Steelers 34, Browns 23
Call it indoctrination if you will but I think that today I just became a Steelers fan in my own right. I had been lamenting the last couple of weeks that watching Steelers' games via nfl.com's live gamestats just wasn't doing it for me and Dave Warner suggested that maybe we hit up a local bar to watch the Steelers play today. We decided to go to Varsity Ale House and as I got out of my car and walked toward the door I was following 2 guys and a girl dressed in Tommy Maddox (8), Jerome Bettis (36) and Hines Ward (86) jerseys. When I walked in there were probably more than a dozen Steelers' fans sitting at the tables and more coming in the door. When Dave and I tried to get a table I think what we said was, "Well, we want to see the Steelers play ..." and the host hooked us up. Apparently that's the place to be on Sunday if you're a Steelers fan. There was even a mom there with her little boy, probably about 2? and he was dressed in a teeny tiny Steelers outfit. To top it off, the bartender, a probably early to mid-20s dark blonde, was wearing a terrible towel around her waist and then pulled out a Hines Ward jersey that her boss said she couldn't wear in lieu of the Varsity Ale House apparel. My opinion on the bartender? Damn, I'm glad I met JJ first. I think the moment when I realized I was an actual fan and not just a fan by proxy is when Roethlisberger made a huge play in the second quarter, throwing a 37 yard pass on the run to Plaxico Burress for a touchdown and I jumped (or tried to jump) to my feet and slammed my right arm into the table because I had forgotten the table was there. Ow. Hopefully there won't be a bruise ... I don't think I hit it that hard. Highlights from today's game: - Ben Roethlisberger's 6 yard run, ending in a dive over a Cleveland Browns' defender for the touchdown in the 1st quarter. - Roethlisberger's 37 yard pass to Plaxico Burress, thrown on the run, for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter - Duce Staley's personal record tying 3 consecutive games with 100+ yard for rushing They played well today ... these were just my favorites. I've been heavily interested in watching the rookie's progress and if people are still waiting for him to choke, I think that today, if they had any brains, they would have given up idea. As a first year player in the NFL, even with my extremely limited football knowledge, Roethlisberger is doing very very well. He just settles into the pocket, looks like he trusts his offensive line and a couple of weeks ago, when he was about make his starting debut his own offense was saying that he didn't quite have the system down, that he wasn't necessarily ready but it seems like the offense has taken to Roethlisberger. He's certainly doing his job and is 3-0 in the first year of his pro career. Not bad for the 23-year-old rookie who played for Miami of Ohio last year and 11th pick in last year's draft. The Steelers are hopefully patting themselves on the back for that one. Dave and I thought today, though, that Tommy Maddox, even though he's supposed to be back in 4 weeks, might be out of that starting job if Big Ben keeps this up. Bottom line: Steelers are now 4-1 and #1 in AFC north. They play the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday. I think I'm buying Steelers' apparel (read: t-shirt ... those jerseys, even the knock-off ones, are a packet) sometime this week so I don't feel so out of place watching the game. For more commentary on the game visit Dave Warner's football blog.