Steelers-Ravens rivalry extends to coaches Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Barring some really unforeseen circumstances, Joey Porter isn无毛视频檛 going to challenge Ray Lewis to fisticuffs in the Heinz Field parking lot. Ryan Clark isn无毛视频檛 going to attempt to decapitate Willis McGahee. Hines Ward? He isn无毛视频檛 about to crack-back anyone.
Not that it would come as a great surprise if something similar happened.
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, nothing is sacred. Not even on Christmas. Peace on Earth and goodwill toward man? Forget it.
无毛视频淚t is going to be joy, not a lot of peace,无毛视频� predicts Baltimore wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.
Players have come and gone over the years, but Steelers-Ravens 无毛视频� 无毛视频渟till the best rivalry in football,无毛视频� according to Baltimore无毛视频檚 Mike Wallace, who has spent time on both sides of it 无毛视频� endures. Namely, through the two men who lead the respective teams: Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 Mike Tomlin and Baltimore无毛视频檚 John Harbaugh.
Hired exactly 362 days apart in 2007 and 无毛视频�08, Tomlin and Harbaugh are the NFL无毛视频檚 fifth and sixth-longest tenured coaches, respectively. Also, they are among the most successful, two of just seven current coaches to win a Lombardi Trophy. Tomlin无毛视频檚 .633 win percentage, playoffs included, is the third-best among active coaches, while Harbaugh is fifth at .605.
Think Steelers-Ravens doesn无毛视频檛 mean something to Tomlin? He无毛视频檚 the guy who was docked $100,000 for famously trying to trip a Baltimore kick returner three years ago. Of course, that was only on Thanksgiving.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 like growing up in the Cold War, you just don无毛视频檛 like Russia,无毛视频� Steelers safety Mike Mitchell said.
Today inside the friendly confines of Heinz Field, the Steelers will write another chapter in their long-running feud with the hated Ravens. Though technically not a postseason game, it is. A win today will give the Steelers their fifth AFC North championship in 10 years under Tomlin. A loss would all but hand the division to the Ravens and leave the Steelers looking for help to qualify as a wild card. It would also raise a whole bunch of questions about their coach无毛视频檚 ability to beat his, and the Steelers, biggest rival.
During their current five-game winning streak, which matches their longest under Tomlin, the Steelers have done a fair job disproving narratives about winning on the road and playing down to the level of their competition. All that remains is for Tomlin to beat his Baltimore counterpart. That is something he hasn无毛视频檛 done lately. Tomlin无毛视频檚 Steelers have lost nine of their last 12 to Harbaugh无毛视频檚 Ravens, including the last four in a row.
In a game that features the Steelers无毛视频� dynamic offense against Baltimore无毛视频檚 second-ranked run defense, perhaps the most intriguing matchup is the one on the sidelines where Tomlin will match wits with Harbaugh.
无毛视频淛ust two great coaches,无毛视频� said Wallace, who played for Tomlin from 2009-12 and Harbaugh this season. 无毛视频淪imilarities? Both fire you up all the time. Coach Harbs is always fired up. Coach Tomlin used to be the same way. Both are players无毛视频� coaches and both believed in us. Some coaches, I don无毛视频檛 know if 无毛视频� they believe in the team. I think these guys really believe in their players and believe in the abilities of their players.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 in the big games, and today无毛视频檚 game certainly is, where Harbaugh has the edge. Tomlin is 6-5 in the postseason, while Harbaugh is 10-5. The Steelers无毛视频� wild-card win over Cincinnati last January was Tomlin无毛视频檚 first playoff win since 2010, when Pittsburgh last advanced to the Super Bowl by first beating the Ravens in the divisional round.
The Steelers have missed the postseason three times under Tomlin with a 9-7 record in 2009 and a pair of 8-8 seasons in 2012 and 无毛视频�13. A victory today over Baltimore or a win next week against hapless Cleveland would give the Steelers 10 on the season. In its 80-plus seasons, Pittsburgh has never missed the playoffs with 10 wins. That nightmare scenario would be a bitter pill to swallow for the Steelers, who entered the season as favorites to win the AFC.
Tomlin isn无毛视频檛 about to get fired, but you can imagine the backlash locally, where you无毛视频檙e only as good as your last Super Bowl win. Just two weeks ago, Tomlin notched his 100th regular season win at Buffalo, doing so in fewer games than Chuck Noll and becoming only the eighth head coach in NFL history to reach the century mark within their first 10 seasons.
Outside the Steelers locker room, it was met with little fanfare with Le无毛视频橵eon Bell rushing for a franchise record 236 yards.
无毛视频淣ot many coaches have done that with one organization,无毛视频� said veteran guard Ramon Foster. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 always talk about should we replace him: Is he too hard? Or not hard enough on guys? That无毛视频檚 all BS. You look at a guy无毛视频檚 body of work and what he无毛视频檚 done. Not many coaches can do that. A lot of organizations are in and out of coaches or they无毛视频檙e always on the hot seat. There无毛视频檚 definitely not a lot of credit given.无毛视频�
Much the same criticisms was heard last season in Baltimore, which had its first losing season in eight years. With Joe Flacco, Terrell Suggs and Smith Sr., among others injured, the Ravens limped to 5-11 and missed the playoffs for just the second time under Harbaugh, and second in three years. Thanks to their dominant run defense, the Ravens are poised to win the AFC North this year beginning with a win today over the Steelers.
While many predicted Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Bengals to be the ones vying for the AFC North, the Steelers say they aren无毛视频檛 surprised that it无毛视频檚 them and the Ravens today for the division crown.
It无毛视频檚 Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh teams, says Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert, what did you expect?
无毛视频淭hey get their players prepared for big-time games,无毛视频� Gilbert said. 无毛视频淓ven when they had a down year last year, they still found a way to beat pretty good teams, which was us twice last year. 无毛视频淲hen you无毛视频檙e playing the Ravens, you know you无毛视频檙e going to get two tough-nosed groups. You have to have your chinstraps buckled and ready to go. If you无毛视频檙e not walking off the field, saying 无毛视频楧amn, I gave it all and I无毛视频檓 not hurting,无毛视频� then I don无毛视频檛 think you played a part in the game. This is going to be a helluva football game. It无毛视频檚 going to be one to remember.无毛视频�