, we’ll be ready.
You can watch & listen to his interview here (video).
*Steeler Nation – thank you for all your support this season!! Best fans in the world!!
Week 17: Steelers 20, Browns 7
After both a Ravens and a Dolphins loss today, the waiting game begins…
From Scott Brown, ESPN.com’s NFL Nation blog:
As the Steelers’ players scattered after their most improbable ending to a regular season in recent memory, there was palpable hope that Pittsburgh could overcome its first 0-4 start since 1968 and make the playoffs as an 8-8 team.
Most telling of this season was what happened outside of the Steelers’ locker room not long after they had beaten the Browns in Pittsburgh for a 10th consecutive time. Theodora Polamalu hugged someone in her group after hearing that the Chiefs had gone right down the field on their first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead.
The Chiefs are resting a bunch of key starters making them a long shot to beat the Chargers in San Diego. But the way everything has broken the past two weeks, fate appears to be smiling on the Steelers.
“We’re still hanging on,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said after the Steelers’ 20-7 win at soggy Heinz Field.
One sentiment that prevailed in the home locker room after the game: The Steelers had no business to call out the Chiefs for resting players.
“It sucks you’ve got to depend on other people but we put ourselves in this position,” Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu said. “We made this bed.”
Roethlisberger agreed.
“We got ourselves in a deep hole early,” the 10th-year veteran said. “We knew that and you knew it was going to be tough getting out.”
Whether it was tough or impossible will be known in a couple of hours.
You can read more from Mr. Brown here.
You can see a few game photos here.
Congratulations are in order:
For Lawrence Timmons, the Steelers Digest Player of the Week, and for Le’Veon Bell, who broke Franco Harris’ record for the most yards from scrimmage by a Steelers rookie running back!
I do…as long as you’re a Steelers fan!
80-year old Betty married Herb Luke, the man of her dreams on her birthday four years ago and they’re still going strong – Steelers strong!
According to Betty’s friend Lisa Proctor, weddings guests wore their Pittsburgh Steelers colors or the colors of whatever their favorite team is – as long as they had a good time! Afterall, not everyone can be a Steelers fan or we’d have no one to root against! Betty even sent an invitation to the Steelers front office (unfortunately they did not RSVP). The local news showed up to broadcast the event on the evening news – just like Ben & Ashley’s wedding – making Betty & Herb quite the celebrity couple!
They had a Steelers-themed wedding cake, and black & gold everything: bouquets, floral arrangements, even her garter belt! And as the bride & groom made their honeymoon getaway, the message, “Steelers Fans 2-Gether 4-Ever” was scrolled on the back window of their car!
They are known to all their friends and family as ‘Aunt Betty and Uncle Herbie’, and Lisa says, “Betty’s personality is like no other I have known and if you didn’t know her, you would never guess her age. She is just a joy to be around.”
Betty and Herbie still go out dancing on the weekends and never miss a Steelers game!
Betty tells us that she has a whole room in her house dedicated to the “Black & Gold Boys” and she loves every one of them. She also wanted us to add that she, “Loves her Big Ben win or lose!”.
*Thank you to Lisa Proctor for sharing their story with us, and to Betty & Herb for sharing their wedding photo. May you have a wonderful life together!
Ron Cook: A new Roethlisberger emerges
“It’s amazing the good things that happen to you when you grow up a little.” — Ben
From Mr. Cook’s interview with Ben for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
On Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger did what he does best as an elite NFL quarterback, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, leading the Steelers to an unlikely, season-sustaining win against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
But on this Thursday night, he is at his North Hills home, doing some nice work as a father, changing a dirty diaper. Wife Ashley is off to the Penguins-Minnesota Wild game, the highlight of a girls night out. Roethlisberger is alone with Ben Jr., who turned 1 Nov. 21. The two are having a blast. Roethlisberger does the diaper thing with the same precision he threw the touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes to win Super Bowl XLIII.
“I love being a father,” Roethlisberger said. “I love the responsibility. I love the patience it teaches you.”
It makes for a wonderful holiday picture, Roethlisberger, such a big man, holding that baby boy in his arms. Soon, there will be another face in the family team photo. The Roethlisbergers are expecting a girl in March.
“I like the path I’m on,” Roethlisberger said, “and I like who I’m on it with.”
You think the Steelers might be on the verge of an amazing comeback, from an 0-4 start this season to a spot in the playoffs? The team has nothing on Roethlisberger, who has climbed out of a much deeper, darker hole. Wasn’t it just yesterday that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for conduct detrimental to the league? Now, Roethlisberger is a finalist — one of 32 — for the NFL’s most prestigious annual honor, the Walter Payton Award.
He is the Steelers’ nominee, not just because he’s having, arguably, the best season of his career, but because of his community service. The award celebrates what really is important. Former Steelers Franco Harris, Joe Greene, Lynn Swann and Jerome Bettis won it, as did former Pitt and Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. The Payton Award will be presented at Super Bowl XLVIII Feb. 2 in New Jersey.
“I knew who I was and how I was raised,” Roethlisberger said. “I also knew who I wasn’t, if that makes any sense. I knew […]