That large thud . . .

you just heard was the entire sporting community jumping off of the Pittsburgh Steelers bandwagon and onto the “Bill Belichek Genius of the Football World Space Rocket.”

I listened to some ESPN radio yesterday and some sports talks shows from Pittsburgh over the internet and all I have heard is how the Steelers (16-1 Steelers by-the-way) are no good and lucky to win and that the Patriots will just play with them and toss them around like a cat who plays with a dead mouse.

“Oh there is no way the Steelers will be able to compete with the Patriots. Belichek is just too smart, he’s the smartest man in all of football, oh hell he is the smartest man in the universe. Bill, we noticed that you were able to shut down Payton Manning, can you now please help us with the physics involved with time travel?”

Did the Steelers catch a break (actually 2 breaks)? Yes, of course they did. Did they get lucky? Yes, but that is what sometimes happens to good teams. Sometimes they get lucky. Sometimes they win the games they shouldn’t, but in actuality all but 1 game this season came down to “luck,” the Steelers won, outright, all other 15 games.

I have watched every Steelers game this season. By far this Jets game was the worst they looked since losing to the Ravens in week 2. They looked bad, tight, like a team carrying all of the hopes and dreams of an entire city on their shoulders. Do I think they will repeat this? No. They are too good.

The one thing about this team that can’t be said about Steeler teams of recent memory is the consistency of their play. The bad has never been that horrible and the good hasn’t been unbeatable. They always played in a certain range where even their worst was better than most teams (i.e. the Buffalo game which they used all third-stringers, and even the guy that carries the headset cable to beat the Bills).

Flat-out, the Steelers are a better “team” than the Patriots. Oh no! Look out; I will be struck by lightening soon. To speak such words is blasphemy. New England is considered the best “team” because they were announced as a “team” in the Super Bowl against the Rams. Awe, how cute and sweet and so freaking old. Yes, you cannot deny that they have 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls rings and they have played well in the clutch, but we are talking about THIS SEASON, and THIS SEASON it was the Steelers that went 15-1 and beat the Patriots in Pittsburgh.

Maybe I am being a homer; of course I am being a homer. Do I think the Patriots can beat the Steelers? Yes of course. They are good; there is no denying that. Are they better than the Steelers? I have my doubts. I might have officially lost my mind, but I feel better about the Steelers chances this week than I did last week. There was something about the Jets that scared me (probably how close the game was in December which drew my cause of concern, or the fact that minus good receivers, and any kind of offensive game plan the Jets are the Steelers).

The numbers are against the Steelers this week, 3 point underdogs, no rookie QB has ever won 2 playoff games, no team/QB has beaten the Patriots a second time in the same season the past 4 years, both home teams haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since 1996 (and just a few crazy people are picking the Falcons to beat the Eagles on Sunday) so that leaves the “team” of the world to beat the Steelers on Sunday.

The Steelers might as well just stand on the field with a confused look on their face because Bill “the Brain” Belichek will have something that will leave the uneducated, stupid and brainless Steelers confused.

“Well Phil, it looks like instead of playing defense Belichek has decided to have his defense perform Phantom of the Opera to confuse Big Ben and the Steelers. What a brilliant strategy by Belichek. He is the smartest man in the world! I love him.”

It looks like the Steelers have no chance on Sunday, and that’s just how I like it.